Land Isn’t Enough: How a Goat Farmer Built a Farm From Scratch
Show Notes
What does it actually take to become a farmer today if you didn’t grow up on a farm, inherit land, or have a roadmap?
In this episode of One Bite is Everything, Dana sits down with first-generation goat farmer Emma Smalley to talk about the reality of building a farm from scratch in modern America.
Emma’s path into farming started with a Craigslist ad and an aging goat farmer named Roger who needed help caring for his herd. What followed was mentorship, loss, land searches, commuting hours to support the farm with an off-farm job, and eventually building a goat operation of her own in rural New York.
But this conversation goes far beyond goats.
It explores the growing crisis around farmland access, succession planning, first-generation farming, and the emotional complexity behind keeping land in agriculture. Emma shares what it feels like to compete with developers for farmland, why so many farms depend on off-farm income to survive, and how isolation has quietly become one of the defining realities of farming today.
Dana and Emma also discuss:
- why land can be “available” but still inaccessible
- how mentorship shapes new farmers
- the hidden emotional side of farmland transitions
- rotational grazing and regenerative practices
- why goat meat demand is growing in immigrant communities
- the role of community in keeping farmers going
- how organizations like American Farmland Trust are helping support land access and transition planning
- why farming today often depends on people operating at their absolute limit
At the center of this episode is a bigger question:
If millions of acres of farmland are expected to change hands in the coming decades, who actually gets the opportunity to farm?
Emma’s story offers a deeply personal look at that question—and at the people trying to build a future inside a system that often wasn’t designed for them.
In This Episode
- Emma’s unexpected path into goat farming
- The reality of first-generation farming
- Competing with developers for land
- Farming while working a full-time job
- Goat farming, halal markets, and immigrant food systems
- Why community matters more than people realize
- The emotional weight of farmland succession
- Building a farm that can outlast you
About Emma Smalley
Emma Smalley is a first-generation goat farmer in New York State raising meat goats on a former dairy farm in Allegheny County. She manages her farm while also working full-time off-farm and has been involved in farmer community-building efforts including the Good Farmers Guild of Western New York. Emma also worked with American Farmland Trust to navigate land access and farm transition planning.
About American Farmland Trust and Farmland for a New Generation
Farmland for a New Generation New York (FNG-NY), coordinated by American Farmland Trust in partnership with New York State and regional organizations, helps connect farmland seekers with landowners looking to keep land in agriculture. Through a statewide network of Regional Navigators, the program provides guidance, resources, and transition support for both new farmers and retiring landowners.
https://farmland.org/farmland-for-a-new-generation-new-york
Connect & Support
Learn more about the For Farmers Movement at For Farmers Movement
Read Bite Sized on Substack
Follow Dana on Instagram at @xoxofarmgirl
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