In 1965 the American Milk Goat Registry Association updated their
image by becoming the American Dairy Goat Association.
At the same time breeders - from west to east - were beginning
to show a serious interest in the latest officially recognized breed of
dairy goats: the LaMancha.
Six years prior to the dispersal of the Fay herd, Betty
Harrington and her husband moved from Reno, Nevada to Beverton,
Oregon (near Portland) where her Emerald Nubians were soon well
established. Sometime after 1964 she acquired (or used) K-Lou
Springtimes'Maverick ( a buck very inbred on Midolane basic
stock.) Breeding him to Fay's Galeena, the result was a buck kid:
Emerald Apache's Chief L630.
Chief traveled to Pennsylvania where in the Sugarfoot herd he
was bred to the Shutte's 1966 Spotlight Sale purchase: K-Lou
Tootsiepop. An AMGRA judge, director and an experienced nubian
breeder, Dick Shutte was no novice.
Although the Shutte's did not continue to breed LaManchas for
very long their contribution to the breed was Sugarfoot Anejo,
the son of Chief and Tootsiepop who was to consolidate much of
the best of the east and the west when he was bred to Diamond
Stevie's Evelyn L367.
Evelyn's son by Anejo: Brookside Anejo's Eugene L822 was bred
back to her producing Brookside Edie L1076, the buck who
essentially created the image of LaManchas in the east in the
1970's.
The Emerald herd name continued to be factor in the northwest
until Mrs Harrington's death in 1987. Emerald stock was put to
good advantage by the Morey's in their show herd (Nolee's) in the
early '80's. And Steve Richter (Nestucca) had considerable
success exhibiting his doe: Emerald Bonus Mad Madam Mim, a very
dairy, very red doe, who was twice Reserve National Champion and
a butterfat breed leader.
Another Oregonian, Doris Vant - now no longer active as a goat
breeder - bred and sold many LaManchas. Breeding with Fay stock
primarily, she helped to sustain interest in the breed by making
her Long Gone animals widely available in the region. For reasons
known only to Mrs Flower (later Vant) the Long Gone LaManchas
often carried names with a Japanese flavor. Many of them were
sired by Longden Acres Cavalier L1111 (1970-78), who was her
primary sire up to 1975 after which he worked in the Mesquite
herd.
Jan Slama (Antares) owned a few Long Gone does, which she later
combined with Longden Acres and K-Lou stock to produce the
celebrated buck: Antares Voyager L475748 (1981-87.)
Remnants of the Fay stock were picked up by Harvey Considine -
including a Maverick son - in 1968 (his second acquisition of Fay
animals.) Aside from his indomitable and vocal enthusiasm for
the breed, Harvey's most discisive contribution to its
advancement was the sale of the aforementioned Evelyn to Patrick
Rooney (Brookside) who was boarding goats at Margaret Jacobs'
(Rockspring) dairy in Pennslyvania.
Patrick was, and apparently still is, a good friend of the
Stonebacks (Amyr). All of which explains how Edie came to be
crossed with Rockspring toggenburgs and their Fay derived stock
which had been acquired from Harvey. Edie eventually ended up
with the Amyrs, where he was used extensively.
Rockspring LaManchas became one of the longest running, most
successful, enterprises of the breed in the hands of Mrs Jacobs'
daughter, Ann (Miller) Weikel, judge and former appraiser, who
operates a successful dairy which enables her to maintain a large
herd dominated by LaManchas. Through the use of artificial
insemination she has integrated several proven bucks in her
breeding program and exhibited the results nationally with great
success.
The third eastern herd which has flourished with considerable
distinction over the years is Little Orchard (Bill and Martha
Griner) in New Jersey. Founded in 1954, their first LaManchas
were added in 1969 and after 1981 it became the only breed in
this small, influential herd, individuals of which could, and
still can, lay claim to being the "gold" standard.
The Griners were co-owners of two early Spotlight Sale LaManchas.
In 1969 they acquired K-Lou Sparkle L188, whose dam, Twinkle, was
national champion in 1968. A year later they paid $260 at this
ADGA sponsored auction for K-Lou Western Raider L1091, her full
brother. They were sired by K-Lou Springtime's Maverick, the
Edie forebearer out of Springtime, another national champion
(1965.) Western Raider was eventually sold to Amyr and a son was
purchased : Amyr WR Sampler, who became the premier herd sire for
the Griners. To complete the circle - his full sister, Seena,
became national lamancha champion in 1977.
The Southern Californian, Ron Maahs visited the Griners early on
and took home Little Orchard E. Festival L2126, an Edie son, who
was used by K-Lou, among others on the west coast in recognition
of the contribution being made by eastern breeders.
In competition for the longest running show in LaManchas is the
aptly named Longden Acres herd of Nancy Lake. Nancy, a younger
friend of the Nixon's and Erbe's, can look back with
satisfaction, noting that hardly a herd exists that does not owe
something to her influence as a breeder. She has never been a
judge, appraiser or director, but she has shown goats, mostly
LaManchas, with her herdname since 1965 and continues to do so.
She acquired her first LaMancha doe, Nixon's Mary Lou, a cou
blanc, from Amos Nixon in 1962. Nine years later she acquired an
Edie daughter, Catoctins Happy New Year, from Maryland breeder,
Florence Parker. Happy became a national champion and the dam of
a very successful Spotlight Sale buck, Hustler.
Nancy bred one the most memorable - post registration - early
sires: Longden Acres Casperson L933. As she tells the story he
was saved by accident, being the only buck born from Nixon's
Casper and quite incidentally out of a Casper daughter. As it turned out this solid
black buck proved to be prepotent for excellent udders.
Casperson, who traced back to the Fay stock purchased by the
Nixon's, when crossed with the established K-Lou lamanchas of
Midolane derivation, set yet another standard for udders from the
memorable K-Lou Sparkledust, who died quite young, to K-Lou
Darcee, Best LaMancha Udder at the 1987 national show.
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| Ray at REDGA 1986 |
Clovertop is another western herd which ranks at the top in
longevity and celebrity. Ray Vieira has invented his LaManchas
at least thrice, coming back stronger each time.
He purchased his foundation LaManchas from Doreen Ross (Free
Lance/ Goat City) and promptly began to milk test, exhibit and
sell stock. He later climbed the ADGA hierarchy as judge,
appraiser and director - all the while increasing the size of his
dairy, which he sold a few years back. His influence in the
breed has over the decades waxed and waned and should never be
counted out as his love for and knowledge of the breed is
peerless.
