Do Not Quit: Find Your Greater Power

Raising livestock is no easy task. I have had my share of hard times. Last winter, I was hitting rock bottom with the goats. Nothing was going right.

Needless to say, I was feeling like a failure. I will admit it now.

Kids were coming into the world weak or dead. My buck became very sick and eventually passed away after a month of treatments. What was I doing wrong?

I felt like quitting. I really thought I was finished with the last five years I’d worked so hard for.

But, I am not a quitter. And I tell you now – Do Not Quit

Oh, how I wanted to quit. I prayed and God listened to my struggles. Through my awesome husband, God sent the message that quitting the goats was not an option. He simply said, “Do Not Quit.” I wasn’t so sure. I still wanted to quit.

But, I do not quit. At this request to move forward, I put my thinking caps on and started doing some research. I researched other breeds to cross with the boers to make them more durable and hardy. It was worth a shot.

I knew about the myotonics (fainters) and kikos as being hardy breeds around here. As I kept searching on, I came across the breed known as the TexMaster. The TexMaster breed was created by Onion Creek Ranch in Texas, but I found an associate ranch in Arkansas that was a little bit closer to me. Who knew, God would lead me to Pat Cotten and change my outlook on a bad situation forever.

Pat Cotten of Bending Tree Ranch is a veteran breeder who has saved my hobby when I was ready to quit. She had just what I needed for sale at a more than affordable price. All we had to do was travel many hours to meet her and pick up our new breeding prospect.

A little bit about the TexMaster Breed: It is a composite breed. Cattle people: Think of a Gelbvieh/Red Angus cross to form the Balancer composite breed. When two breeds are crossed in order to form the most perfect product to meet the needs of the buyer and meat goat consumer. Just what we were looking for.

In fact, the TexMasters are expected to have higher meat-to-bone ratios, excellent mothering skills, and vigorous offspring. This was a breath of fresh air after the Winter I had last year. Live kids was our goal because we have to have live kids to sell to make a profit.

Another thing I appreciated was the TexMaster was said to be more parasite tolerant and had better feed conversions. When choosing a breed you can kick out to pasture in the spring, the TexMaster seemed like the most viable choice for our operation.

So, still a little uneasy about the quality and look of the buck we were to be driving 8 hours to pick up, I emailed Pat and explained my concern. She emailed me several pictures of different bucks we had for sale. In her pictures, they looked like little puff balls. What was under all that hair? How was I going to choose one?

Pat was more than willing to tell me the background of the bucks and which one she would pick if she were me. As frustrated and anxious as I was with the goats, she was patient and so kind to help me. This helped me make my decision and I decided on Clem.

Photo VIA Pat Cotten

We scheduled our breedings this past summer with Clem and kids were born all through the fall and winter. I am happy to report that things are going well. I absolutely love the new cross of the TexMaster/Boer. The kids are thick and meaty…just what our customers are looking for. I no longer feel like quitting my hobby and have a feeling of relief and recharge.

Photo VIA Pat Cotten

I see many people get frustrated and lost and they quit their passion. Do not quit. It’s the easy way. My advice to you: You can be at a dead end in life, but there is always another way. Another road. Another option. Put your mind to it and find it. Prove to yourself you’re not a quitter! It’s there and it’s waiting for you!

I want to thank Pat for breeding such a fantastic meat goat buck for me to use. Thank you for being patient and guiding me to finding just the right one. I’m content with my program now and looking forward to where this breed will grow and change. Pat is today’s #40Thanks.

Sampson

Much Love,

    Farm Fit Mama