Like many people, my entry into raising and showing dairy goats was largely unplanned. In 2000, my father purchased an un-registered Lamancha doe kid, Duchess, for me. These animals were intended as pets, but I joined the local 4-H club in order to learn how to care for my animals. It was only after I won Intermediate and Advanced 4-H showmanship and received my first class ribbon at our county fair two years later, that fell in love the idea of breeding and raising my own quality dairy goats. In the fall of 2001, I purchased my first American Alpine does. Since their addition, I have had, primarily, a grade and American Alpine herd.

As soon as I had brought my new does home, I immediately began researching the herds and animals in their pedigrees and searching for local, high quality bucks I could eventually breed them to. For the past seven years, I have striven to “breed-up” my does and improve the quality of my herd through the incorporation of high-quality bucks. The first buck I used was a Waiilatpu spotlight sale buck and since then, my herd has been built primarily with genetics from the Shining-Moon and Sweet-Dreams herds.

Tori Kennedy displays the Alpines International Club jacket she received for winning the Steven Schack Outstanding Youth Exhibitor Award at the 2009 ADGA National Show.

My dairy goat herd has been a wonderful learning experience, and I’ve tried to experience as many different programs and opportunities as possible. With the help of numerous mentors, I was able to incorporate both linear appraisal and DHIR into my herd with a great deal of success. One of my homebred does, Modesto Magic WTA Parfait, was #1 in milk, butterfat, and protein production, in 2007. In 2008, I attended the ADGA National Convention in Fort Collins, CO, where I was honored to have been selected as the 2008-2009 ADGA Youth Representative.

This year’s National Show in Sacramento was the second I have attended (I attended the 2008 show as Youth Representative) , but the first to which I was able to bring my own animals. I exhibited eight animals (six of which were homebred) and was thrilled to have an animal “make the cut” in every class we entered.

Due to the time constraints and costs of college, I dispersed nearly my entire herd following the national show, so it can go on a hiatus until I can again devote the time and effort necessary. I hope to earn my ADGA Judges license in the next year or two so I can continue my involvement with dairy goats through college and beyond, when I hope to return to breeding and showing my Alpines. For the time being, I am keeping a few doe kids in hopes of maintaining some of my herd’s genetics.

Thank you!

Tori Kennedy
California