Ty Williams
In Town: Ty owns Home Pro Inspection Service, which services northwest Arkansas and southwest Missouri.
On The Farm: Ty raises registered Nigerian Dwarf goats and Rhode Island Red and Old English chickens/roosters on his small farm, Simple Gifts Farm, in Lowell, Ark. Shiloh, a 15-year-old black Labrador Retriever, guards the animals.
Family: Three adult children: Jon, Kristin and Anna
How It All Began: One of Ty’s first goats died, leaving an orphaned baby, Sampson, which Ty bottle-fed and raised. “I enjoyed him so much, that I began looking for other Nigerian Dwarfs. Things took off when Zareah turned out to be pregnant. She had Hannah and Eli two days after Easter.” Nigerian Dwarfs are gentle, loveable and playful with calm, even temperaments and engaging personalities. Even breeding bucks are easy to handle, he said.
What are your challenges and successes?
“I’ve built or modified everything out here for the herd, making certain that all buildings have proper ventilation for their optimum health.” But Ty says flies are a challenge. Also, the kids require a very restricted diet. “They like Bermuda grass and hay, plus supplements. I built a mineral feeder that dispenses baking soda and special goat minerals. I don’t bring new livestock into the picture, and we don’t go anywhere. I’m very protective of the herd; they are like my family. I’m in the process of looking at added acreage to increase the herd. Because they’ll share pastures peacefully with other livestock, I’d consider adding sheep. I want to focus on raising and selling the registered Nigerian Dwarfs, which are a miniature dairy goat of West African origin.”
By Jules Miller
