Yellowknife's hoofed celebrities
Urban goat farm a beloved local landmark
Meagan Leonard
Northern News Services
Tuesday, July 28, 2015
SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE
Domesticated more 10,000 years ago, goats were some of the earliest animals to reside in human communities. Admired for their ability to thrive in hostile environments with little food, this makes them ideal candidates for life in the North and that may be why more people are choosing the animals for their backyards.
Leanne Robinson, baby Emile, and Dwayne Wohlgemuth feed Sage at their home in Yellowknife. July 18, 2015. - Meagan Leonard/NNSL photo
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Dwayne Wohlgemuth owns the two goats who call 45 Street home and says he had them brought up from Alberta in 2011 with the hope of producing milk and cheese locally. He said unfortunately the goats' pedigree was not high quality and he was unable to garner much from them - even after breeding the animals. Since then, they have become more like pets - and a fascination for passerby.
"I thought goats would be a pretty good urban animal," he said. "They're not loud, they're not too aggressive . and they've been a fantastic hit in the city . it's like a 24/7 petting zoo right downtown."
Wohlgemuth's animals live outside in a fenced area behind his home during the warmer months and take refuge in a re-purposed metal electrical substation he salvaged and had insulated during the winter. While caring for the goats is more difficult in the winter, they are not picky eaters and will readily consume a wide variety of foods including leaves, bark, grass, vegetables and oats.
"Because of the extremely cold weather, trying to keep animals warm and fed in the winter is a lot more challenging," he explained, but added this challenge is what makes farming in the North worthwhile and the people of Yellowknife are really working to exacerbate the stereotypes.
"People know it's possible. There's enough examples now of people selling at the farmer's market . and people do backyard gardening really successfully."
As a member of the community garden board for a number of years, Wohlgemuth says organic farming and producing local food is something he is passionate about. Recently his focus has been on a berry orchard he started in Kam Lake.
"It's producing raspberries already," he said enthusiastically. "Trying to get that orchard off the ground and producing really well is something I definitely want to make sure happens."
Northern cities like Yellowknife have a unique advantage, he says. In the south, competition among farmers is much greater - particularly urban agriculturalists as they must compete with large-scale farming operations outside the city. Yellowknife, on the other hand, is an oasis.
"Most cities down south would have all the local farms in the surrounding area also producing food," he said. "Because we don't have farms around the city and we don't have good agricultural land around the city either, then local urban food production becomes within the city, backyard or market gardens is even more important."
Wohlgemuth said even though the goats were not able to produce milk and cheese as he had hoped, they have become a beloved part of the neighbourhood and a must-see stop for tourists.
President of the Northern Frontier Visitors Association Kyle Thomas says they suggest the goats as a stop for visitors and even include the pen on city tours.
"They think it's the neatest thing in the world because they can't believe there's goats in Yellowknife . because it's not really a climate for farming and agriculture," he said. "People just love it. They jump out and feed the goats and they think it's the greatest thing."
Wohlgemuth said he set up a picnic table outside the pen so people can sit and enjoy the space. He said the spot is so popular if ever he wants a social evening he just steps into the backyard.
"To this day I still go outside by the pen and see faces I don't know," he said. "People enjoy them and come and visit and feed them and to me that is the most important reason for having them."
City of Yellowknife spokesperson Richard McIntosh told Yellowknifer in an e-mail currently the city's only animal by-law refers to dogs, effectively allowing backyard goats and hens in a controlled situation.
