2017 Ambassador to the Breed The Ryals Family
RRD by Karla Blackstock
Nearly 25 years ago, Bill (Sr.) Ryals was traveling across the United States for work when he ran across a group of individuals talking about the South African Boer Goats. These “exotic” goats were being imported into the United States. While he knew the numbers were low and the prices were high, he returned home to tell his son, Bill, about the goats. “He told my husband that it was something we should consider,” said Niki Ryals. And, I remember Bill saying, “Really, Dad?” They did not realize at that time how their lives would be changed forever. Living on a family farm with a number of different species gave the Ryals the experience they needed to become successful in the American Boer Goat world. “We had experience with dairy goats,” Niki said. “We decided it was time to try the meat goats. So, we packed up and headed to Texas.”
12 - The Boer Goat
The first sale that included Boer goats in 1993 was held just outside of Kerrville, Texas. Niki remembers that the prices were more than what they wanted to pay at the time so they waited until the time was right. “We didn’t buy anything there,” she said, “but we quickly bought a buck and a doe and bred them to our dairy goats.” These sold quickly so they knew they were onto something big. Soon, they invested in their first herd sire, Magnum. Magnum was bred by John and Jackie Edwards of Stephenville, Texas. It was the beginning of their show career and their relationship with the Edwards. “Magnum put us on the map,” said Niki. “When we got into the show goats we traveled to shows all across the country.” She said it wasn’t unusual to be at two shows a month. This whirlwind lasted from 1999 to 2007. The Ryals family, along with the Edwards, hosted the first sale outside the state of Texas and later the first Boer goat sale using DV Auction. “We tried to move the goats across the U.S. to broaden their reach,” Niki said. “Our showstopper sale did just that. We hosted the sale in Tennessee and gave the Boer goats a new market.” Since the numbers were limited and Bill had experience with line breeding in other animals, he applied the same principles to his new passion. “We do a lot of line breeding. Maybe more than others,”
