Goat Gossip

Don't Buck the Trends

I can't help it I tell ya'! My dear wife, Gwen says that I am a strange man. She says that for some reason that I can't just go down the road a ways and buy a goat. For some reason that she will never understand, I must travel great distances to buy goats or they're just not good enough.

I found a Boer buck that I just couldn't live without way out in the beautiful plains of Lubbock, Texas. Ms. Evelyn and Mr. Jack Culp of Tumbleweed Boer Goats preyed on my weakness and displayed the wide backside of Tumbleweed's Thunderbolt in a picture on their web site and being true to my word that if I found a buck with a behind (I would use another descriptive word, but I may become a butt of folk's jokes!) like a dorper sheep then I would buy him. I started planning my trip.

I loaded up the goat box and my blushing bride along with various accoutrements in the war wagon and headed for the plains. I can't understand why she doesn't trust me to go on my big adventures by myself, but I can honestly say that I'm like an old hound, I'll sniff my way home eventually. That and I have a very advantageous gene in my DNA. I am not afraid to stop and ask directions or admit that I don't know where in the heck I am when I get lost. From what most women tell me, most men either don't have this gene or it's removed at birth, so I guess Gwen just got lucky with me although this may be my only saving grace!

Anyhow, we drove a long, long way and got very tired backsides and finally stopped in West Muleshoe, Texas to visit Patrick and Callene Zapalac & Co. at Zap-Tex Boer Goats. Boy, they sure do pack a lot of fine lookin' goats in a small space out there in the plains. When we arrived Patrick & Callene were prettying up a Boer buck that they were going to show but stopped to give us the $3 tour and show us some of the great goats that they grow out west. Callene is the gigantical mover and shaker of the Texas Boer Goat Assn. Along with Don Johnson of Tin Top Boers, she is the web master and moderator of their great message board at www.texasboergoatassociation. com . You can go to the site to join the Association, which is free, have your operation's information posted on the web site, and post bulletins for sales and shows and a bunch of other stuff. Visit the site and contact Callene at zaptex@fivearea.com if you would like to submit your info.

After a fitful nights sleep (I don't sleep well when I'm away from my homes, either the rancho or tug boat) we drove the little ways outside of Lubbock to Jack & Ev- elyn's place. Boy do they have some fine goats! It was a tough decision between Tbolt and his triplet brother, Teton, but I think that T-bolt's people skills are what won Gwen over. I'll tell you right now that the Culp's still have a fine buck out west in Teton, but he has buckish ways and can be a little pushy when he wants to be. He may be a better goat as far as phenotype, but he can also be a handful and this is what Gwen looks for in a buck. T-bolt is just more placid in his ways around people and this is what caused him to get loaded up. I wish that Evelyn hadn't kept such an eagle eye on me or I would have tried to inadvertently slip these boys's sister, Pretty Girl, in the truck. You can see they're fine stock on they're web site at www. tumbleweedboergoats.com . Give them a shout and go on out and pick up that other buck if you're looking for a good foundation sire for your herd.

We departed Lubbock on our grand exodus back to the Promised Land but managed to make a stop at Gerald & Betty Peterson's Blue Top Farm. We met these fantastic folks at the ETGRA Cream of the Crop shows last year and get to enjoy their company whenever our paths have crossed. I saw them at this years show and warned them that we might stop by going to and fro. Now that Gerald is semi-retired he raises and shows Boer goats at every opportunity and exfoliates between shows and Betty keeps a good eye on him (Just Kidding Gerald!). Seriously folks, if you are looking to buy some quality goats then visit their web site at www.bluetoppetersonboergoats. com and check them out. They have both full blood Boer and Boer X stock that are some of the finest goats I've seen. It just causes me great consternation that there's always a reason that I can't pay for and load up that $5 Billy goat that Gerald said he would sell me! This last time he was due for a pedicure on Thursday morning at Darlene's nails and Thai cuisine in Stephenville!? Give them a call at 254-485-1786 or e-mail bluetoppeterson@ yahoo.com to find out more about their goats.

We finally pulled into the driveway at 8 p.m. and I do believe that every animal involved was plumb tuckered out to the point of frazzle! We gave T-bolt some feed and hay and water and left him to his own devices, although he didn't get much rest what with all of the new noises, smells, and night boogies creeping around.

All this went on after I went to Marble Falls last week to pick up Skylighter, a 7A+ Boer Buck that we got from Ms. Cathie and Mr. John Keblinger of beautiful Mountain Home in the hill country. He's a handsome "old style" buck with a wide base and deep body that will make a good component in the trio of 7A+ Anacacho, Skylighter, and Thunderbolt. I can't wait to see the kids that these bucks will produce! Go to Ms. Cathie & Mr. John's web site at www.7aplusboers.com . To see some fine goats and learn about the history of the goats in Texas. I especially enjoy the column that Ms. Cathie writes in the Goat Rancher and appreciate the knowledge and experience that she imparts into her writings. Thanks Ms. Cathie for yours and Mr. John's mentoring of us young pup Boer breeders and the fine Billy that Gwen and I got from you all!

Boy, I got to ramblin' about my ramblings and forgot to go into other news. The FCGBA will be having an instructional program with a tentative date of April 3rd. Details to follow.

Russell Gilbreath will be having a show kid & replacement Doe sale at his rancho on March 8th starting at 3 p.m. Call Russell at 903-389- 4893 for info.

Ms. Kathy Berns is selling out her herd in Texas and skeedaddling back to the more friendly climes and the loving arms of her family up north. She's got plenty of fine goats for sale and these goats ain't no barn babies, they've been on pasture and free ranging so they're low maintenance. Call Kathy at 469-682-2055 for info.

The Southwest Texas Goat Producers is holding an Uvalde area producer group meeting, Thursday Feb. 26 at 6 PM at the Texas Agrilife Research and Extension Center auditorium, 1619 Garner Field Road in Uvalde. Call 830-279-0164 for more information.

Well, that's all of the drabble that I have for now. The weather folks are saying that we are in a La Nina phase in our weather so expect more hot dries. Feed your goats if you have to and cull and sell them if conditions get bad enough to warrant such actions. Please don't wait till they lose their good condition to take positive action.