By Chris Aldridge
Kentucky Ag News

“Our mommas either bring meat to the hill, or they become the meat.”

That’s the no-nonsense motto of Ramey Watkins, a goat producer and breeder in Metcalfe County who runs Rafter W. Farms near Edmonton, Ky.

A herd of just over 20 female goats on Watkins’ farm is currently giving birth to kids. If they don’t or can’t, they will be sent to market along with the kids.

“They’ve got to put kids in the weaning pin, or they’ve got to go,” Watkins said. “As a rule, I can get my kids to market between 90 and 100 days.”

By June, the kids will have quickly grown to the ideal weight of 50-60 pounds.

“That size is the No. 1 return on the dollar back to the farm in this region, and I am a stickler about that,” Watkins said. “I do not wait on the market price to suit me. My scale tells me when I go to market.”

Market is a two-hour drive south to Smithville, Tenn.

“I do all my business at a livestock market in Smithville with a man by the name of Wayne Barnes,” Watkins said. “He has the largest buying station in the Southeast and has been in business for a long, long time.

“A lot of my animals are shipped during the week, and I'll have an appointment to meet the big (semi) truck there. My animals come off my trailer, walk through the scales in groups, and go straight into the big truck, most likely headed to the (ethnic market in the) Northeast.”

Watkins said his goal is for his young kids “to get to 50-60 pounds as fast as possible.”

“The longer you got them, the better chance you got to have something develop that cuts into your profit,” he said. “There are so many people in this industry, even in this region, that cannot get that through their heads. They want to wait on the market. Next thing you know, they’ve got 80-90 pound kids that don't make money.”

Watkins is also a goat breeder. He has adopted the X Factor breeding program created in Kansas by Dwight Elmore.

“Rafter W Farms is participating in a breeding program to create the best blood lines of his breed,” said Kelley Yates, executive director of the Kentucky Sheep and Goat Development Office. “There are only a few people across the country doing it right now – it's pretty new – but it has the potential to change the breed.”

Watkins is known for his muscular Savanna goats. He’s working to create a new breed by crossing Savannas with American Red and American Black goats. It’s a work in progress because Watkins is having trouble breeding out the Savannas’ white coat.

“This sort of breeding program is exactly the mindset we need small ruminant producers to have in order to grow the industry,” Yates said. “These genetics could really enhance the commercial end when enough stock gets out there.”

Watkins, who grew up on a goat farm in the Florida panhandle near the town of Milton, calls himself “a second-generation goat man and a 1973 model,” referring to the year he was born.

“Times have changed since my daddy (Ronnie) was in the goat business,” Ramey said. “I'm one of those that try to learn and keep up with all the latest and updated studies. Back then, education was limited.”

Ramey moved to Kentucky 11 years ago to live close to his mother, brother, and sister. The cooler climate has caused him to adjust his breeding schedule, but he’s already used to severe weather.

“I worry about tornadoes up here,” he said. “Down there, it was hurricanes. About the same kind of deal.”