Breeders reap reward
• Talawa’s Rosina East and Ellyn Betts with their champion goats Rango and Sihtric.
By Taylor Clyne ,
February 23, 2022
If you’ve been living under a rock, or more appropriately on top of it, goats are big business here in the North-East.
With four studs and more kids than you can count it’s a merry time for all involved.
At the Tasmanian All Breeds Goat Show held at the Deloraine on the weekend Talawa breeders Rosina East and Ellyn Betts of Monna Boer Goats came away with a grand champion overall win.
An exciting feat for only their second show.
The mother daughter duo won with their red buck Armadown Rango who is known for being a real smoocher and having a kind eye.
“We started breeding goats when we moved here from Legerwood in 2012, my eldest daughter Jenna came up with the idea,” Ms East said.
“We thought cows were too big, but goats were a good size for us to handle.
“Back then there were no other breeders in Tasmania for Boer goats, that’s a meat goat, so when we saw some advertised, we got them soon after whether we were ready for them or not.”
Starting with ten Boer goats and a buck that quickly grew into an 80 strong herd which Rosina attributes to the multiple sets of triplets in their first year.
“It went from 0-100 really quick,” she laughed.
Jenna then moved to Hobart for work and younger sister Ellyn stepped in and found her own passion for breeding, rearing and showing the furry friends.
“Goats are a lot like dogs they adapt and attach themselves to humans, they really are a herd animal they just love the company.”
Rosina and Ellyn decided to change their stud from a standard breed to reds.
“Red has been really popular and there are no other red stud breeders in the state, plus I just love that breed - we are in the process of changing over,” she said.
Each year they are looking to introduce new blood lines to their breeding program to improve on confirmation, type and characteristics.
“We sell a lot of wethers for pets; they make lovely pets.
“Goats, when left to run together, stay with their family groups for their whole life, its quite funny you’ll see the mother, grandmother, the aunties and all kids together – they would fret if they were alone.”
Also making their mark in the ring on the weekend were Blumont breeders Tracie and Bart Doohan of Nah-Doo Dairy and Boer Stud.
The couple and their children, of the humankind, have a mixture of dairy and beef goats.
“Our son Mitchell who is 15-years-old led our doe Fontana Silk who won her class for lactation on Saturday,” Mrs Doohan said.
“We are currently milking 70 dairy goats, once starting out by hand but now with a machine, to make premium goat soap.”
To top off the local trifecta Patersonia breeders Scott and Margaret Payton of Lavender Park Toggenburgs and Little High Country Anglo Nubians won three awards.
“My wife took some of her dairy goats, they are a swiss breed, and won the best udder award, best junior goat and reserve champion kid,” Mr Payton said.
The couple each have their own studs and are known for being quite progressive and supportive of goat breeders in the North-East.
“We organised a standalone dairy goat show for our members and breeders at the Scottsdale Recreation Grounds in early January, it was the first of its kind and in space of the Scottsdale Show that didn’t happen,” Mr Payton said.
“As a group of local breeders, we are looking to increase awareness about goats in the North-East and hope to get more people involved,” he concluded.