Northeast Texas boer goat farm has patriotic angle

By KRISTY HEMMINGSEN | East Texas Edition

Martha and Larry Black, owners of Little Creek Farms near Scroggins, have developed a registered boer goat herd from initially wanting goats to clean their pastures. -Staff photo by

August 21, 2003 -- A little over three years ago, Larry and Martha Black of Franklin County, decided to do a bit of cleaning-up on their 80-acre place; and as a result, the place became a farm for raising registered goats.

The couple had heard how goats could be handy for keeping pastures cleaned of weeds and brush. As they furthered their thoughts on this concept, they figured raising a few goats could turn into a wonderful hobby.

"Neither Martha nor I had any previous experience with goats," explained Larry. "Frankly, we knew absolutely nothing about goats."

But, after a lot of research, some fence building, and the purchase of a few goats, the Black's goat farm was off and running in no time.

Now known as "Little Creek Farms" in Scroggins, the Blacks have found success with raising registered Boer goats.

In the winter of 2000, the Blacks brought home four 3/4 percent Boer does - each expecting a kid the following April.

"The babies stole our hearts," Martha expressed.

Convinced they had made the right decision, in February of the next year, the Blacks also bought a young 100 percent South African Boer breeding buck, named Benjamin.

It didn't take long before their goat herd tremendously increased. In fact, the small red barn they initially converted to be the goat barn was no longer enough, so they built a 40x46 barn that contained several small pens and gates for crowd control, feeding, and a kidding nursery.

Besides having to add facilities, the Blacks also acquired additional land. They now have 140 acres, several barns for shelter and feeding, along with different pastures for grazing and hay production.

With with the pur-chase of a buck named Freedom, Martha now names the kids after soldiers. -Staff photo by

They have also spent lots of time in one chore most goat owners know about: building fence.

"I like to keep my pastures cross-fenced where I can rotate the goats to help in disease control," explained Larry.

Over the past few years, the Blacks stated they have learned a lot about parasite control, medicines, delivery of kids, bottle-feeding, and predator control.

"There is still much to learn, but we feel more comfortable all the time," they expressed.

For predator control, the Blacks have found Great Pyrenees dogs work well; and now they breed and sell the dogs. "They are great guard dogs and do a wonderful job protecting the goats from predators."

To increase their goat herd, the Blacks have added two other full-blood breeding bucks, Abraham and Freedom. All total, the Blacks have about 10 bucks, But Abraham, Freedom, and Benjamin are primarily the ones used to service the does. Of the 25 breeding does on the farm, 10 are registered as 100 percent lineage. There are also 15 small does that will be of breeding age and size by the end of the year.

In all, there's over 70 head of goats, with varying percentages of Boer bloodline, at the farm.

Larry noted their goats are at least 75 percent or better; and the majority of all the goats are registered with the American Boer Goat Association.

They have several kids born each year. The male kids are sold, and only a very few female kids are sold.

Primarily, the Blacks raise the goats for breeder stock, and to sell to 4-H and FFA members who use them for livestock show projects.

"We sell percentage male wethers to the youngsters because they are more economically feasible for them," explained Larry. "I can sell these type to the kids for around $75, instead of them having to buy full-blooded goats at $350 a piece."

This past season, two of the goats they sold took reserve grand championships in county competitions.

Overall, the Blacks say they simply have a lot of fun with their goats.

"We generally have kids born throughout the year, and to us, that's the most fun part of the business. We treat each kid special," they said.

There have already been 37 babies born at Little Creek Farms this year, and Martha, as always, has made sure to give each one a special name.

Her name-giving strategy developed a unique twist this year. During the early stages of the war in Iraq, the Blacks purchased their third buck, Freedom.

Martha, in tribute to all military personnel, chose to name each new kid in honor of a serviceman.

Thus far, she has accumulated several names, but stated, "We need more names!"

In response to her idea and effort, she has received many acknowledgements from those she has honored when naming the goats.

Martha has named three kids after men she saw portrayed on Tyler-based television station KLTV, but has had difficulty in contacting the men or their families to let them know what she has done. (She asks that anyone who knows these men to please contact her: Daniel Miller in the Quitman/Mineola area, Tom Nelson of Longview, and Stephen Keith Parker of Longview.)

To contact the Blacks at Little Creek Farms, located in Scroggins, south of Mount Vernon, call 903-860-7020, or e-mail them at blackent@quick.com