Breeder's Spotlight

Breeders Spotlight

If you've ever met Terry and Sue Taylor, you will likely understand why they were chosen to be a spotlight breeder. They jokingly refer to themselves as the grandparents of the showring. All joking aside, they are one of the kindest couples you will ever meet. Their enthusiasm and pride in what they do with their Boer goats will inspire any young breeder to keep bettering themselves. The Taylor's are among the individuals who belive in "paying it forward." Like most of us, they started with a modest last place doe. They, too, relied on good advice and mentors. Now, it is their turn to provide that much needed mentorship to those who need it.

What made you start raising goats? And when was that?

In the summer of 2000, we went to Idalou, Tx, to buy a doe called Bertha that had 2 wethers on her side from a Baptist preacher for our son’s FFA Project at the county show . While we were there he told us how much “easy” money he was making selling goats. Later that year, we met Darwin McLeod and bought his herd of 12 head from Lazbuddie ,TX, that included a Mojo Magic son and a Pipeline daughter. Some were bred and we were not prepared.

What keeps you going?

That’s a good question. We look around the ring at shows and no doubt we are the grandparents of the ring. The older we get, the harder it seems to be just to keep raising them, but its something that we can do together that we enjoy. It gives us the ability to help young people with their projects, stay in touch with the many friends we have made, and share knowledge of the breed that just as others have taken time to do with us. We take a lot of pride in these animals and are humbled by our success. It just gets in your blood and is hard to get out.

We have had a Lot of help along the way, All Great Friends, but a few sort of stick out. We went to our First Show in Goldwaithe, TX , where we met Wayne Ables. Wayne could see we needed a lot of help and for years thereafter he taught us everything he knew about goats and a lot of other things too.. At that show we heard the word “flush”, which brought us to know John and Jackie Edwards, who continued to teach and mentor us in the breeding and production aspect of the breed. Our first flush to Cannon set the foundation of our program. Later, we met Dr. Robert Dressler, who with his expertise, helped us develop and taught us the marketing side of the business that introduced our program to the industry.

What information do you want new breeders to know about Boer Goats?

First, goats ain’t easy. They require a lot of time and, unfortunately, some are going to die before they should when you least expect it. We tell new people all the time to raise the kind of goats you like and don’t chase fads or trends. Find someone you admire, has had success and has been around a while that raises your type of animal and latch on to their coattails that will mentor you. Above all listen to them. Don’t try and reinvent the wheel and pay close attention to the details of nutrition and health and ask lots of questions.

If you could leave one legacy, what would that be?

Success is determined by those around you. Everything we have accomplished, in terms of success, we have had help one way or the other along the way. We want to pay that back and be remembered as givers to those who asked.

What do you attribute you success to and why?

Our farm slogan is “ Champion Genetics producing Champions”. There's a lot in that statement in terms of genetic and phenotypic considerations. My brother-in-law who knew nothing about goats once asked me, “Does it cost the same to feed a good goat as it does a sorry one?”. Well, yes, it is the quality versus quantity equation. We went out and found the best and bred to the best hoping we would have the best. In the beginning, one year we had 20 does spread all across Texas and Oklahoma getting them bred. I am not sure we found them all, but we wanted to inject the best genetics and phenotype out there in our herd. We are guilty, but we try not to get caught in an ever closing genetic pool, nothing lasts forever and we think you have to change genetically and phenotypically to keep ahead.