FAREWELL CLEARDAY PARK

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1 FAREWELL CLEARDAY PARK Why don t you start by telling us a little about your background before and outside of the goat industry? We have both worked off farm in separate industries--ron in the retail industry and I worked as a laboratory analyst for pharmaceutical, forensic, food and agrochemical companies. More recently I was travelling to New Zealand to manage a residue testing laboratory and currently am working part time in Quality Assurance for an apple juice processing company in Orange. What experience with livestock did you have before starting your stud. We have always lived on acreage and had some type of livestock prior to moving to our farm 15 years ago. We established a Limousin Cattle Stud before the goat stud and had been breeding and showing cattle for about 10 years. When did you get your 1st goats and why Boer Goats? We bought our first 3 does in kid from Chelsea Boer Goat stud at Wellington in 2002 and really didn't know much about them except what lovely animals they were. I first saw Boer Goats at Sydney Show in 2001 when we were showing cattle the year before we moved to the farm. I had never seen them before and thought what beautiful goats! I felt they would be ideal for our farm and would run very well with cattle. Fortunately Ron agreed with me. Initially we bought them as an interest for me but this soon expanded to a full commitment of breeding stud animals.

2 When you started your stud did you have a mentor or someone you could turn to for advice? The people we bought our first goats from were very helpful but at the time we didn't know any other goat breeders so we gained most of our information from reading and relying on our animal husbandry skills. Later I attended breeder workshops and went to quite a few shows which helped me to learn how to assess goats. What are some things you wish more people understood about goats? How much hard work they are!! and they don't eat just anything! To your credit, your animals improved year over year. What was the secret to your breeding success. Any tips for other breeders? There are no secrets really--just understanding the breed standard, knowing what a good animal looks like and taking out those animals that don't meet the criteria you have set. It is important to cull faults and not use animals with negative traits. Better to have a small herd of quality goats than a large number of inferior ones which will not breed better than themselves. Keep only the best for breeding. What do you feel were your strengths as a breeder? The ability to run small numbers of animals but still be able to compete successfully with those who breed larger herds--both in the show ring and in business. What basic advice would you give to new breeders just starting out Visit as many studs as possible in order to make an informed decision when making your selection. It is important to see how the stud operates and the condition of all prospective purchases. Don't be impressed by the number of ribbon winners that may be paraded as these are usually expensive to purchase and do not always breed on--it is more important to obtain quality breeding animals on which to base your future herd. The opportunity to use semen in an AI program these days is more common and can benefit the smaller breeder who doesn t want to buy a buck, but is something I would not rush into until you have gained some breeding experience. What was the most practical piece of advice that you were ever given. Use a quality buck

3 Do you have a go to book or manual that you could recommend to other breeders? Farming Meat Goats--Barbara Vincent Where in the world would you find Clearday Park animals today. (Which international markets did you sell to) United Arab Emirates, The United Kingdom (embryos and semen) Malaysia, the Philippines, USA (semen), New Zealand, and Thailand. What would you say your unique selling point for Clearday Park is? What sets you apart from other breeders. I don t think we have a unique selling point we just want to ensure buyers get what they pay for and are happy with their animals. We don t put unrealistic pricing in place as that puts unfair expectations on the animal and us. Clearday Park does and bucks have been sold all over Australia and internationally. How did you market your animals and which promotional channels seemed to work best for you and why? Initially we had a web site which worked very well for us as we were able to showcase our animals and their achievements but undoubtedly with the advent of social media, promotion of our stud became so much easier and quicker. This gave us worldwide exposure on line and attracted far more interest. You ve seen the industry through its peaks and troughs. What kept you motivated during times when the market was depressed. Trying to breed that elusive perfect animal.. and the love of the Boer goat. If you had to single out your greatest achievement what would that be and why Winning Grand Champion Buck with Clearday Park Faberge at Sydney Royal in To be able to win such an esteemed award with a buck we bred ourselves

4 Did you serve on any of the BGBAA State Branches? Were there other ways that you contributed to the BGBAA. I served on the NSW State Branch as Secretary for 4 years and on the NSW Show Committee Will you still stay in touch with the breed? In what capacity? Yes I hope to--as mentor to some new breeders in the industry and to help out at shows-- maybe as ring steward or assistant. So why are we saying farewell to Clearday Park. (Was it something we said?) Everything comes to an end especially when age starts to catch up with you! We have enjoyed our time with the Boer goats and they have taken us many places including the UK, New Zealand, Dubai and South Africa on many occasions. We have made many friends both here and overseas and for that I can only thank my beautiful animals. But it is time to move on and relocate to a smaller place with less responsibility. What plans do you have for the future minus goats We are moving to a smaller property in the Lower Hunter near where we have friends and family so we will be spending more time with them and generally getting to know the area. Some travel could be on the agenda or a walk along the beach which will be good for a change.

5 What do you think the Clearday Park legacy will be? Hopefully some quality genetics for those breeders who have acquired our animals over the years. What one word or phrase do you want people to always associate with the name Clearday Park? Reputable breeders.