fields, and acres and acres of grazing land. Back in the barn two tiny cheese production.
while awaiting approvals for the
newborns, days old, are warmed by In nine short months Bluffing heat lamps with their moms. Across Goat Farm cheeses are already offered in all the wineries in Mont- the way baby goats are frolicking with maximum adorableness and gomery County, some in Frederick, Rooster, a friendly Great Pyrenees some in Howard County and 35 dog, is always in the mix as nurturer and cuddler for the little ones. western Ag Reserve, Deer Valley
wineries in Loudoun County. In the
Like so many dairy barns that Farm and Locals Farm Market carries certain offerings, and numer- are no more in the Ag Reserve, Mikey is grateful to be able to ous regional boutique grocers, like continue what was once a flourishing dairy operation— this time with local cheese shops as well. So
Potomac Grocer, Eastern Market,
goats. Plans are underway for Aren far the response has been very to seed the surrounding fields— alfalfa and hay, to feed the growing cheeses are sought after more and
positive, as artisan-crafted goat
herd. Aren maintains equipment, more. and the many farm systems, applying decades of his farm skills cheeses with complex flavors are
Currently seven distinct goat
as one of the largest providers of available. The description of their hay— he farms some 1000 acres, popular Chevre is: Flavor Profile: in the Ag Reserve. Dr. Christina, Creamy, light, with a bright citrus by day practicing at Kentlands tang. Similar To: Classic French Veterinary Hospital, is on standby Fresh Chèvre or Humboldt Fog as adviser and support. Mikey( without the ash). And there are runs the business and day to day always wine pairing suggestions: operations, including their popular Pairs Well With: Sauvignon Blanc. goat soap operation they launched The crisp acidity complements the
After the goats are milked, the herd heads out to graze and romp in open fields. cheese’ s citrus notes beautifully. On the aged cheese( up to a year) offering there is the Cave Dweller, similar in taste to Parmigiano- Reggiano or aged Gouda( but with a goat’ s milk twist). And a wine pairing suggestion? Chianti. The wine’ s bright acidity and red fruit notes balance the cheese’ s richness and enhance its nutty sweetness.
The circuitous journey of Mikey Stotz from poker to farmer is a wild one. What began as a love of games for young Mikey eventually grew into a 12-year stint as a successful professional poker player.“ I was always into games and poker wasn’ t necessarily more or less interesting than the other games, but it was the only one that used money as a scorecard,” recalls Mikey. His poker focus also coincided when online poker took off.“ The difference between live and online poker was staggering. When you’ re playing live, you get about 21 hands per hour. Online, you get 80 hands per table and you can play four tables, or 400 hands per hour, roughly,” Mikey continues. So one year of online play equates to 18 years of in-person, live play for somebody else.,” says Mikey. Online poker became his super power— he even moved to Canada, when the US shut down online poker in 2012, to continue his winnings.
His last two years of college at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas found him majoring in culinary arts and business which at the time was his way to get through school and keep the poker wins piling up. It proved to be useful when he ended up moving back to his home turf in Montgomery County. It was Mikey’ s full-on-no-aversion-to-risk that established his long run as a poker
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