Mackenzie Hill’s interests span the spectrum, and she may make the list of youngest entrepreneurs in history. She loves arts and crafts and her activities range from sewing, drawing, painting, knitting and crocheting to raising goats.
The 12-year-old home schooled seventh grader, whose favorite subject is math, has been interested in arts and crafts for as long as she can remember.
She has also been participating in the show goat world for half a decade.
“I just recently got my herd of dairy goats year before last, my herd name is Divas and Me and I have been showing in Platte County for the past five years,” Mackenzie said.
This year she won grand champion dairy junior doe, grand champion dairy buck and reserve grand champion senior dairy doe. She also got to show her goats at the Missouri State Fair 4-H Dairy Goat show and she won Grand Champion Intermediate Showman, and Grand Champion Dairy Wether. Her goats placed in the top of their classes, and some were first.
“My favorite part of raising goats is probably the first two months after they are born when they live in the house and wear diapers, and yes they are a blast to be around,” Mackenzie said. “Sometimes you can see them run around the pasture and play with each other.”
When asked what the secret is to raising beautiful, healthy goats, Mackenzie said, “I’d say the secret is not really a secret, we just spoil them rotten.”While raising goats is a treasured part of Mackenzie’s life, the challenging part is when she sells them and has to say goodbye. Her mom, Amy, is also a lover of crafts and art projects and recently accompanied Mackenzie to the Mid-Continent Public Library - Platte City event ‘Bad Art Night.’
“My mom and i both make a lot of crafty things together,” Mackenzie said. “We do almost everything together. She made a sparkly goat/chupacabra and I made a paper airplane flying at the library event.”
While the Hills live in Plattsburg, Mackenzie spends a lot of her time in Platte City.
Mackenzie also has her own business, Sky’s Heaney Homestead. She makes products that she sells at Main Street Boutique in Platte City and also a boutique in Smithville.
“I’m an entrepreneur and make all of my products with something off my homestead, from goats milk soap, to honey bee products and even a new dried hemp and lavender bath soak with the hemp and lavender being grown on my homestead.”
Mackenzie’s also makes time for other hobbies, including origami and jewelry making.
When she heads off to college, she plans to study cultural anthropology and make that her career.
She is enjoying her fall home school co-op semester.
“And of course, it’s breeding season for my goats,” Mackenzie said.