Nancy Edgerly’s 660-acre Silver Hill Farm is located just south of St. Joe, Ark. Nancy and her husband moved here from California about 16 years ago. Over the years she’s learned more than the average goat herder about raising Boer goats. Nancy manages her current herd of a little over 200 does on her own. Although her husband helps out and she has a handyman who lives on the property, Nancy prefers working one-on-one with her herd. She said, “You have to be very observant to be a goat herder.” If it’s a scratched utter or a case of pinkeye, sometimes hired help doesn’t see what’s happening. Personal care makes for a long day, but Nancy enjoys what she does.
She’s learned that good fencing is important in the successful running of a goat farm. In Nancy’s opinion, high tensile fencing is imperative. Goats can get out, over and through just about anything. Not only do the fences need to be strong and in good repair, but cross fencing is vital for good pasture management.
Nancy said, “You need to rest the pasture for 42 days. That’s two worm cycles. If you do that and you have enough pastures and keep moving the goats, you’re going to cut your worm and parasite problems way down. Plus, you’re resting the pastures and collecting the manure, which means that you’ve got free organic fertilizer.”
Just this past summer, Nancy has become involved in an experiment utilizing turnip plots as forage for her goats. Working with the University of Arkansas in Little Rock, Ark., she planted turnip seeds in late August on a prepared seedbed. They’re planted with rye. The plan is for the turnip greens to grow and become forage for the goats during the winter.
Nancy has also been successful in protecting her herd. She has little problems with predators. Between her donkeys and the Akbash and Anatolian Shepherd dogs, no self-respecting coyotes, mountain lions or other critters will come near her herd. Nancy said, “Nothing lingers here – too many dogs.” She’s proud of Sam, the Akbash who will stay with the kids, no matter what. Nancy said, “Sam will stay in one place, while the others will go to the problem.”
Nancy cuts her own hay, usually about 1,500 square bales annually. Although production was down this year, like any good farmer, she knows that next year’s crop will be better. She sells square bales and buys round bales.
Nancy belongs to the North Arkansas Meat Goat Association. Its sole purpose is the education of their members and the public and in developing markets for their goat meat sales. Nancy is the marketing director of the association and they have been working on several ways to market their goat products, but to also expose the general public to how good goat meat tastes. As Nancy said, “Here, it’s cow country – everybody’s got a cow in the backyard, including me.” It’s difficult to get people to try eating goat meat. So the organization has started sponsoring events to promote goat meat. NAMGA has two events per year in the spring and fall where they serve goat chili and other recipes featuring goat meat and goat cheese. The public is invited and welcome to the events.
Nancy and NAMGA have also looked into marketing their goats to the ethnic market in the Fayetteville area and in Memphis. They are trying to educate their members to the needs of these people groups. Nancy said that size, sex and coloration of the animals are all important factors to their marketability.
Although Nancy raises Boers primarily as meat goats, some are sold as show goats. She said, “My job is giving them (the buyer) a good looking, healthy animal… but it’s also the shower’s job to finish it… It’s the parent and the child on the other end preparing that goat for show.”
For her future goals, Nancy wants to learn even better ways to manage her pasture, “plant more forage, use more cross fencing and make smaller paddocks.” As far as the North Arkansas Meat Goat Association is concerned, she said, “We’ve got an organization, we just need to refine it… We’re always searching for a better market for our product.”
