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Striving for Perfection By Katrina Hine
Gary Pearson has developed efficient methods of herd and flock management
Gary Pearson, owner of GMP Farm, grew With this in mind, he is able to meet different up in Santa Barbara, Calif., and considers needs within the goat market; breeding stock, himself a Jack-of-All-Trades. meat, show animals or pets. He has been a mechanic, fuel service truck drivAs he gained more knowledge of goats and their er, welder/machinist, salesman and manager for particular maintenance needs, he began to look a large equipment company mining gold in Nevainto a companion animal that would complement da. the goats grazing habits with a different set of hab“When I served in the Marines and was staits, particularly in parasite tolerance. tioned in Japan, we would share pictures of where A natural companion to goats are sheep which we were from,” Gary recalls. “This guy shared eat close to the ground, whereas goats are more pictures of Missouri, and it was the most beautibrowsers and eat things above ground level. He ful thing I had seen. Snow glistening on branches opted for the low-maintenance Barbados Black as the sun was going down. I always remembered Belly sheep because of their strong resistance to that.” heat and parasites. Moving to Northwest Arkansas 20-plus years Gary developed a strategy of running the goats ago, he continued in the mechanical field, workin paddocks where the grass is very tall and reing for Caterpillar and others while purchasing moving them when the grass reaches about 6 houses for resale. Reflecting on a conversation inches. The sheep follow behind to graze it down with a woman he described as a “hippie” who and ingest any parasites unsavory to the goats. He said, “Just go with what comes your way.” And rounds the animals up three times a year for routhat is what he has done, forward movement in tine checks and worming when necessary. Gary Pearson has changed all areas of his life. With the exception of separating the rams from careers a number of times, One day he decided he was done and took a the bucks, he runs the females together. and has now added sheep complete turn in his career, obtaining a bachelor’s His passion for research and analysis allowed and goat production to his degree in nursing. him to develop the most efficient methods in hanresume. “I am a people person, and my mom was a dling and keeping his animals healthy while renurse,” he said. “I wanted to do something to ducing hands-on time. Simple things, such as mulserve others.” tiple paddocks, automatic waterers, electric fence, Photo by Katrina Hine The move to rural Missouri was a leap of faith. portable bins and mobile chutes are time savers. “I would have never in my life at my age imagined myself living this kind of life out “Making the best use of my time and putting forth the effort to design a process to do here,” Gary said. that is the goal,” Gary states. “I essentially work three jobs, and I am very busy.” Purchasing a log home on 40 acres in rural McDonald County seemed another diThis year he bred 40 does, resulting in 80 kids and about 20 ewes dropping about 40 rection change for the California native. And like most places in the hills and hollows lambs, totaling more than 100 young animals. Quads were born to a couple of his ewes of Missouri, there was a lot of underbrush and scrub to control; then he heard about in the last couple of years. goats. His fondness for research allows him to be proactive when situations arise. For exHaving no farm experience to draw from, he dove into research on goats, grazing, ample, one of his does displayed weakness in her rear legs. He diagnosed the symptoms pasture management, and what animals are best suited for the geography of the Ozarks. and verified with his own microscope that it was Meningeal worms, more commonly “Fencing is your first line of defense in keeping predators away from your animals,” known as the “deer worm” or “brain worm.” He immediately treated the animal, and he said. “Then I took a grazing class through Crowder College to learn how she recovered in time to give birth. to rotate the herds to take advantage of the pasture I have.” He keeps his standards high when culling his stock to ensure the quality and Thus, began his dive into animal husbandry and raising registered Kiko reputation of his animals. A self-described data fanatic, he measures weights goats and Barbado Black Bellied sheep. throughout the breeding and birthing cycles of the does, looking for a minKiko goats come from New Zealand and are known for being hardy and imum body condition score of three. If a doe weans her weight in offspring, parasite-resistant with excellent maternal traits. that is the female he keeps. “My uncle used to be a farrier and always said, ‘It costs as much to raise a “I put all my emphasis on my does because you can always find a good Noel, Mo. good horse as it does a bad horse… so raise a good horse.’ So, I decided to raise buck,” he said. “I just keep the best of the best of the best.” all pedigree goats and sheep,” he continued. JULY 25, 2022
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