Sage of a Wannta Be Goat Farmer!

By Jan Brewer

[ The continuing saga of how Jan got into the raising those loveable creatures...goats!]

Dani is now bred and the months near the impending birth grows closer! Okay, I am truly a nervous wreck worrying about this doe. So what does a “newbie” do?

Of course, I moved to the barn to be with my beloved doe. What else do you need but a sleeping bag, radio and the kidding kit? Ten FULL days of living in the barn and only leaving for short periods of time. Let me tell you, back in 1978 I didn’t have the best conditions in my barn! Although we never had to worry much about cockroaches, fire ants, beetles, snakes, etc., in Washington state, this was Florida, not Washington, and my barn was certainly not the Holiday Inn!

Finally, after surviving 10 days, I was ready to admit I was wrong. Dani was not bred, even though she is as big as a house. Then there was my darling husband complaining, “What’s wrong with you? You care more about these d--- goats than me ... ” Know the routine?

So, I move myself back into the house. The next morning, I rushed out to the barn to find Dani with 2 baby does and 1 baby buck. This was great! I didn’t even have to deliver them, and they are healthy and happy. Life was good. The kids were beautiful, I loved them immediately, and, even better, Dani was fine and so I was happy.

I let the kids nurse Dani, though I spent time with them, they were social, but certainly not attached to me. I knew very little about CAE, so it even never crossed my mind and none of my does showed any signs of what I had heard regarding the symptoms of CAE. I made so many mistakes in the beginning!

CAE, did I have it? I truly don’t know, but, as a newbie, I certainly did not know what I was doing way back then. My herd continued to grow , though not under the best of management practices or conditions. All received free-choice alfalfa hay and the best grain I could give them.

Definately, milking was certainly different for me than it had been in Washington state when I first got into goats. Let me describe my milking and barn conditions in Washington state when I first began, which to say the least were primitive, and you will see what I mean. The old barns on our property were basically held together with a wish and a prayer.

Originally, the only two outbuildings that were secure were my husband’s shop and the pump house. The shop itself was built on the side of a hill, and had an opening behind the back of the shop where it into the side of the hill. Even though, the goats could stand in their barn under the shop, I sure could not!

This wasn’t too much of a problem except when I was trying to drag the goats out of the barn to milk, or I had to clean the barn. Try shoveling manure into a wheelbarrow, with your body bent in half. Then you have to take it out of the barn, all the while sinking into the mud and immediately loosing your rubber boots in the muck! After that, I went slipping and sliding up and down the hill while trying to push a wheelbarrow full of manure and deal with curious goats. Those truly were the years!

Meanwhile, there is no way to forget about the winter when the water troughs all froze, and I carried bucket after bucket of hot water to the animals or chipped ice in buckets. It was a lot of fun. This lovely chore was usually done strictly by me as my husband was a city boy, and wasn’t very helpful around the farm, not to mention he was usually out hunting).

The pump house became my milk room, only having enough room for 1 milkstand and my stool along with a little shelf on one wall for my radio. Very cozy! I finally got a window put in, painted it, and hung curtains, so even though it was small, it was comfortable.

The fun part, of course, was walking the goats back and forth from the barn and/or pasture to and from the milk parlor. And then carrying everything back and forth to the house, especially when it rained, which, naturally, was 95% of the time where I lived. Needless to say, I got lots of exercise.

However, the years went by quickly while I made lots of goat friends and enjoyed being near my family. Soon, I found myself selling my horses one by one, but acquiring more and more goats it seemed. There was no doubt in my mind, I was hooked!

Then came that Friday night in October 1986, when my husband asked me if I wanted to move back to Florida. You betcha! No more sinking in mud, constant rain, overcast skies. Even though I was born in Washington state and raised in Oregon, I never could get used to the weather.

So that very night we phoned a friend who was a realtor , he came by Saturday morning ,and by 1 o'clock that afternoon, we had a full price offer for the place. A few phone calls Saturday afternoon, and all of the critters including my beloved goats, my one remaining horse Vandee, geese, chickens, ducks, calves, etc., were all gone by Sunday noon. But, Sunday afternoon this “tough lady” sitting out in the pasture crying my eyes out, saying what have we done?

to be continued

Artwork by Jackie Nix

That's right, our very own Jan M. Brewer is running for District 3 Director of ADGA. Of course, Jan supports the addition of new breeds, being a Sable breeder, but we all need to remember that Jan is going to be representing all the members of District 3 if elected, and not just Sable breeders. She has to follow the majority wishes of her District.

What can we do to help, if Jan is elected? Simple, we need to show her members that we are an active organization that represents a growing group of animals that deserve to be recongized. This means entering the All American Program and anything else that ISBA offers its members that can show ADGA and its membership that we are a serious group of breeders.

to be continued