The Lacey Oak & Scarlet Hills Story
Our family has been involved in agriculture for generations; our parents grew up in the 4-H and FFA progams raising dairy cattle, hogs, and beef cattle. As adults they raised Angus, Shorthorn, and Maine seed stock together that traveled all over for exhibitions and sales. As a new 4-H member I wanted to show cattle just like my parents but as a little kid sassy beef heifers are intimidating! So we continued our search for the right species to really start my 4-H career. I attended dairy cattle shows, livestock expos, and county fairs but just hadn’t found the right fit. Then a family friend came to town and we went on a tour of Redwood Hill Goat Dairy in Sebastopol, CA and we got to play with the kids from their fall breeding program...that was it, I was sold! Dairy goats would be my new project!
That fateful trip to Redwood Hill in the fall of 2003 set us on a path that I don’t think my parents ever envisioned. I did go on later to have a large herd of Angus breeding stock but after high school I was ready to downsize and the cattle fell to the wayside. The winter that followed our Redwood Hill trip was filled with research, anticipation, and some serious convincing that I would be a full participant in this project. That spring we made the trip to Lassenwood Dairy Goats to pick out the first members of the Lacey Oak Alpine herd. 16 years later I still have Ethel milling around in our retirement pen and Lucy lived to the ripe old age of 15. I always tell 4-H families to be prepared for a serious commitment! My special girls traveled all over California for shows and events and were spoiled beyond belief. It is amazing the effect animals can have on us. Lucy and Ethel are forever a part of the family! |
We started out in the goat world trying to learn on our own, my mom did SO much research and we were handling the raising portion but we were amazed at just how much specialized knowledge is necessary for dairy goat success. We attended the California State Fair with my little doe kids in tow and I will never forget trying to clean their feet and a voice saying, “here try this” as a Scotch Brite pad was handed to me. We had just been introduced to Lisa Jack the Sonoma County 4-H County Dairy Goat Project Leader. We never looked back, from that moment on we had the beginning of our “Goat Family.”
In 2005, Janet was old enough to get her own goats and she had decided that LaManchas were her spirit animal. Honestly after the years of my mom judging dairy cattle I still can’t really believe that she would let me, Janet, and Grandma Janet go to pick out Janet’s first goats alone. I think it shows just how much she trusted Lisa and Katie Jack to guide us. As we stood in the pen of available baby goats and looked around, a single white la mancha kid seemed to stand out from the mass of other kids...little did we know that it would take Janet 15ish years to get to the point that white wasn’t the predominant color in her herd. We packed up Noley and Riley and away we went.
Over the years we have been fortunate enough to build a large family of like-minded goat loving people to share our passion with and wouldn’t be where we are today without the help of each of them. Some herds that really helped us take our herds from 4-H projects to competitive open herds are Lassenwood Dairy Goats, Olentangy Alpines, Moonshine-Ridge Dairy Goats, Redwood Hill Dairy Goats, and Kastdemur’s Dairy Goats. We are fortunate to live in a part of the country where high quality animals are the standard and we were able to learn from the best on how to care for our animals. Raising dairy goats requires us to continue learning and were are thankful for our village that is always available to bounce ideas off of and learn together. RDR Farm as well as Rowe's Toggenburgs and so many more have become family and we are thankful every day for their guidance and support. We strive to produce beautiful and highly productive does that do well in all dairy goat circles, but the community is what makes raising dairy goats a truly unique experience.
~Rebecca and Janet Kracker~
In 2005, Janet was old enough to get her own goats and she had decided that LaManchas were her spirit animal. Honestly after the years of my mom judging dairy cattle I still can’t really believe that she would let me, Janet, and Grandma Janet go to pick out Janet’s first goats alone. I think it shows just how much she trusted Lisa and Katie Jack to guide us. As we stood in the pen of available baby goats and looked around, a single white la mancha kid seemed to stand out from the mass of other kids...little did we know that it would take Janet 15ish years to get to the point that white wasn’t the predominant color in her herd. We packed up Noley and Riley and away we went.
Over the years we have been fortunate enough to build a large family of like-minded goat loving people to share our passion with and wouldn’t be where we are today without the help of each of them. Some herds that really helped us take our herds from 4-H projects to competitive open herds are Lassenwood Dairy Goats, Olentangy Alpines, Moonshine-Ridge Dairy Goats, Redwood Hill Dairy Goats, and Kastdemur’s Dairy Goats. We are fortunate to live in a part of the country where high quality animals are the standard and we were able to learn from the best on how to care for our animals. Raising dairy goats requires us to continue learning and were are thankful for our village that is always available to bounce ideas off of and learn together. RDR Farm as well as Rowe's Toggenburgs and so many more have become family and we are thankful every day for their guidance and support. We strive to produce beautiful and highly productive does that do well in all dairy goat circles, but the community is what makes raising dairy goats a truly unique experience.
~Rebecca and Janet Kracker~