Photos by Emily Beal / Agweek John and Stephanie Jung have made both genetics and color a priority in their registered full-blood boer herd. Photo taken Jan. 18, 2022, in Mina, South Dakota.
LAZY J BAR RANCH OFFERS COLORFUL BOER GOAT GENETICS By Emily Beal | Agweek
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ohn and Stephanie Jung have an eye for color in their livestock, raising a uniquely colored herd of boer goats as well as Red Angus cattle at Lazy J Bar Ranch, located in Mina, South Dakota. Stephanie Jung grew up around both sheep and goats and had a close connection to them all her life, prompting her and her husband, John, to buy a large commercial herd of boer goats in 2010. “In 2004 I was exposed to the boer goats and kind of fell in love with them and took the dive in 2010,” she said. Since that initial purchase over a decade ago, the pair have been steadily upgrading their herd by adding in cutting-edge genetics. They quickly began to fill their barns with boers and currently have a herd of 130 mature does as well as an array of bucks used in their breeding
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program on the ranch. Most of their does are full-blood registered boers. Stephanie knew she wanted to incorporate color into herd, but in the beginning found it difficult to do so without losing genetic soundness when purchasing colorful boers. However, after searching, the Jungs were able to find a source to purchase from that had exceptional genetics along with intriguing color. “I like to go against all odds I guess and have color. We raise Red Angus cattle as well, so having a red goat was probably at the top of my list,” Stephanie Jung said.“But, it was hard when we first started to find the quality in the goat.” The color is hard to miss when looking at their 2022 kid crop, from full red wethers to black spotted does, Lazy J
