Arapawa Goat Breeders Association

A Big Thank You & An Important Update We are excited, and a little bittersweet, to share that Callene has officially retired from the zoo! With her retirement, our registrar has fully transitioned from the former zoo email to its new home office. Please note: Callene’s zoo email is no longer accessible, and messages sent there will likely bounce. Our official registrar email is now:   arapawa.registrar@gmail.com All registry correspondence should be sent to this address going

Our last featured board member of the week is Chad M McCarthy , a Member at Large Where do you work/what is your organization name? Urban Ark Conservation How long have you/your organization raised Arapawas? We’ve been raising these goats since 2018 Why did you start raising Arapawas? We started UAC for the purpose of conservation back in 2016. Nothing in our mission statement had said anything about goats, livestock, or farming… we never farmed before, but once we discovered

Today’s featured board member is Stephanie Niswonger , our Secretary. Where do you work/what is your organization name? Conner Prairie  in Fishers, Indiana How long have you/your organization raised Arapawas? We’ve raised Arapawas since 2015 Why did you start raising Arapawas? At Conner Prairie, we focus on raising heritage breeds that would have been existent in Indiana in the early 19th century, and Arapawas are the closest breed extant meeting the descriptions of what woul

Today’s featured Board Member is Callene McCune Rapp , Registrar and Treasurer. Where do you work/what is your organization name? Sedgwick County Zoo / The Rare Hare Barn . How long have you/your organization raised Arapawas? For Sedgwick County, since 2000. For Rare Hare, since 2018. Why did you start raising Arapawas? Sedgwick was asked by Plimouth plantation to take a satellite herd when they began moving goats out of Plimouth. It sort of grew exponentially from there! We

This week we will be posting a little info to help you better know your AGBA Board Members. Today’s featured member is Laurie Lacey , our Vice President. Where do you work/what is your organization name? I am the owner of Whiskey in the Jar Farm  in Luck, NC How long have you/your organization raised Arapawas? I brought home my first 3 Arapawa, a buck, doe & wether in 2020 & currently have a herd of 36. Why did you start raising Arapawa? As a teen I first heard of the Arapaw

This week we will be posting a little info to help you better know your AGBA Board Members. Today’s featured member is Emily Pennington , our President. Where do you work/what is your organization name? I work at Conner Prairie  in Fishers, IN How long have you/your organization raised Arapawas? We have had Arapawa goats since I believe 2015. We started out with a few goats to see if they would work for our program and they worked perfectly for what we needed. Why did you s

For many of us, summer has come in full swing with it's hot and humid weather. If you're in the Midwest, you're additionally dealing with quite a heatwave thanks to all of the corn farming! Luckily, Arapawas have proven themselves hardy in all sorts of weather, but that doesn't always mean smooth sailing. Luckily, there are many ways to fight the heat waves that can benefit the goats and you! Always provide a shaded area for your goats. This can be natural shade like trees or

Good evening! We here at the AGBA wanted to give everyone an update that the genetic marker testing from UC Davis is going to be increasing to $40 per test. This will start on July 15th, so if you have any kiddos you need tested, go ahead and get those samples and get yours now!

Conservation for this breed isn't a new thing, though we are seeing in increase in recognition and interest as the years continue to pass on. Zoos, museums, and private farms have always been the lifeblood of our efforts to bring this breed further away from extinction. Conner Prairie is one of our proudest members, one of the shining gold stars in the efforts they put in. And, crazy enough, they just hit a decade with the breed! They are one of our largest breeders for the A

As the year progresses and new kids hit the ground, we are always trying to keep the classifieds page as up to date as we possibly can. This includes making sure all goats up are still available and creating new listings! Be it new kids or old ones, they are all welcome on the page. But, we know how hard it can be to say goodbye to some members of the herd, and some kids are just too adorable not to hold back. So, we are excited to announce something a little different! The

As we work to keep this breed alive, following a standard is critically important for having a unique breed that is hardy, well maintained, and will continue to thrive in the future. This means everything from assuring proper structure and shape all the way to even specific colors within the breed. The New Zealand Association has been making further steps to genetic testing requirements and updating their breed standard to assure we can keep on track with conservation efforts

Kidding has well already begun for a lot of our breeders, but it's never too late to look over your supplies and assure you have everything. We asked our breeders what they always had on hand, and luckily the list doesn't find itself too long if you're having kids drop in the warmer months! Towels, gloves, and lube are going to be some of your best friends if you need to help the mom out. Assure your towels are clean but unscented, and be prepared to get a little messy! Io

We at the Arapawa Goat Breeders Association would like to wish every mother - of every shape, size, form, length of time, and more - a wonderful Mother's Day. While the farm life never takes a rest, we hope you take a bit of time to enjoy yourself today and relax. Thank you all! Photo credit to our friends over at Flintrock Ridge Farm.

Nature is a cycle. With every new addition that comes to the world, there is an older counterpart that bids us farewell. If anyone understands this more than anyone else, it's those who surround themselves with animals. Whether you just simply keep pets, work with them, raise livestock, or even just love them, you are acutely aware that most will pass away during your lifetime. Some animals are lucky to be in our care, to be doted on and spoiled, kept from as much harm as we

We can't just leave our welcoming party to one little goat. This year has begun with quite the celebration! Our friends over at Flintrock Ridge Farm and Farmstead 55 have also shared their exciting news about Arapawa kids that have joined the world this year. As far as we know, we are up to 9 total if you count Onyx! Many farms are expecting in these upcoming months and we couldn't be happier for the dedication to the breed. Who knows what records we could break this year on

It's that time of the year! For any members who joined us before October of last year and only purchased an annual membership, we are asking for your dues. This can be done on the website itself under the 'Registration and Membership' page. You can also join under the same page if you aren't already a member! Remember! You don't need to own Arapawas to be a member. Your support means the world to us - and gets you access to a super awesome Facebook group. Each membership dire

The year of 2025 has already started with a bang, a welcoming of a little Arapawa Island kid named 'Onyx' from the Rare Hare Barn in Kansas. This little goat is another link in our fight to keep this breed alive, and little doelings like her will be able to add genetics to our limited gene pool and provide for their breed as they get older. From being able to breed to increasing milk supply for further dairy study, each new doeling has quite the job ahead of them. For now, th