Since this article was first posted, the third paragraph from the last has been updated to reflect a connection between Goats of Progress and a fund backing Propeller.
Bless my sweet wife for being so unlike me. I would have raised hell. They changed the rules at the last minute, and she was robbed. And now we won’t be Lower 9th Ward goat farmers.
At least someone will. A group known as Goats of Progress won second place in the recent Lots of Progress competition run by a business-incubation organization called Propeller, backed by Tulane, the Greater New Orleans Foundation, the New Orleans Redevelopment Authority and other civic worthies.
It’s great that not one but two urban goat-farming ventures were considered by judges, and I relish this editorial space to tout the concept of siccing nature’s perfect lawnmowers on hundreds of untended 9th Ward lots. Still, I’m disappointed, feeling like the old “fix-is-in” New Orleans way crept into this otherwise progressive effort. And because of that, in my opinion, Propeller went against its stated ambition to “achieve long-term, systemic change in our community.”
With $10,000 being divided by three winners, the stakes weren’t eye-popping, but the money is enough to make a difference.
The contest worked like this: Dozens of startups pitched novel ideas for redeveloping property in the Lower 9th Ward. The field was whittled down to a handful of finalists, who made in-person pitches to a panel of judges. The three winners walked away with a few grand each and land on which to work.
David Young took first place, and $5,000, with his Fruity About Trees idea, which will transform two vacant lots into a citrus, banana and fig orchard. The $2,000 third prize went to Cat Kochanski’s program called Develop Abundance, which will use hydroponic, aquaponic, and aeroponic technologies to grow fish and produce for folks in need.
Goats of Progress won $3,000 to raise goats and make them available as an eco-friendly lot-maintenance service. Goats of Progress could mean entry-level farming jobs in the Lower 9th Ward, collaborations with schools and non-profits, and goat milk products for local markets.
The proposal from my wife, Morgana King, was called Y’Herd Me Property Maintenance, and it was similar, with the addition of a petting zoo for local kids (the human kind) and the fertilizer sideline a goat farm produces.
My disappointment in the contest is not so much at my wife’s loss, but that Goats of Progress – an entry that didn’t make the initial cut – was first unsuccessfully foisted on my wife as an unwanted partner, and then allowed to slide into contention at the last minute.
The skinny on goat farming
But first let me give you the interesting stuff.
Urban goat farming has proven successful in many cities. We got our first goat in late 2004, a big whether (meaning fixed) male named Chauncey Gardner, bought for $75 from a West Bank farm. The big 9th Ward house we’ve lived in for almost 10 years has a huge backyard, which Chauncey keeps immaculate. African pygmy goats such as Chauncey do very well in New Orleans. He loves the heat, and in October he grows a double coat against the cold.
Though goats are known for their devilish natures, stubbornness and tin-can munching, pygmies have far better manners than people expect. As we evacuated New Orleans ahead of Katrina, Chauncey sat quietly in the back seat for hours. His Marigny neighbor and goat buddy, Evangeline, sleeps in her owner’s bed.
Chauncey is much quieter and calmer than a dog, and easier to care for than a goldfish. Bigger goats may have questionable appetites, but our knee-high pygmy favors wild greens, plus his daily cup of sweet goat chow (and the occasional paper trash he finds on the ground).
For lawn-maintenance purposes, goats are perfect. Cows are “grazers” and rip plants out by their roots, while goats are “browsers,” discerningly pruning to ensure regrowth. Goats gobble up brush-fire risks in Texas and clear out hard-to-reach areas in California. Where houses once stood in the Lower 9th Ward, now lies a vast goat buffet.
Preparing the pitch
When not raising goats, my wife is the director at her Arts Council job and a local art gallery, so her proposal was financially strong and detailed. She priced out fencing, a barn, zoning permits, insurance, vet bills, building a website and more. She found a goat mentor. She quizzed City Hall officials. Because financial planning would count for 50 percent of a contestant’s final score, she pinpointed eight different revenue streams for the farm, including collecting a fee of $200 for each cleared lot. She figured it would cost $5,000 a year to run.
At first, the laws regarding animal farms in the city appeared unfavorable, but my wife was buoyed when she learned that city officials had recently waived some land-size requirements to allow one in the Lower 9th Ward
She even talked the Make It Right Foundation into donating a trailer built specifically for goats – called the Slow Mow – that had sat unused since it was built in 2010. The idea is that obvious.
When 10 equals 11
Out of more than 40 entries, hers became one of 10 semi-finalists selected to pitch in person to celebrity chef John Besh, New Orleans Redevelopment Authority honcho Jeff Hebert, and Maurice Cox from Tulane’s City Center.
The rules said that “a maximum of 10 semi-finalists” would be chosen. But an initial screening board also selected three alternates, in case any semi-finalists dropped out. Goats of Progress was one of the alternates.
The week before the big pitch to judges, Propeller asked my wife to team up with Goats of Progress. My wife declined. She was already planning to partner with whoever turned out to be neighbors of the lot she hoped to win.
Then, just before the final pitch, Propeller added Goats of Progress to the group of semi-finalists, bringing the group to 11.
All the semi-finalists should have been outraged.
Sensing doom (and political favoritism) my wife asked Propeller by email why the group was allowed to make a pitch.
Executive director Andrea Chen wrote to explain that Goats of Progress was the only alternate left after the two others dropped out. Coupled with a schedule change that gave the judges more time, the organization decided to let an 11th group make its pitch to the judges.
“We felt it was in the best interest of the competition,” she wrote.
Both goat pitches brought goats to the final showdown: our 80-pound brown beer keg, Chauncey, and their cute little gray kid. My wife later lamented that we’d brought an old goat to a baby goat party. Besh and the other judges praised my wife’s idea and her presentation. They had only a few budget questions, which she addressed.
Wanting their side of the story, I have written twice to both Goats of Progress and Propeller, inquiring about possible relationships between the two organizations. According to his Facebook page, David Behmer, of Goats of Progress, once worked for the Tulane Fund, which is a backer of Propeller.* I’ve received no answer to my inquiries, but anyone who has lived here for any amount of time will think they recognize good ol’ New Orleans logic at play: “They’re our rules, we’re allowed to change ’em.”
The real point, of course, is creating jobs and clearing blighted, weed-choked land in the Lower 9th Ward. And it sounds like Propeller will have helped accomplish that.
But “systemic change in our community”?
Not so much.
*Correction: The original version of this story erroneously stated that Behmer works for the Tulane Fund, but he last worked there in the summer of 2012. The error has been corrected.
According to the internets, David Behmer, of Goats of Progress, works for the Tulane Fund, which is a backer of Propeller. So, there’s that.
Wow, totally not cool to give the money you “donated” to your own employee. They have wasted the other teams time and energy and made what sounded like a “good” project into a sham.
You are mistaken. Mr. Behmer does not work for Tulane… A former employee years ago. Check your research before you judge. Additionally, the team from Goats of Progress, if you spent time getting to know them (would know this), are very simply, well meaning people who are from various parts of the country who were inspired by the challenge set forth in the competetion. Probably the least deceptive and/or politically driven folks around. A group of adults who are well meaning, love this city and are kind human beings who happen to like goats entered the competetion, enjoyed it and are grateful for the money to try and help. I think the greater problem is not that the baby goat and owner won but that time and space is being given to an argument over goats in the 9th ward under the assumption that either goat and their respective posses have the potential to make a macro-impact on the community.
Thats a pretty long article expressing the fact that you’re made because your wife lost a contest. Did she have sex with you again after you wrote this? Sounds to me like you lost because they made a better pitch than you. Who the hell concocts a conspiracy to throw a contest when the reward is a crappy lot in the 9th ward and a paltry $3,000? Finally, I sincerely hope and pray that you are not a professional journalist. Maybe children’s books would be a better pursuit.
The problem, simplified, is that every page of Propeller’s website states that there will be 10 semi-finalists, and then there were 11. Come to find out that the rules were broken to benefit a former employee of the contest’s sponsors.
Wether or not the goat folks are deceptive, they didn’t enter the contest like everyone else, and should have been disqualified because of their affiliations.
— the author
Again, the problem is that you’re upset that you lost. Your only allegation of affiliation is that a commenter did a facebook search which revealed that one of the people who beat you used to work for Tulane. You realize that Tulane is a massive employer.
That is incorrect, sir. The commenter pointed it out, then we went and checked, and yes, the fellow was specifically employed by the Tulane Fund, which is a small entity directly affiliated with the contest. Go check the Facebook link for proof.
Also go check Propeller’s “rules page” which states, “a maximum of 10 semi-finalists.”
I don’t see this op-ed as an attack at all. Their slight of hand is not the end of the world to me. I just wanted to document a common problem in New Orleans, and let organizations know the community is paying attention to the details.
–the author
That is incorrect, sir. The commenter pointed it out, then we went and checked, and yes, the fellow was specifically employed by the Tulane Fund, which is a small entity directly affiliated with the contest. Go check the Facebook link for proof.
Also go check Propeller’s “rules page” which states, “a maximum of 10 semi-finalists.”
But for the record, Goats of Progress look like cool people, with experience, and seem like they will do a great job. I don’t see this op-ed as an attack at all. Propeller’s slight of hand is not the end of the world to me. I just wanted to document a common problem in New Orleans, and let organizations know the community is paying attention to the details.
–the author
I am SHOCKED, SHOCKED to learn that there’s personal favoritism or unethical grant-allocation in the “lower-9/entrepreneur/nonprofit/startup/venture-cap/tulane” nexus, which I’d assumed to be a fiscal snow-cap of pristine purity, like the fluffy fleece of an alpine albino alpaca-goat.
MY GOD WHAT KIND OF TOWN IS THIS
WHO WILL SPEAK FOR “GOATS OF PROGRESS”
WHERE IS “THE NATION” MAGAZINE
I AM HYDROPONICALLY, AQUAPONICALLY, *AND* AEROPONICALLY OUTRAGED
I have no opinion on the favoritism argument. Who knows? Maybe. And you’re right, 10 is not the same as 11.
Your article did remind me of something though. I was at the Lots of Progress event, and while I don’t remember the presentation or judging process exactly, I think your wife might have lost some favor–at least favor with the crowd–when she mentioned that one of the products of the Y’Herd Me venture might be goat meat. (I’m sure she wasn’t talking about Chauncey.) I know I wasn’t exactly enthused to hear that one of the plans for Y’Herd Me’s sustainability might be to eat the goats that were helping us with our vegetation issues.
This is nothing new, we have been working with the city for 3 years on bringing a horse therapy program to help children and returning Vets dealing with trauma and loss. We were completely shut out by the city for wanting to work with “those children”. When you do not have a celebrity behind you, you are done.
I wish them well in their endeavors, and we are still trying to help children and Vets but not from here. It is a shame when you have a self sustaining project yet because you are not “cool enough” you get shut out.
Given the amount of time that Mr. Welch has invested in this puerile diatribe, I am happy for the residents of the Lower 9th Ward that they have escaped (by the skin of their teeth, apparently) having to deal with such a peevish “neighbor.” The last thing this struggling part of our city needs is a prima donna who, when not engaged in the composition of sub-literate complaints to local journals of dubious quality, is busy preening at the avant-garde of the urban goat “movement.” I invite the “author” of the above missive to look more closely at his cloven-hooved companions (who, we are told, have “far better manners than people expect”) before burdening us with any more of his wild-eyed pettiness.
I understand how annoyed most of you are about such a small, seemingly irrelevant complaint about a contest. On the other hand, I absolutely get the point here. In the end, this post is more about following the rules an entity placed on itself and failing to adhere by those rules; ten is not eleven, eleven is not ten, five is not twenty, etc…
I’ve heard many opinions about Propeller since the contest concluded. I do not claim any as my own because I was not a part of the process on either side. Best of luck to everyone.
This is a blemish on The Lens’ normally high quality reporting. Mr. Welsh obviously spent a lot of time on being a sore loser who should have followed his wife’s response. He’s a music writer out of his range. That much is obvious.
All this about “my wife” over and over again. It’s interesting that she has a male protector who can’t name her other than but possessively.
Butting heads with the powers that be?! Yes, look out goats, he’ll get you. Look out go cups, he’ll make up stories about you. It sounds like he’s not butting heads but using the other end to write this ridiculous article.