CONTENTS                 

FARM NEWS               

 

Kidding Season is Complete!  We currently have 1 buckling available for sale. Be sure to visit our  Breeding Chart  for details.   We are thrilled to have two does listed as 2010 Breed Leaders: SGCH HMCK Cholena, #3 Milk, #4 Butterfat & #4 Protein SGCH HMCK ChitChat, #5 Milk

WELCOME!

Thank you for taking the time to look over our herd of LaMancha Dairy Goats. We have worked hard in developing our herd to produce productive and stylish animals that will function over a long productive lifetime. We hope that you can see the consistency and the style that we are breeding for when looking at each one of our animals. They continue to make us very proud!

W e had a very exciting year in 2010. On June 15th, Megan and I welcomed our daughter, Bentley Makenna Carter, into our family. She has already wrapped us both around her little finger. It is amazing to me how fast she is changing each day. It is hard to believe how your perspective changes once you have a child. Megan and I both hope that she will want to be involved in the dairy goat world. We also purchased and renovated our new home and barn. It took over 5 months, with a lot of help from Larry and Kristine (Megan's parents), but we are finally moved into our new home. It is located near Lakeport, California on almost 11 acres of flat farm land. It is still in need of attention, but Megan and I see a lot of potential and can't wait to call it our home.

I (Aaron) have been raising dairy goats for 27 years. When I was five years old, my parents owned a sheep ranch and our sheep herder had a goat as a pet. That goat (crossbred Nubian with LOTS of spots) would follow me everywhere as long as I had her favorite treat in my pockets, dog food! My parents promised that when I started 4-H, I could get one goat. They followed through with their promise and I got one Saanen type doeling when I started 4-H. That was the only time we had only one goat on our farm. From there we grew to have over 100 goats and then scaled back when I got serious about breeding and showing goats on a National level. I owe a great deal to my parents and the dedication that they had to me and my animals. They were the primary caregivers when I went through college and the first seven years working in Texas as a teacher. I have been very lucky to have my family and friends that have supported and guided me on this grand dairy goat adventure. This dairy goat adventure brought my wife, Megan, into my life. We first met at the 2002 Colorado Nationals and were dating by the Spokane Nationals in 2005! I guess you can say that the goats will always have a special place in both of our hearts.

My herd has transformed from a small area hobby herd into a Nationally Competitive Show herd. As I am able to show more, the more aware I am of different bloodlines and am willing to try different things. I am a strong believer in line breeding and know that it takes time and patience when working with bloodlines. I always hope that I am going to find the perfect combination! I still love the challenge of reading new pedigrees each breeding season.

The herd has been on standard DHIA test and has had several does win Top Ten honors in the LaMancha breed with Heart-Mt.-Carter-Kids Sara Ann in 2003, Heart-Mt.-Carter-Kids Marissa in 2005, and Heart-Mt.-Carter-Kids Nikki, Heart-Mt.-Carter-Kids ChitChat and Heart-Mt.-Carter-Kids Cholena in 2009! It has been exciting to see the changes, but also the consistency of our herd at the National Shows each year. It was hard to sit out from attending the 2010 ADGA National Show, but is was well worth it since our daughter decided to arrive during the National Show! I would never have wanted to miss the opportunity in helping Megan bring Bentley into this world. Here are some of the highlights over the last few years at the National Shows...At the 2006 ADGA National Show I was spellbound when I had the 1st place Milking Yearling with 1st Udder, Heart-Mt.-Carter-Kids Nikki (Marissa's daughter) and the 4th place Two Year-Old, Heart-Mt.-Carter-Kids Chula (who was also the 2006 AGS National Champion) and the 3rd place Four Year-Old with Willow Run Nostra Sumatra. At the 2007 ADGA Nationals, I was ecstatic to have received the 1st place Junior Best Three award. At the 2008 ADGA Nationals, we were full of excitement when we had the 1st place Milking Yearling with Heart-Mt. -Carter-Kids Ms Emma, 3rd place Two Year-Old with Heart-Mt.-Carter-Kids Natty, 2nd place Three Year-Old with Heart-Mt.-Carter-Kids Chitchat and 3rd place Three Year-Old with Heart-Mt.-Carter-Kids Nikki, 1st place Five and Six Year-Old with Willow Run Nostra Sumatra, 1st place Dairy Herd, 1st place Senior Get-Of-Sire, and 2nd place Best-3-Females. At the 2009 ADGA Nationals, we were excited to have the 1st place Four Year-Old with Heart-Mt.-Carter-Kids ChitChat, 3rd place Four Year-Old with Heart-Mt.-Carter-Kids Nikki, and 1st place Seven & Over with Willow Run Nostra Sumatra. We then received Reserve National Best Udder with Heart-Mt.-Carter-Kids Nikki!

We take great pride in the management of our animals. The focus is on providing a stress-free, relaxing environment so they can be as productive as they genetically can be. We take every preventative measure when it comes to protecting our herd from CAE and other diseases. We raise all of our kids on heat-treated colostrum for the first 24 hours then we gradually move them onto pasteurized milk until they reach four months of age. All of our does are fed the best alfalfa hay in the area and are on a high calorie grain mix while milking. We follow a regular worming scheduled and are always evaluating their health.

I had an amazing thing happen to me on August 4, 2007 - I married my soul mate and best friend - Megan Tredway Carter. Megan has been breeding Nubians under the LakeShore herd name for the past nineteen years. I am currently working in Clearlake, CA as a Kindergarten teacher. This will be my 16th year teaching. My students, parents and teammates are incredible! 

If you are interested in one of our animals or would like to place a reservation on a kid, please feel free to email or call us. We are always looking for someone to "talk goats" with. We will make a commitment to update this site with new information when it seems pertinent. We hope that you enjoy your visit!

 

Aaron, Megan & Bentley Carter
P.O. Box 1697
Lakeport, CA 95453
(707) 263-3269
hrtmtcarterkids@yahoo.com