des Ruhigestelle/Tempo
Fern and Laurie
Acton
Last updated May 8, 2009
Download 2008 National Show (1.1 Mb pdf)
Download Herd History (<0.1 Mb pdf)
Download Saanen Herd List (1.5 Mb pdf)
Download LaMancha Herd List (1.5 Mb pdf)
Download Alpine Herd List (0.5 Mb pdf)
Download Price List, Terms and Conditions (<0.1 Mb pdf)
NEW! Updated June 2 with 2009 kids born to date and prices
Hello and welcome to our website. We have been breeding dairy goats for 45 years, but are still new at the computer. Truthfully, I’d rather be in the barn cleaning stalls and trimming feet, but have finally acknowledged the need to move into the 21st century. It has been a slow road for me to get this done. So, this isn’t a website so much as just lists of our breeding does (and some other fun stuff too!). All of the info is official, and verified w/ the ADGA links (that’s what took so long). To view our herd lists, click on the ‘download herd list’ at top. Be sure to also download the price list, terms and conditions. Perhaps next year will see us with an improved version, but as breeding season turns into kidding season, my time will still be spent in the barn. If you have any questions, I can now be contacted by email lauren (at) ruhigestelle (dot) com, although it may take me awhile to check for emails. Please remember this site is about our goats and not a place to ask veterinary questions. I will be happy to answer vet questions at my clinic at 503-982-2421 (Tues/Wed/Thurs), but prefer to speak with your vet. Remember, I do mostly surgery and anesthesia, so other questions are pretty much out of my league. You may still contact me by phone at 503-829-2927.
However backwards we are in
technology, we do breed for a modern type of doe, one that is long boned and
dairy, and is a true total performer. You won’t find mature show goats giving ‘a gallon a day’,
or ‘2 gallon’ milkers with poor udders in our
pens. Nor will you find obese goats,
frail goats, or goats with severe structural faults. What you will find are sound, strong, highly
productive does that milk well wherever they are, and rarely get stressed. We take pride in producing genetic
foundations for commercial dairies, as we feel they should be the backbone of
our industry. Our does are not pampered,
rarely do we milk three times a day, and with a veterinarian’s unpredictable
work schedule, they frequently must wait 16 hours between milkings. Pasture is an important part of our
management, so our goats must be able to walk several hours a day. While we have our favorites, nobody gets
special treatment, or special feed. Some
of our more well known does have traveled over 5,000 miles every year of their
lives, and continue to produce over 3,000 lbs of milk.
Our trip
to the 2008 Nationals was the event of a lifetime for us. First, an ‘event filled’ six day trip out,
with a careening out of control semi skidding to a stop just a few feet from
our door, then an explosive tire blowout that took most of the side panel of
our truck with it, and finally a thunderstorm severe enough for the town to
turn on the tornado warnings! Needless
to say, we were happy to finally get there in (mostly) one piece! However nerve-wracking it was for us, the
goats did great, and were looking their best for the show. Then first the excitement and drama of the
closely competitive Saanen show. Although we have won many National Saanen awards, we have not had National Champion since
1980, so it had been a long road for us, both literally and figuratively. As such, the win was very emotional and
special, and we wish Fern could have been present to see all the Saanens do so well in their classes. (Fern does have the Premier Breeder banner
hanging in her living room.) After the Saanens, it was Tokay’s turn. Unlike the intense showing and close placings in the Saanens, Tokay
simply got up in the morning and decided it was her day to win a National
Championship. After all, if Seeker could
do it, so could she. Tokay showed
herself, I was just along for the ride, and she never put a foot wrong all
day. To follow both championships with
all those beautiful group classes, and then production awards was a wonderful
confirmation of my real breeding goals for consistency of type and
production. Fortunately, the trip home
was smooth, I’m not sure how much more excitement I could take! We would like to thank the many people who
helped on our trip, but special thanks to Jeanne White, Heather Arts, Sonya Thyssen and the Larson family for their help at the show,
Ralph Zimmerman and Larry Tredway for unloading all
those extra heavy bales of hay, the Perry Co Fairgrounds, and the folks of
Pinckneyville, IL for taking care of us during our 24 hour layover (and for
making sure we didn’t blow away in the storm!), and the Topeka, KS roadside
assistance program for getting our tire changed and us back on the road so
quickly in the heat of the afternoon with a trailer full of hot goats on the
freeway in downtown Topeka. Also thanks
to the great crew that stayed home so we could leave- Jenni Hornbeck, Risa Fitzsimmons, Lorna Roehm and
the Woodburn Vet Clinic, who always have to rise to a new weird case everytime I leave!
And my ever patient husband, John Wright, who first puts our rig
together, and then somehow manages not to panic when he sees Mariah and I leave
on our own, and hears over the phone all the crazy stories of what happens to
us! A large part of the Nationals is the
chance to meet new breeders, and renew old friendships. The many wonderful comments and notes from
fellow breeders both before and after the show were greatly appreciated.
Prior to
the Nationals, we had a short but successful spring show season. Although many local shows were cancelled this
year, those remaining were well attended.
We were able to finally finish Elendili, with
two Best in Show awards (over Seeker and Tokay!), and also finished Finally
Free with three Best in Shows a few weeks later. We finished Fern’s own personal doe, Sun
Duchess, at a local show where Fern, at 93 years old, was able to come and
watch her win. Although our own LaManchas stayed home from Nationals (we just took the Barnowl girls), we had a fun season with our young does,
Kristi, Quasi and Killy, earning one leg each for
Kristi and Quasi and two for Killy, as we
concentrated on showing the LaManchas that were most
closely related related to our Spotlight Sale
animals. We did take Elinor
out once, where she was BOB in all three rings, and BUIS in two rings. Fuel prices kept us home from our usual trips
to the
Production
is equally important as shows to us. We
are always working toward our herd average goal of 3500 lbs milk with 100 lbs
protein. This seemed like a lot ten
years ago, but we have been at or near it frequently in the last few
years. We are as proud of Top Ten does
as our champions, and congratulate Elendili,
Lastly,
but most important, we enjoy our goats.
I strongly believe in “coffee management”- that is simply taking the
time to just watch the goats do goat things.
If everyone took the length of time it takes to drink a cup of coffee
(or tea, or beer, or whatever…) doing nothing but watching their goats every
day, my work as a veterinarian would diminish greatly!! While we love our goats and their
achievements, we do have other interests, especially during the “snow”
season. To keep a balance between work
and play, and to keep burnout limited to kidding season, we do dry off many of
our does early, and only milk a select group through the winter. We attempt to keep January as free of goat
activities as possible, choosing instead to spend this time with each other. While this makes it tough to reach our herd
average goal, we value the freedom and freshness the time away gives us. We did dry off as many does as possible prior
to Nov this year, in preparation for my own surgery. Not all of the does agreed with the program,
including Elessea, who milked over 4,000 lbs. Unfortunately, we also chose not to have a
verification test for the first time, so her record will not be Top Ten. Special thanks to all who sent cards or
called during my recovery. All went very
well, and I should be back in full swing soon.
We enjoy visitors, but ask that you
call ahead to make sure we home. Please
do not wear clothing or shoes that have been in other barns, including your
own. The coffee is always on, in fact I
think I’ll take a cup out to the barn right now…