Our philosophy on goat raising is based largely on Lasater philosophy of cattle raising. Tom Lasater founded of the Beefmaster breed based on the principles outline is the book The Lasater Philosophy of Cattle Raising by Laurence M. Lasater. My Dad introduced me to this book as a young boy. He thought that he should follow these principles with his cattle. I have read and reread this book many times and I continue to use it as a reference book.
The Lasater philosophy is based on Five Commandments of Livestock Breeding.
- Select only for the Six Essentials.
- Strive for reproductive efficiency.
- Performance test in a constant environment.
- Employ direct selection, which means to select for the specific traits sought and not for traits the breeder hopes that will bring the desired results.
- Utilize the adaptive powers of nature.
The Six Essentials are Disposition, Fertility, Weight, Conformation, Milk Production, and Hardiness.
Soon, I will update this page with how each of these areas relates to our goat management.