I am deeply humbled to be selected as the 2025 Ambassador of the Breed. This award is truly the highest honor anyone in this industry could receive. Like those who have achieved this before me, I am very grateful to my peers for bestowing this prestigious distinction upon me.

My wife Jennifer and I own and operate RM Ranch in Cherryville, North Carolina. I have been raising Boer goats and operating this ranch for the last 30 years. My family has been farming the surrounding area since the late 1800's.  My father raised Limousin cattle on this very farm and taught me quite a lot as a child about breeding and genetics. In the late 1980s and early 90s I competed in training and showing horses until moving to a species that my two children, Chris and Amber, could participate with. I purchased the first set of Boer goats after my children were old enough to start showing livestock in 1995 from Jack Mauldin

I was fortunate to meet Anton Ward in 1998 at the first show I attended, the North Carolina State fair in Raleigh. Anton was instrumental in my earliest understanding of the various aspects of breeding and raising Boer goats. He also introduced me to the various techniques involved in advanced reproduction. Since then, I have been actively participating in advanced reproductive technologies.  I was fortunate enough to perform many of these with great pioneers in embryo transfer in the Boer goat’s breed like John and Jackie Edwards.

In an effort to further my formal education in the breed, I decided to attempt to pass as a certified judge. I was extremely fortunate to be 1 of 38 people who trained and tested, to become certified judges, under the South African Judges. When I say fortunate, I mean I was one of only three people, from that group of 38, who graduated with a judging license in 2001. Since then, I was lucky to judge shows all over the country including majors such as the Fort Worth Stock show in 2015. In 2012 I traveled internationally to judge goats in Quebec Canada.

In 2006 I traveled to South Africa and attended their national show. I also visited various farms where I saw the birthplace of the modern-day Boer goat. It was on these farm tours that I was able to visit Lukas Burger’s farm and see the animals used to create the last imports of frozen embryos sent to the United States. Many of the offspring from those were sent to the Powell-Holman Farm in Texas in 2007. I would later be fortunate enough to acquire some of those foundation genetics for my own herd.

One of the most rewarding parts of my Boer goat journey has been the opportunity to learn from many great breeders. Some of which are true ambassadors of the Boer goat breed. Beyond that, the chance to give back, to teach and mentor new breeders has been extremely satisfying to me. Whether their goals are in the show ring, breeding, or understanding breed standards and judging conformation it is truly rewarding to help others succeed in their own Boer goat journey.