Total Menagerie
When Annette Sigman was young she wanted to become an archaeologist, so she did. She specialized in the Eastern Woodland period and worked for a time for the state government but has been enjoying teaching at Ohio’s Hocking College. She saw her pathway and she pursued it, driving over 80 miles each way to head to the campus. She has to drive that far because of her other passion.
She always wanted to farm and through contacts made playing bluegrass, obtained land along the ridge on Ashton Upland Road in Milton. There she nurtures Twin Maples Farm, an island of green in an expanding residential suburban community, and hopes to preserve the land as farmland in perpetuity. While her crops and livestock have changed over the years, she strives to:
- raise as much of her own food as possible.
- be responsible stewards to both the livestock and the natural environment.
- enjoy the hard work and revel in the benefits of rural life.
- share the experiences with others.
She raises 15 head of Dexter cattle, a dual purpose cow which has some milk production as well as being able to be processed for meat. 
In addition she has another herd of 1 Jersey bull, 2 heifers, and 2 cows. 
She has a number of Berkshire pigs, a mule, ducks, horses, rabbits, free range chickens, free range turkeys, an alpaca, two goats and 11 llamas. In addition she has honey bees, shitake logs, and a garden ready for planting. 
Milk obtained from the Dexter herd is consumed on the farm by Barney and Annette and then excess is fed to the pigs. The USDA rules for milk result in a cost-prohibitive structure for considering selling the milk or cheese products to the public. Another issue that has resulted in a newer skill set is the rising fees for slaughtering and butchering the rabbits. She has a licensed to process the chickens for sale. She shears the llamas; some are cooperative and take only 15-20 minutes; others need breaks to calm down and could take over three days to shear. 
Annette loves to teach and wants people to come to Twin Maples Farm not only to purchase farm fresh eggs, honey, live rabbits as well as beef, pork and rabbit meat, but also for some special programs. In July there will be a Mini Moo RoundUp. A wild mushroom clinic will be held in August. A Piggy PotLuck will be held in October. In addition, 2 mile llama treks can be arranged. Check the website for info as well as her Facebook Page.
~~~~~~~~~Currently farm products are sold either at the farm or at the Putnam County Farm Market. 
Twin Maples Farm 24430 Ashton Upland Road Milton, West Virginia 25541
Phone: (614) 558-5330 e-mail: info@simplyllamas.com
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