10/09/2026
🙌🏼♥️♥️♥️
I’ve been thinking quite a bit lately about what it truly means to be a breeder and a mentor.
I’ve spent years working toward a vision for my own herd, but I’ve never believed success should be measured solely by the ribbons hanging on the wall, championships earned, or even the quality of the animals standing in our barns.
To me, the true measure of a breeder is the contribution we make to the breed as a whole and the people who will carry it forward.
I want to see my friends walk into a National Show and be recognized for producing some of the finest dairy goats in the country. Not just one herd, one breeder, or one particular bloodline, but an entire community of breeders who challenge, encourage, and help one another become better.
And I believe we accomplish that through collaboration, not competition alone.
Don’t misunderstand me. I love competition! It challenges us to evaluate our breeding programs honestly, recognize our weaknesses, and continually strive for improvement. But I also believe one of the greatest signs of a confident breeder is the ability to recognize excellence in someone else’s barn, even when that breeder is standing across the show ring from us.
Another breeder’s success does not diminish our own.
None of us has the perfect animal, and none of us has all the answers. There is always something to learn from someone else, regardless of how many years we’ve been breeding or how many championships we’ve earned. As a great friend told me today - IRON SHARPENS IRON
Equally important to me is the responsibility we have to our youth and those just beginning their journeys as breeders.
Every accomplished breeder was once a beginner. Someone answered our questions, offered encouragement, shared knowledge, or gave us an opportunity that helped shape our breeding programs.
We should never become so established in our own circles that we forget what it felt like to be the newcomer standing at ringside, trying to learn, hoping to belong, and wondering whether we could ever compete with the herds we admired.
Our youth deserve more than ribbons and handshakes. They deserve meaningful mentorship, constructive evaluations, opportunities to learn, and adults who are genuinely invested in their success. We should be teaching them not only how to win, but how to evaluate livestock, make responsible breeding decisions, demonstrate good sportsmanship, and appreciate the accomplishments of others.
And that same welcoming spirit should extend to new breeders of every age.
Not everyone begins with generations of experience, established bloodlines, financial resources, or personal connections within the industry. I certainly didn’t come from a background of dairy goats and entered this game in my late thirties. Also, a breeder’s potential should never be measured by whom they know or whether they’ve been invited into a particular circle.
Knowledge should be shared, opportunities should be encouraged, and excellence should be cultivated wherever we find it.
That doesn’t mean lowering our standards. Quite the opposite. It means helping more people understand those standards and giving them the knowledge and encouragement to pursue them.
We won’t always agree. We will have different opinions, breeding philosophies, and ideas about what constitutes an exceptional animal. Goodness knows I have some strong opinions of my own! But disagreement should never become an excuse to withhold kindness, respect, or the opportunity to participate.
We can be fiercely competitive in the ring and genuinely supportive of one another outside it. Those two things are not mutually exclusive.
And I hope we never underestimate the impact our behavior can have on someone else. A little encouragement can inspire someone to continue. A thoughtful conversation can change the direction of a breeding program. And sometimes, simply making someone feel welcome can determine whether they remain involved in this community at all.
I would much rather be remembered as someone who made room for others than someone who made them question whether they belonged.
And my gosh - genuinely clap for one another!!
Beyond the people, we also have a responsibility that extends far beyond our own lifetimes. The breeding decisions we make today will influence the animals being bred 20, 30, and even 50 years from now. History has shown us across multiple species that decisions made with the best intentions can sometimes have unintended consequences for future generations.
Responsible breeding requires more than pursuing the next champion. It requires a commitment to structural correctness, functionality, genetic diversity, longevity, and the overall health and improvement of the breed.
At 50 years old, I recognize that I won’t be here forever. But I certainly hope the contributions I make today will have a positive influence long after I’ve hung up my show whites for the last time.
I hope future breeders will look at the animals and bloodlines we helped develop and recognize that we were thoughtful stewards of the breeds entrusted to us.
But I also hope there will be young people who remember someone taking the time to help them learn, new breeders who remember being welcomed rather than excluded, and fellow breeders who remember that we were willing to celebrate their accomplishments as readily as our own.
I want to be remembered not simply for the animals I produced, but for the breeders I encouraged, the knowledge I shared, the opportunities I helped create, and my willingness to work alongside others toward something greater than any one herd could accomplish alone.
Because ultimately, our greatest legacy shouldn’t be what we accomplished for ourselves. It should be what we helped make possible for those who come after us.
That’s the kind of breeder I aspire to be, and that’s the legacy I hope to leave.
♥️♥️ Tule Creek
