Spanish Goat DNA Registration

 In 2016 Donna Askew took over the process of verification and maintaining the Spanish Goat Association Website. A Facebook page was created in 2016 which opened a conversation about the Spanish Goat Breed. The visibility of the Spanish Goat on Facebook created a great deal of buzz.

 By 2018 the Spanish goat breed conservation effort was facing real challenges:

• Cross breeding Spanish Goats with other breeders for commercial meat production. This left behind a population of visibly Spanish but genetically not Spanish. Unfortunately, producers sold these crossbred offspring goats as “Spanish.”
• Buyers were sourcing goats from sale barns, Craigslist, and Facebook Marketplace. The sources did not have supporting data to validate the goats as Spanish, if they looked Spanish they claimed Spanish. Buyers would bring these goats home and cross them in with their herds.
• The increase in popularity also resulted in an increase in profit. Unsuspecting buyers were being sold goats as Spanish that were not Spanish.

 Fundamentally, the issues appeared to be the lack of education and awareness around the genetics of the Spanish goat and what makes them so treasured. The fact that the Spanish Goat Breed is a Landrace of over 500 years on the American continent sets them apart from any other meat breed. The Spanish Goat genetic has been adapting and thriving in a highly productive manner without much input from livestock producers. Predominantly Southwestern Ranches have captured the wild Spanish goats and isolated the population on their ranches. As a result the management and regional effects are evident in the bloodlines of the Spanish Goat. Genetic diversity is the key to adaption, fertility, hardiness and parasite tolerance. However, one of the most valuable characteristics of the Spanish goat is the mothering instinct they carry which is why the breed is threatened.

We faced several questions:

• How do we ensure the goat is Spanish?
• Is tracking the bloodlines important?
• Will breeders be willing to keep data and pull DNA samples on their goats?

Tracking the bloodlines is one of the most efficient methods of safeguarding the genetic diversity of the breed. Crossing the Spanish bloodlines for a designated Fullblood Spanish Goat offspring can yield great results for meat production. But when building seed stock it is advisable to stay within a bloodline.

The idea of tracking and/or registering Spanish goats crossed with other breeds seemed counterproductive. Not only for the conservation effort of the breed which is much needed, but also as any livestock producer knows, the F1 cross is fantastic but as you continue to cross genetics you begin to see a reverse effect. So a “breed up” is a mutt goat, not a Spanish Goat with the treasured genetics.

2018 was the premier Spanish Goat Gathering. It was a test to see if there was truly a market for seed stock Spanish goats. We discovered there was, but the challenges to the breed continued.

MOST IMPORTANT are the diverse genetics found within the ranches and the bloodlines of the Spanish goat community. In no way do we want to diminish the possibilities, or limit the "RANGE/PASTURE breeding" of Spanish Goats. These goats have been breeding without us for hundreds of years and they will continue to do so if we stay out of the way!

We have come to the crossroads of an Individual goat DNA registration for those that want it. Most registries offer Certificates to their members for a fee without the necessary genetic verification process to ensure the genetics are Spanish Goats. Therefore, a group of breeders created the Spanish Goat Registry (SGR) to address the issues and provide a registry for those folks who are willing to submit DNA Tail Hairs on their goats and want the "Certificates" on individual goats to ensure conservation, purity of genetics and market value. The Spanish Goat Registry was created as a separate entity from the Spanish Goat Association. There are many breeders who do not want to DNA Register their goats, but they have purchased verified and/or DNA Registered goats.

ONLY those breeders with a listed Bloodline and Breeder ID will have available goats that can be DNA Registered through the Spanish Goat Registry. Otherwise, BEFORE YOU BUY ~ VERIFY.

To get more information on the SGR DNA Registration process please go to the Spanish Goat Registry website https://www.spanishgoatregistry.com

We appreciate all of the Verified Spanish Goat Breeders and joyfully provide the Spanish Goat Association Website as a resource to both the buyer and the seller of our treasured Pure Spanish Goats!

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