Hey y’all!
Happy Thursday! We hope that everyone has a fabulous weekend celebrating Mardi Gras or if you’re staying in, a relaxing one! Today we wanted to share a little bit about the Boswell Family. The Boswells have been raising dairy goats and other livestock on their farm in Star, just a little bit south of Jackson! We got the chance to chat with Laura Boswell about life on the Boswell Farm and Star Soap Company, the family’s very own soap business!
Happy Thursday! We hope that everyone has a fabulous weekend celebrating Mardi Gras or if you’re staying in, a relaxing one! Today we wanted to share a little bit about the Boswell Family. The Boswells have been raising dairy goats and other livestock on their farm in Star, just a little bit south of Jackson! We got the chance to chat with Laura Boswell about life on the Boswell Farm and Star Soap Company, the family’s very own soap business!
{Tell us a little bit about y'all!}
My husband grew up in Jackson and I was raised in Brandon, Mississippi. We moved to Star about 10 years ago and have raised our twin daughters here since they were in Kindergarten. Star is a little town south of Jackson down Highway 49 and the hometown of Faith Hill!!
The property we reside on has been in the family for a couple generations and we’ve spent years turning it into our home and hobby farm. Because of the long narrow shape of the property it was previously called “Dogpatch.” Since we’ve made it truly ours, it now goes by “Boswell Farm” and the dairy goat herd is called Hominy Grove. My husband and I knew from the very beginning that we wanted to live down here permanently one day. We figured it would be now or when our twin daughters, Maggie and Brinkley, went to college. We decided we wanted them to have childhood memories of the farm so we made the move just before they started kindergarten!
My husband grew up in Jackson and I was raised in Brandon, Mississippi. We moved to Star about 10 years ago and have raised our twin daughters here since they were in Kindergarten. Star is a little town south of Jackson down Highway 49 and the hometown of Faith Hill!!
The property we reside on has been in the family for a couple generations and we’ve spent years turning it into our home and hobby farm. Because of the long narrow shape of the property it was previously called “Dogpatch.” Since we’ve made it truly ours, it now goes by “Boswell Farm” and the dairy goat herd is called Hominy Grove. My husband and I knew from the very beginning that we wanted to live down here permanently one day. We figured it would be now or when our twin daughters, Maggie and Brinkley, went to college. We decided we wanted them to have childhood memories of the farm so we made the move just before they started kindergarten!
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{Tell us a little bit about Boswell Farm.}
We are what I would describe as a hobby farm. We have some fenced pastures where our three horses, miniature Jersey heifer, and our dairy goat herd reside. We have lots of wooded acres as well for a few deer plots for hunting and some pines growing too. We enjoy using the property for sport and pleasure such as hunting and trail riding the horses.
{How did y'all get into raising and showing goats?}
When we moved here we knew we wanted the girls to be involved in 4-H with a livestock project of some sort. They were not keen on the idea of raising a market animal every year because they are sold each year, so we decided to look into a breeding stock species that you could use year after year and work on improving and building a herd. The dairy cows were so big for our young girls at the time so we started researching dairy goats. Rankin county has some very involved families that have raised dairy goats for years and they were very kind to help answer many questions and get us started on this journey eight years ago. The girls enjoyed showing and competing in the 4-H shows so much that we started attending open shows that are sanctioned by the American Dairy Goat Association just to give them more opportunities to show their animals.
We are what I would describe as a hobby farm. We have some fenced pastures where our three horses, miniature Jersey heifer, and our dairy goat herd reside. We have lots of wooded acres as well for a few deer plots for hunting and some pines growing too. We enjoy using the property for sport and pleasure such as hunting and trail riding the horses.
{How did y'all get into raising and showing goats?}
When we moved here we knew we wanted the girls to be involved in 4-H with a livestock project of some sort. They were not keen on the idea of raising a market animal every year because they are sold each year, so we decided to look into a breeding stock species that you could use year after year and work on improving and building a herd. The dairy cows were so big for our young girls at the time so we started researching dairy goats. Rankin county has some very involved families that have raised dairy goats for years and they were very kind to help answer many questions and get us started on this journey eight years ago. The girls enjoyed showing and competing in the 4-H shows so much that we started attending open shows that are sanctioned by the American Dairy Goat Association just to give them more opportunities to show their animals.
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{What was the inspiration behind Star Soap company?}
A close friend and fellow breeder taught us how to make goat milk soap many years ago. We started to make soap just for our own use and gifts for family members. We still mainly just sell to friends via word of mouth and attend a handful of craft shows every year. The name comes from our little small town that we love! I feel like our soap is truly a hometown product!! Our feed ration for the goats is mixed at a local mill and Mr. Ross has been mixing it for us for many years now. The labels for our soap bars are printed just down the road at Stephens Printing.
{What is y’all’s favorite thing about raising dairy goats?}
My daughters would say their favorite thing about raising dairy goats are the babies!!! Baby goats are some of the most adorable creatures ever. They also agree that it is fun meeting people at different events that share the same interest they have in raising dairy goats.
A close friend and fellow breeder taught us how to make goat milk soap many years ago. We started to make soap just for our own use and gifts for family members. We still mainly just sell to friends via word of mouth and attend a handful of craft shows every year. The name comes from our little small town that we love! I feel like our soap is truly a hometown product!! Our feed ration for the goats is mixed at a local mill and Mr. Ross has been mixing it for us for many years now. The labels for our soap bars are printed just down the road at Stephens Printing.
{What is y’all’s favorite thing about raising dairy goats?}
My daughters would say their favorite thing about raising dairy goats are the babies!!! Baby goats are some of the most adorable creatures ever. They also agree that it is fun meeting people at different events that share the same interest they have in raising dairy goats.
{What else does the Boswell Family do for fun?}
The girls enjoy playing volleyball for their school and club team. Maggie participates in archery at Jackson Prep and Brinkley enjoys riding her horse, 7-Up. My husband rides his horse weekly working cows on a friend’s ranch just outside Utica. I’ve recently renewed my hobby of painting and expanded to acrylic paints from years of only dabbling in watercolor painting. The goats and pets serve as the subjects for many of my paintings. I also enjoy making barn quilts.
{Where can people purchase Star Soap products?}
People can contact me at [email protected] for custom orders. You can find us at A Day In The Country craft fair in October at Chapel of the Cross! We’ve attended it for the past few years and always enjoy visiting with repeat customers.
{Do y'all have any big plans for 2019}
I think in the future I would like to expand the soap business in the next few years. Last year we attended the National Dairy Goat show in Ohio and would love to attend again sometime
The girls enjoy playing volleyball for their school and club team. Maggie participates in archery at Jackson Prep and Brinkley enjoys riding her horse, 7-Up. My husband rides his horse weekly working cows on a friend’s ranch just outside Utica. I’ve recently renewed my hobby of painting and expanded to acrylic paints from years of only dabbling in watercolor painting. The goats and pets serve as the subjects for many of my paintings. I also enjoy making barn quilts.
{Where can people purchase Star Soap products?}
People can contact me at [email protected] for custom orders. You can find us at A Day In The Country craft fair in October at Chapel of the Cross! We’ve attended it for the past few years and always enjoy visiting with repeat customers.
{Do y'all have any big plans for 2019}
I think in the future I would like to expand the soap business in the next few years. Last year we attended the National Dairy Goat show in Ohio and would love to attend again sometime
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