Had a fellow goat breeder/retard journey to our part of paradise.  He just wanted to see goats.  Does, wethers, buck prospects…it didn’t matter.  He wanted to see goats, so that’s what we did.  We looked at goats here, there, south of here, west of here, east of here, we looked at goats.  We had planned on making more miles than we did, but the day just flew by.  And, we took precautions to stay well-behaved.  Which we actually did.  Unfortunately, for me, this well-behaved bit is becoming a normal routine.  

      Here’s what I got out of today’s road trip.  EVERY breeder should do this kind of road trip.  Go see what other people are doing.  Ask questions.  Cover topics such as facilities, nutrition, management, genetics and tell jokes and stories.  It is genius to do this as you build a foundation for your own herd.  You can scout future buck or doe purchases.  Or if your kid is showing, look for possible prospects.  Or better yet, you learn something.  As the host, I guarantee you that I learned from this road trip.  If nothing else, a breeder can learn just exactly how to talk goats with another breeder.  You learn how they handle rib, rack or loin shape.  What do they consider good feet and legs?  Or simply, how do they read livestock.  This helps when discussing their goats.  

      This isn’t an uncommon deal.  College football coaches routinely go visit NFL coaches.  Likewise, some NFL coaches visit progessive college programs.  I don’t care who you are, how your resume reads or what your goals are, there is somebody out there that can teach you a trick or two.  It just takes time, effort and a question.  “Can I come look at goats?”  When they say “Yes”, well, load up and make a road trip.  It will always be worthwhile.