I have been breeding
toggs for well over 40 years. My herd has always been small. This
year I will freshen 21. This includes 11 purebre toggs and 10 american
alpines owned by my son, that I also manage. Now that my children
are grown I handle the herd essentially by myself so I have to keep
the numbers down.
I have had my
animals classified/linear appraised at least every other year since
the programs started. All of my does are appraised at 86-92, with
all 6 does appraised as at least 2nd fresheners scoring excellent!
I enjoy showing at 4-5 fairs and several club shows each year, most
within a 2 hour drive from home. All of my milkers are shown at the
fairs as I have no one at home to milk for me when I am gone. I seldom
have dry or retired does.
In the fall
of ‘98 I consigned the togg buck Locksmith to the Spotlight Sale
and he topped the sale, going for $3550! In 1999 I exhibited at the
ADGA Nat’l Show in Sacramento. I took 15 does (12 toggs, 2 alpines
& 1 saanen) and 14 of them placed in the top 10! Favor was 1st
place 5 yr old. I had 1st place Dairy Herd and 2nd
place Best 3 Females.
I went to the
2002 AGDA Nat’l Show in Colorado, taking 5 toggs and 2 alpines.
My dry yearling Poppy was 1st & RGCH Jr Doe, Maid Marion was 2nd
3 yr old, Lectra was 5th 4yr old, Juliet was 12th in the 5 & 6
yr olds and Favor was 3rd in the 7 & over. I had 1st place Best
3 and 1st place Produce of Astra (Favor & Maid Marion). In the
alpines, Novalee was 9th out of 65 2yr olds and Martina was 22nd in
the class of 50+ 3 yr olds.
In 2007 at the
ADGA Nat’l Show in Wyoming the alpine Sarazina was 2nd place
4 yr old and her daughter owned by Catlin Cahill was 7th place yearling
milker. Willow, another Mojave daughter and full sister to Vera and
GCH Treasure, was 13th in the milking yearling class.. In the toggs,
Reba was 7th place in the 5-6 yr old class, Tapioca was 18th place
3 yr old, Velicity was 18th place 2 yr old and Waverlee was 3rd place
yearling milker.
2008 was a special
year for for the big, beautiful Sarazina. She appraised a 92! And
was 3 times GCH, including 2 BIS and one reserve BIS. And her 2 first
freshening daughters in Catlin’s herd appraised 88 & 89.
In the toggs, Rebecca and her daughter Tapioca scored 92s and Reba
was the winning doe in the show ring.
Sadly I lost
several of my old friends this year, including 10 yr old Mojave, 13
yr old Halley and 8 yr old Poppy.
Thanks to Trisha
Walker I added an exciting new togg herdsire. And congratulations
to the Plummer family on their 2008 ADGA Nat’l GCH and RGCH,
a daughter and grand daughter of Eder’s Improver Codon.
Neshaminy Acres Codon Bramah is the AI sire of my other young herdsire.
These two promising young boys will
be the sires of all my 2008 togg kids.
A son of Sarazina
and Redwood Acres Kane Rainman is my only current alpine sire. But
there are several interesting AIs expected.
I follow a CAE
prevention program, testing through WSU every year. My herd is currently
100% CAE negative. Any kids I pull as well as all pre-ordered kids
if requested are raised on heat treated colostrum and pasteurized
milk . I do allow some of the does to raise their own kids.
