KGPA Annual Business Meeting Minutes
KGPA Annual Meeting 2023
The 2023 Annual Business Meeting for KGPA was held on October 14, 2023 at the Boyle County Extension Office.
Introduction and Welcome- President Angie Downs
Minutes from 2022 KGPA Annual Business Meeting were passed.
Treasurer’s Report- presented by Jeff Royalty passed.
2023 KGPA/Fort Harrod Field Day Report- presented by Linda Hatcher
KY Small Ruminant Field Day Report- presented by Angie Downs
The following people were elected to the KGPA Board of Directors:
Susan Bell
S&B Bell Farms started in 2016, and we've been raising alpacas and registered Katahdin sheep since that time. However, in 2020 we added a dairy herd when we purchased a goat milk soap operation that was closing their doors! One of the many products we sell at the Hardin County Farmers market is USDA processed lamb , and we've had quite a few customers ask if we could also sell goat meat regularly. So, earlier in 2023 we added a 2nd goat herd specifically for meat production. This time of year is our absolute smallest numbers - and at our farm currently we have 7 alpacas, 12 goats, 37 sheep, ~50 chickens, 2 English Angora Rabbits, and 3 incredibly hard working Great Pyrenees dogs. It's a small farm with a very big heart! One aspect of being involved with small ruminants is that KY is very strongly focused with their education on many topics involving the small ruminant care. From the Third Thursday Things to Small Ruminant Profit School, in addition to the programs our local extension office has offered, I found the more we participated in these programs that the better we became with taking care of our animals. I would like to brainstorm with others to increase access to these educational topics, and help reduce barriers of entry into livestock farming.
D. Kay DeMoss
Life Long Learner, Farmer, and Educator
Kay DeMoss has been involved in farming since birth. She grew up on a 300 acre cattle and tobacco farm in Fayette Co., KY with her father, mother, brother and two sisters. During her youth she was actively involved in 4-H and showing horses. Following high school, Kay attended the University of Ky, Hillsborough Community College, and the University of South Florida. Holding a lifetime certificate in Elementary Education the next 30 years were spent teaching first through sixth grades with specialized instruction in writing, science and gifted/talented. She also worked as the School Technology Coordinator, Extended School Service Coordinator and chairman of the Budget Committee. Retiring 15 years ago, Kay began focusing more intensively on her love of agriculture. Matt, Kay’s son, became involved in Jessamine County FFA, prompting him to produce meat goats as his SAE project. With the purchase of 2 bred Kiko does, MKD’s Lazy Kid Acres was born. At the same time Kay and her family joined the Jessamine County Goat Producers where she is the current president. Kay served on the Kentucky Goat Producers Association Board of Directors from 2017 to 2022, serving as Treasurer. She has been instrumental in developing a working budget for the KGPA and working on numerous committees. Kay also serves on the Kentucky Sheep and Goat Development Board as treasurer and represents goat breeds when working on the Sheep and Fiber Festival. She has also supported the KGPA by participating in fund raising for the association, representing and working at the KY Commissioners Breakfast and KGPA Booth and KSGDO Booth at the state fair. Being a lifelong learner Kay has attended many KSU Third Thursday Thing events, KSGDO Annual Conferences, state and local workshops promoting goats and goat health. Kay has also visited goat dairies and wool mills during her vacations. Currently, Kay has a herd of 60 goats including Kiko/Boer & Boer meat goats, La Mancha dairy, and Angora fiber goats.
I Believe….
“I believe we care about what we know about. To truly know about something, we must experience it in some way.
I believe that the job of a director is to help guide the organization to promote and educate, thus prompting people to care about the industry.
I believe the best way to promote the growth and integrity of the goat industry is through education and involvement with producers
I believe youth are the future of the goat industry.” Respectfully, Kay DeMoss
Dr. Beth Johnson, DVM
Hello, I started raising dairy goats in the early 1970's, yes when raising goats wasn't cool but this was in Texas where we had wild spanish goats running freely. Over the years, my family has raised dairy and meat (Boer) goats and made the transition to Kentucky after graduating from Mississippi State University College of Veterinary Medicine. We have continued to raise goats on our family farm down in Boyle County and feel like this has helped me tremendously in learning how to manage them. I have passed this information onto many new and old producers through articles written and published in "Hoofprint" and other small ruminant publications. I also served for 4 years as Region 2 Director of the American Small Ruminant Practitioner Association (AASRP) and had the opportunity to get to know some of the folks in our industry that are the true "Guru's" of the small ruminant world. I have served on the KGPA board in the past and would love to be nominated to serve again.
Emily Wade
Hello! My name is Emily Wade, and I am a first generation farmer and Boer goat producer living with my husband, son and many animals on a 10 acre holler attached to 190 acres of woods in Cambellsburg Kentucky, right on the Little Kentucky River. My journey with goats started in 2016 when I enrolled as a student in the KSGDO Small Ruminant Profit School with an interest in moving my professional equine career into one more focused on goat production. After completing the SRPS program, I continued my small ruminant education through numerous programs, completing the Tennessee Department of Agriculture’s Master Small Ruminant Producer certification, the KGPA Quality Assurance certificate, and the University of Kentucky Master Grazers certification. In 2018 I worked as an artisanal goat cheese maker with world renowned Capriole Goat Cheese before returning to school to complete a Bachelors of Arts in Sustainable Agriculture minoring in Draft Animal Power Systems through the Wendell Berry Farming Program of Sterling College. During my final year of schooling, I completed my capstone research project titled “Developing An Improved Boer Goat Breeding Program” under the advisement of goat procedure legend Dr. An Pieschel. My husband and I currently have a primary goal of raising and breeding “Place Based” registered Boer goats that are as competitive in the show ring as they are efficient in the pasture, teaching our young son what it takes to be a good neighbor, working member of an agricultural community, and dedicated herdsman. I was honored to serve the KGPA as board member and secretary from 2016 to 2019, before returning to school to finish my agriculture degree. In my previous time as a board member I was able to connect to and network with so many incredible producers in our community who have helped me vastly in my journey as a first generation farmer. Currently I work for The Berry Center in Henry County Kentucky, where building local agrarian communities and promoting ethical and sustainable farm practices for small and mid-sized producers is the name of the game. With my experiences as a farmer, cheese maker, student, and agricultural activist, I feel I can bring a gambit of fresh new ideas and creativity to the board as it stands today, to help both farmers who have been in the business for generations, as well as opportunities for younger generations just getting their foot for the door. If elected to the board, I will focus my priorities on expanding incentives for KGPA members, increasing education opportunities for new and beginning farmers, and expanding the breadth of education topics for long-time producers. My goal is to help the KGPA to be a united voice for all types of producers in our state, and to be an asset to the constituents that we serve.