First off, we are stewards of God’s herd. What I mean by that is, he owns everything, and it is His herd that we oversee. Christ is the center of the operation. He comes first above all else.

 

In 2012, Casey and I were given two dairy goats. In a couple years, we grew our herd. Then, in 2016, we decided to cull the herd because we were tired of the worms and the maintenance it took to keep the dairy goats going. I started researching different breeds of goats. I knew there had to be a better breed for our system. I found the Spanish goat and was hooked. I had narrowed it down to Koy or Kensing. The more I studied, the more the Kensings intrigued me. In 2018, Vroman Spanish Goats was founded. It is made up of my wife Casey, our daughter Haylee, and myself, along with my dad (a retired veterinarian) who helps work goats and shares his knowledge of animals.  

 

The Kensing bloodline is what we run. Our farm is in central Missouri, just outside of a small town called Fayette. We run are operation by rotational grazing, using electric netting and hot wire. Our goats work for a living. They are supplemented with some grain, hay in the winter, loose mineral, and an occasional protein block, depending on the grass.  We kid in the pasture in early to late spring.  We believe in a hands-off approach. We do not believe in bottle babies. If we have any, we get them going and sell them or give them away.  A nannie must be able to raise her kids on her own, even if they are triplets. We expect our Kensings to handle parasites, be good moms, be able to thrive and survive on their own with little input, in pasture 365 days a year. CDT shots are given onca a year and copper bolus is given twice a year. We give no other vaccines.

 

 

We select for parasite resistance, mothering ability, conformation, and hardiness. Selecting for color isn’t even a thought, this trait doesn’t make the goat.  We cull for worms (if they need to be wormed twice in their adult life, they are sold), conformation, bad mothering abilities, lack of toughness, unproductiveness, and lack of vigor.  Our bucks are selected for parasite resistance, vigor, conformation, and stature (athletic, long-bodied, tall and good horns). In our operation, parasite resistance is the most important trait.