Greetings from the Rigdon family!  We are located in Northeast Missouri and have always held a soft spot in our hearts for the magnificent goats with those 'loooong' ears!  We live on a farm near Kirksville, MO. where we raise purebred Nubian dairy goats, along with Quarter horses, and Registered Angus & commercial beef cattle.  We started out with some cute spotted goats as playmates for our 4 growing kids, and to provide extra milk for any orphaned calves.       

      We began raising purebred Nubian goats exclusively in 1996, after the purchase of a beautiful black and white spotted buck, named "Blazer" from Pauline (Judy) Kirchoff of K-Judel Nubians in Renick, Missouri.  From this purchase, a wonderful friend and advisor was found in Judy, and our herd name 'Blazing Star' was born by 1999!  The American Dairy Goat Association (ADGA) staff were then very helpful with any number of 'new to the membership' questions that we had, and have remained extremely kind and helpful to us over the subsequent years.

​     We began raising all of our baby goats using a CAE (Caprine arthritis and encephalitis virus) infection prevention program, as of the new millennium.  By attending each birth, we were able to remove newborn kids prior to nursing their respective dam, start them off with heat-treated goat colostrum, and then raise them to weaning on warm, pasteurized goat's milk from a Caprine feeder.... This user-friendly nurser is one 'mail order' item that we absolutely LOVE!

     In Fall 2014, we began testing the G6S (G6-Sulfatase deficiency/defect) status of the reproducing members of our Nubian dairy goat herd.  Although this consisted of a costly serum test for each one of our adult goats, we knew having a completely G6S normal herd would provide much peace of mind for us, as well as add health & value to our herd!

     In Fall 2016, we began a dual-shot vaccination to protect our herd from the contagious CL (Caseous Lymphadenitis) bacterial disease.  We will continue to booster every six months, to keep our herd safe from CL, in the event of a breach in our bio-security at home or in the show pen. 

     Happily, annual herd testing remains CAE, CL, and Johnnes disease negative.  As a bonus, our newborn kids are now able to nurse healthy dams, if we so choose.  

     Over the years, we have learned a lot about the 'ins-and- outs' of raising healthy goats.  We've learned the importance of including a balance of choice pasture or hay, grain in moderation, and minerals (along with copper-bolusing and free-choice baking soda) necessary for our goats to have healthy rumens and digestive systems.  We've also learned what works to supress worm loads, and this helps to decrease our use of routine de-wormers that result in resistance and stress to our goats. 

     Our lovely dairy goats have helped our children to gain confidence and find reward through their hard work, good care, and dedication, over the many years, by bringing home 4H awards at local and district shows.  These awards have included: Champion Dairy Goat, Champion Dairy Wether, Best Doe in Show, Jr. & Sr. Showmanships, and Herdsmanship. We also participate in Linear Appraisal through ADGA, as we feel this program has helped us gain much knowledge and understanding of the structure necessary to produce healthy and productive dairy goats.  

      As expected, our older childrens' interest in goats eventually was replaced by sports, college, jobs, and marriage; yet my husband & I, and youngest daughter's love and interest of Nubian goats continually grows stronger.  We continue to meet many wonderful families interested in acquiring and caring for goats.  We each have made many long-term friends through our common interests in goats of all breeds. 

     Please feel free to click through our site to see our dairy herd members.  If you have any questions or comments, send us a message at  susan66.blazingstar@gmail.com.  We'd love to hear from you!

                   Udderly yours,

           Susan, David, and Tiffany Rigdon

                                                            

​​