Q&E with the Editor

&Q A with the Editor by Shon Callahan The American Boer Goat Association celebrated its 20th year in business recently, and as all organizations, there have some growing pains! Change isn’t always easy and most of us don’t like it. Unfortunately, for us to grow, we inevitably need some changes. One recent change is in the editor of The Boer Goat magazine. Let me take a few minutes of your time to introduce you all to Mrs. Karla Blackstock! We’ll ask her a few questions and it’ll help explain why she’s on staff now.

Tell us about your background. Where do you live, family, education?

First off, it is a real pleasure to be able to combine two of my passions. I love marketing communications, and I love my Boer goats. I graduated from Texas A&M University in 1997 with an agricultural journalism degree and in 2005 with a Master of Science in Science, Technology Journalism. Since then, I’ve worked in both writing and design/ graphics capacities in a number of industries, including agriculture. My husband, John, spent 15 years in the U.S. Marine Corps Force Reconnaissance and the U.S. Army Rangers. We raise our family in Poth, Texas where Parker (son) and Peyton (daughter) show goats and cattle.

Tell us about your livestock experience?

I grew up raising hogs and cattle, but in the 1980s my father decided to concentrate on the Angus cattle. After showing production animals in high school, I went to college and started showing Australian Cattle Dogs in American Kennel Club (AKC) shows. Now, I love to get in the ring with one of my does. I guess you can say that raising and showing livestock is in my blood.

How long have you been involved in the Boer goat industry?

Like many others, we started out when Parker started showing. We knew nothing about raising goats, and Jessie wasn’t a great mother and so it took a few years for us to catch the goat fever. Soon after, my mother’s day gift was a blonde traditional doe. Now, it seems as though I only get new collars, goats, feeders, etc. Most girls want diamonds – I’ll guess I’ll just name mine Diamond!

The last few years it seem the “special-ness” of the Boer goat has been forgotten from a commercial standpoint. How will our Boer Goat magazine help us “rebrand” Boers as the mother meat breed in America?

It is easier for people to get attached to goats because they have personalities that are not as immediately apparent in cattle or other meat species. The fact is that each of my show heifers had a unique personality, and at the end of the day raising meat goats is no different than raising animals for pork or beef. To brand or rebrand the Boer

goat as the meat breed in America, we have to capitalize on supply and demand. The demand for goat meat is healthy. It is our job, as producers and as an organization, to show the benefits of eating goat meat and to produce animals that meet the consumers’ needs. If we can do that (and prove it), we will be the meat goat of choice.

Any future plans or additional features for Boer Goat magazine?

There is always something up my sleeve! But, for now I’m concentrating on putting together a selection of articles that provide relevant information. I read many ag magazines to look for ideas. It is important for each producer to know what is going with policies (FDA regulations), vaccinations, medications and the market. Months ago, I had a conversation with a judge and I hear his words over and over. He said the magazine needs to provide information to people at all levels of goat production. So, I challenge myself to find something for the small breeder, the commercial breeder and the seed stock producer.

Describe your vision of the perfect Boer goat!

Boer goats are meat goats. In my opinion, you have to have a wide-based animal that can carry natural thickness from one end to the other. And although I like an animal to have a solid base, I don’t get hung up on having tons of bone. And, I am a stickler for having a sound structure. Our kids are showing two right now and that occasionally end up in the same class, and they are different in terms of style, but I’m proud to take them both home at the end of the day. And, that’s what it is all about.

Any closing remarks or ideas for ABGA?

Keep putting one step in front of the other. I worked at the Hereford Association in 1997 when the polled and horned associations merged. That was a growth period for them, and it reminds me of what the ABGA is going through right now. There are many great things that an association can do for us and our youngsters. Keep looking for the positives!

Thank you so much for your time today and for your passion and hard work for our association! Personal note: The Blackstock family is a prime example of the heart of the Boer goat business. It’s a family affair at their farm. Supportive parents with driven, hardworking children. They epitomize what our industry needs for a bright ABGA future.

We’re here for what’s next.

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