Family producers show-quality sheep and goats

meet yourneighbors

Living the Dream

The Bignar family raises show quality lambs and goats at their Arkansas farm. Daughters Makayla and Rylie show at area fairs and are active in the operation.

By Jordan Gloor

The Bignar family producers show-quality sheep and goats at Roux Livestock Darren Bignar and his family, gleaned from working at the University owners of Roux Livestock, are of Arkansas for the past 12 years. His living the dream raising goats current position is manager of the Pauand sheep for show in Prairie line Whitaker Animal Science Center. Grove, Ark. “I manage the science center and take

Darren and his wife Denise and their care of all the teaching herds. We have children have won competitions all sheep, goats, pigs, cattle, horses, everyover the state, but they also sell anithing here,” Darrin explained. “That’s mals to 4-H Club and FFA kids interinfluenced me a great big deal on what ested in showing themselves. we do at home.” In the past he has also

The Bignars have been raising show worked as a teacher and a researcher animals for about 10 years, getting for U of A. two registered Hampshire sheep. their start when their children became Currently, the Bignars have about Rylie now does much of the training. interested in competing. one acre for raising their animals. “She just turned 13 this year,” Darren

“We started with one of my oldest “We moved two years ago. We’ve got noted. “She’s a big part of what we do. daughters, Makenzie, when she was in a better barn and everything set up She’s a really good showman.” high school. Bought a couple of goats right now with little runs and things This year Rylie will be showing four just to show,” Darren explained. “It for our show goats.” Boer goats and five sheep. snowballed from there.” At one point the Bignars had a total Darren pointed out that Rylie handles

Daughter Makayla got of 20 goats. her winnings responsibly and with fuinto it for a while as well, “We’ve knocked our numture competitions in mind. “All the and now youngest daughter Prairie Grove, Ark. bers down so that we can money she’s won from showing at jackRylie has become dedicated take care of what few that pots and fairs and things she’s put back in raising and showing the we’ve got and do it right,” into it to buy does herself, so probably Roux Livestock animals. Darren remarked. He reported half the does she owns herself.”

Much of their animal they have eight mature Boer Roux Livestock animals’ diet gets specare knowledge Darren has does, two Nigerian Dwarfs and cial attention from the Bignars. “We try to feed the best possible feeds that we can and we are very strict on what we feed and always make sure to give them clean water,” Darren explained. The Bignars plant and manage pasture foraging closely. “When we can we try to provide things to eat that they want to eat,” Darren noted. They also pay careful attention to where the animals are foraging. “We try to rotate our animals around into different pastures to try to help with the parasite problems,” Darren explained. He also takes a conservative approach to applying dewormers. “I believe in trying to deworm when needed to where we don’t build up resistance in our herd to our dewormers,” Darrin said. 16 Ozarks Farm & Neighbor • www.ozarksfn.com

The Bignars have bred their animals both through AI and natural cover, and they base their breeding schedule on showing season.

“The county fairs are around August,” he noted. “So we want babies to be born around February and March.”

To make that deadline, the Bignars will breed their goats September and October.

The goats’ genetic line is important for Roux Livestock as well. Darren explained.

“The original Boer goat that came over here from Africa, that is an animal that within three months you could have an animal that’s weighing over 100 pounds. As far as show type animals that’s not something we really want. We want something that’s gonna be moderate to slow growth that’s gonna put more muscle on than bone growth.”

Through all the work of raising the animals at Roux Livestock, Darren said his favorite part is the people he has met.

“All over this state, people in Missouri, people in Kansas, several people over in Oklahoma, just from showing a little goat at the county fair, we have made lifelong friends,” Darren said.

All in all, working with animals and seeing his children raise and show them with care and passion seems like the ideal life for Darren.

“I get to get up every morning and I live in kind of a dream land,” Darrin remarked.

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