Ballots Are Out

Hello, Everyone!

Thanks to the hard work of our secretary, John James, ballots have been mailed out for next year's Board of Directors. Please exercise your rights as members by completing and returning them by October 31st. Along with the ballots, you will find a list of candidates and a brief introduction of each person. There is also a space for write-in candidates for each position, and we welcome any interested members to join the race and campaign for a position!

If you can't run now, but think you might want to next year, please contact us any time - we'll be happy to answer any questions you may have, and we'll keep you informed when election time roles around again.

You will also notice a space at the bottom of the ballots for comments. Please take time to include any comments, suggestions or concerns. These anonymous comments will be compiled and discussed by the board at upcoming meetings. Where necessary, resolutions or responses will be posted on the communique.

Thank you all for your continued enthusiasm and support - we couldn't do it without you!

Meet The Candidates

Sue Beck:

Hello everyone! My name is Sue, and I have a small farm in Southeastern Wisconsin, where I spend my time working at a small animal veterinary clinic, raising 3 children and juggling what some say is way too many animals and activities. But seriously – is there any such thing as too many Kinder goats??

I have been on the KGBA board for six years now, and have enjoyed the opportunity to help promote our great goats and get to know so many of our wonderful members. Our association is unlike any other that I have been a part of, and I feel honored to be a part of it. Thank you all for giving me the chance to serve for the last six years. If re-elected, I will continue working hard to ensure the continued growth and success of our wonderful association. 

Ashley Kennedy:

Hi, I'm Ashley Kennedy, owner of Still Meadow Kinders in Colorado. I have been raising Kinder goats since 2002, and after 15 years I can say I'm more committed than ever! I have served on the KGBA BOD in the capacity of Vice President for 4 years, the last 3 consecutive. We have an incredible member base, and it's a pleasure to serve them in their goals to pursue all that the Kinder goat has to offer! Moving forward I'd like to assist in accomplishing breed improvement programs. Between getting more Kinders on Milk Test, establishing an Evaluation/Appraisal program, further documenting their efficient meat capabilities, etc. We have the best breed in the world, and one of the most committed and enthusiastic breeder bases! So I'd love nothing more than to enable our members to prove these awesome goats are just as good as we say they are :)

I look forward to hopefully serving you all again next year!

John James:

I have been raising goats for almost  30 years and have had Kinder Goats  for five of those. My wife and I have fallen in love with this breed and enjoyed representing the Association and Breed at the recent Mother Earth News Fair.  

My passion for working with  4H youth has led me to work with  other KGBA  members  to develop a youth program for the Kinder Goat Breeders Association that should  be ready to implement on a trial basis in 2018. 

I have two  goals within the Association: 1. Make sure I am providing thorough and timely communications with the Board minutes and briefs. 2.  Develop a youth program we can use to encourage youth  to develop and promote the breed. 

Lisa LaRose:

Hello. My name is Lisa LaRose. I live in Southern Illinois with my husband of 24 years, and I have a Kinder Herd with my daughter Kelsee Gibbs. We have about 28 does and 8 bucks. We have been raising Kinders for about 7 years and mutt goats before that. We work hard to improve our herd each year and advance the reputation of the Kinder breed. We have sold goats coast to coast and enjoy having people visit our farm to see what they are about. We even have Kinders at the St Louis Zoo in the Children’s Petting Zoo. I am running for Treasurer for 2016 and I have been doing this job for a year now. I am happy to continue serving the KGBA in whatever capacity you, as the members need me to. Thank you.

Julie Snider:

Hello, my name is Julie Snider and I am co-owner with my husband, Tim Snider, of Mount Vernon Kinders in north central Oklahoma. I am running for the position of Member-at-Large.

A little bit about me, I am currently a part-time early-childhood substitute teacher and stay-at-home mom. We have three teenage children that test my sanity on a daily basis. Our 110 acre farm is approximately thirty miles northeast of Stillwater, Oklahoma where my husband is a professor at Oklahoma State University in the Veterinary College. We share our farm with a small herd of cattle, horses, 2 show sheep, 17 head of Kinder goats, free-ranging chickens, four large and odorous farm dogs, and three kittens. I enjoy hiking our land with our dogs, gardening, photography, pursuing quality time with my family, and of course nurturing my goat herd. 

My original desire to go with Kinders stems from my own personal belief to make the most of what you have. And since the Kinder offers so much regarding its dual purpose, durability, mid-size, and fantastic feed efficiency it seemed the right choice for us as a family. 

Our journey with the Kinder breed started a little over five years ago after purchasing a doeling and buckling. Since then, we have learned so much about goat husbandry in general and become more educated in what to look for and achieve regarding Kinder breed standards. Our herd currently consists of eleven does, four bucks, and two wethers. 

Over these past five years I've gotten to know so many wonderful people involved in the KGBA as well as received valuable advice, educated information, and welcomed encouragement in bettering our herd. The KGBA community is a wonderfully unique and supportive group that I am so proud to be a part. 

Lastly, the Kinder breed speaks for itself and is truly a well-rounded goat. I can honestly say there is no other breed of goat that I feel this strongly about. My future goals are to help establish a new line of Kinders and the promotion of the Kinder breed. I hope to help make the Kinder breed a known breed among the agricultural community locally, statewide, and beyond.  I would appreciate your vote for the position of Member-at-Large.  Thank you!

Stephanie Lounsbury Griffin:

I live in Central Washington state in a small town called Ellensburg.   Rural ag in character, it was our chance to escape from the city.  Seattle had outgrown its charm and the country was calling.  We started with a huge garden, then chickens and turkeys.  Life was good.

And then I drank the koolaid, goat's milk!  "We're getting goats!"  I proclaimed.  "Great," she said.  Drunk on baby goats and the delicious milk, I dismissed her lack of enthusiasm and moved forward with my plans.  

What kind of goats do I want?  What breed?  How many?  I need to build a barn and fencing and buy all kinds of goat gear!  Oh, the possibilities!  This was ideal for a person who LOVES research once an idea gets under my skin.  And so I did.... research, that is.  It was an exciting time, indeed!  

Then I met a woman at a housewarming party.  She had to excuse herself early because, she explained, "I need to go home and milk my goats."  What?!?!  "Milk your goats?"  I asked.  Of course I had to know everything, including what kind of goats she had.  "Kinder goats," she said.  And the rest is history.  Debbie Young, this is all your fault!  

I brought my first two Kinder doelings home from Zederkamm Farm in the fall of 2012.  My herd has grown (shocker!) since then.  I have eight does/doelings, two bucks and two companion wethers.  In addition to everything they provide, these wonderful goats are my friends.  I promote our breed at every opportunity and I look forward to doing more of that in the future.  As a member at large, I would like to help the KGBA and its members grow as an organization.   This growth should be thoughtful and build on the foundation already in place.  We have the best goats in the world and it's time to share our secret!  I would be honored to be a member at large.  Thank You!

Kim Moff:

My name is Kimberly Moff from Rustic Acres Farm in Berlin Center, Ohio.  My husband, Duane, and I,have been breeding and developing the Kinder Goats on our farm for 28 years.  We are both Charter members of the Kinder Goat Association. On our 100 acre farm, we have also raised Boer Goats, Registered Pygmy Goats, Peidmontese Beef Cattle, Rabbits, Horses and Mini Horses and our one llama, Doolittle.  I am the Manager for the Mahoning County Junior Fair in Canfield, Ohio for over 20 years and have worked as an Agricultural Educator at Mill Creek MetroParks teaching school children about agriculture for over 15 years.  28 years ago, I decided I wanted a dual purpose goat that could be used for milk and provide meat on our farm that I could raise with my family.  With much research, I found this newly developed breed know as the Kinder Goat and fell in love.  With my husband's experience as a Dairy Specialist for Coba/Select Sires, we developed several lines of our own as our foundation herd and worked diligently to improve our herd as we bred and moved through the generations each year.  Over 20 years ago,  I established a Kinder Goat Junior Fair Show at our county fair.  I have worked with others to help establish new herds and to promote the Kinder Goats in Ohio, as well as other states.  I have worked with local youth members who have expressed interest in the Kinder Goats and have started them off by purchasing their first youth memberships and registering their Kinder Goats purchased at my farm.  My children have had the opportunity to show, raise and fall in love with the Kinder Goats on our farm, and now are all in college.  Now, I would like to offer my experience,knowledge, talents and new found empty nest time to help with the promotion of the Kinder Goats and the Association.  I would like to be a part of making a great future for this wonderful, dual purpose breed.

Derek Eddy:

Hello my name is Derek Eddy and I’m running in the kgba elections. I have been raising and breeding kinder goats since 2000 starting in 4-h/ffa and sticking with this wonderful breed into my adult life. I operate Derek’s Kinders with my partner in central Wisconsin. We are currently participating in dhi (milk testing) and would like to continue with appraisals and showing. If elected to the board I hope to make dhi (milk testing) and appraisals more easily accessible and continue to improve the wonderful kinder goat breed. Thanks for your consideration of your vote. I am very passionate about the kinder breed and would like to see them as a proven true dual purpose animal. As a fellow breeder I look forward to working with everyone to make the best breed better. For I believe that Kinders are the best breed. I am currently breeding my herd with emphasis on milk production as well as maintaining the dual purpose ability that makes the kinder breed great. Thanks for your consideration.