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.
