Goats and Sheep

Project Lamb Seminar
Date TBA
Rainbow Ag, Ukiah

Information, call Lory McAsey (707) 462 2404

---

Feature Article:

Walnetto Farm Nubian and LaMancha Dairy Goats

It all began as so many things do a 4-H project run amuck. A girl and a goat lead to 21 years of adventure and still going strong.

In 1985 our family moved just west of Fresno escaping the city to offer our children a more gentle way to grow up. 1986 found us enjoying 4-H with a small poultry project and then a dairy goat project. As anyone who has had goats can tell you one leads to two and then to have milk you have to breed and have kids and that leads to more goats. In our case as many as eighty five at one point in time.

We joined the American Dairy Goat Association as adult and junior membership our daughter showing under her own herd name with a very nice herd of Toggenburgs. At that point the Nubians became our interest and I continued to show open, participated in appraisal programs offered by ADGA and became a member of the California Dairy Herd Improvement program testing for roughly nine years having breed leaders for production in butterfat, protein and pounds of milk .The LaMancha’s joined the herd around 1995 and have at times outnumber the Nubians.

Over the years the goats led to experience with other livestock. Feeder pigs and drop calves to help absorb the excess milk. Everything got milk on the farm from orphaned Angora kits part of our daughter’s rabbit project to small animal auction turkeys. When one breeds for production but isn’t in a commercial set up one becomes very creative. That is when I learned to make cheese and fell head over heels in love with dairying all over again.

The children grew up and married, the goats stayed. My love affair with stainless steel continued and the dream of producing cheese on a commercial level never left me. But with the growing population and growing pollution we knew that the central valley wasn’t where we wanted to begin that chapter of our lives.

In January of 2006 we packed up a household, a herd of 25 does (boarding the bucks until later that year at a friend’s farm), Great Pyrenees, barn cats and moved 350 miles to the north. The move wasn’t easy or smooth always. We lost our best show quality doe that first year and two elderly ladies also. But the decision to move to Mendocino County is not one we have regretted.

We are now in our second kidding season here and the goats have blossomed in the more temperate climate and the clean air. We are active members of the Redwood Dairy Goat Association, have made many friends in the livestock community and are now in the process of looking for the property to build our small commercial cheese production on.

Two of our four granddaughters participate with the goats and have joined us in showing last year at the county fair in Boonville. The girls each have a doe of their own that they show several times during the year and Emily won first place in her novice showmanship class with Tiger Lily in ’05. So it appears that Walnetto Farm is heading into its third generation of dairy goat enthusiasts.

When I am not in the barn or at a show I can be found working as a veterinary technician with the outstanding team at Mendocino Animal Hospital. Geoffrey is in charge of the day to day care of the goats and farm. And currently is tending to his first vegetable garden since our move. Gardening, music and radio control aircraft are among his non farm interest.

We enjoy sharing our love of dairy goats with others so feel free to contact us if you think that dairy goats may fit your needs for show or home dairying project. Or just for a farm visit to learn more about these intelligent, delightful animals.

Terry and Geoffrey Garratt
485-1468
walnetto@comcast.net

Emily, Walnetto Farm Tiger Lily and the Judge

Claire leading Walnetto Farm Music’s Melody