07/08/2026
These are some pictures of our granddaughter, Emersyn, and her very first goat, Darla. The story of this little goat—from her name to her dam and sire—tells a story that warms my heart. It truly puts things into perspective for me, reminding me what raising goats and preparing the future generation is all about. It is a beautiful, full circle.
Darla is the only bottle baby on our farm. We normally don’t keep bottle babies, but for some reason, Emersyn took a liking to her from the very start. Every time she saw her, she would say “mine” and “baby.” She would try to hold her, shower her with kisses, and help hold her bottles. We decided very quickly that this goat was hers to keep.
Shortly after, our daughter came inside one day and said, “I think we want to name her Darla.”
I felt my heart contract a little for reasons she didn’t yet know. I asked her, “Why Darla?”
She replied, “I’m not sure, it just feels right.” And so, Darla she will forever be.
Why did that name pull at my heartstrings so deeply? The Kiko industry had just lost an absolute pillar of our community: a wonderful woman named Darla. Not too long before her passing, we sold our very first 100% New Zealand goat at the Oklahoma Hills Invitational to—you guessed it—Darla. I remember being shocked because she and her husband typically ran Purebreds, so I was giving him a playful hard time at load-out about the purchase. He just laughed and said, “Oh now, Darla wanted her!” To my knowledge, that was the last goat she ever personally chose.
The connections didn't stop there. In this industry, we have a fantastic breeder run by a dynamic father-daughter duo. She has been helping her dad since she was knee-high to a grasshopper, and she is growing up right before his eyes. He has mentioned several times how fast his "baby girl" is growing up.
A while back, I posted some pictures and videos of Emersyn out in the pens "helping" with the goats. This father commented on the post, saying, “She reminds me of my baby girl 15 years ago.”
He had no idea, and the beautiful irony isn't lost on me, but little Darla’s dam and sire were actually bred on his farm. My granddaughter’s first goat came from two animals born and raised by that very same father-daughter duo.
For me, this is exactly what it’s all about. It’s about our future. We have the incredible privilege to carry on traditions, cultivate the next generation, and honor the legends who made this industry great.
