University Dally Kansan
Wednesday, November 17, 1976
7
Dorinda, a Saanen goat that has been a grand champion 14 times in the last two years, is Ahman Karr's "pride and joy." Dorinda is one of about 50 goats on Karr's farm near Tonganoxie.
Every family member takes his turn walking the goats on Karr's 40 acre farm.
Story by Rick Padden Photos by George Millener
Karr rises before 5 every morning to milk his goats.
goats
When Ahman Karr, grounds foreman at the University of Kansas, punches out each daytime and heads home, he knows he won't be able to kick off his shoes, read the paper and just relax when he betc them. He has chores to do.
For the last seven years, Karr and his family have been living on a 40-acre farm two miles north of Tonganise and, along with them, the family's four children.
Karr, his wife, Emily, his son, Ralph, and his daughter, Paula, on their own resourcefulness to meet most of their basic needs.
"We're homemakers," Karr said recently. "We provide our own meat, our own vegetables, our milk and butter and we
THE FAMILY LIVES in a small, wood-framed house that Karr built himself.
It isn't a fancy house. There are only basic furnishings—no dainawater, no color television and no shag carpet, but Karr
"The house isn't finished yet, but it's better than what we started out with seven years ago at this site." he said.
Karin keeps a kisel house warm by adjusting a thermostat.
"We moved onto a bare 40 acres of ground. Now we have three rooms- and a path (no bathroom). It's warm and it dry."
Klar does keep his house warm by adjusting a thermostat.
"I USE A WOOD-BURNING, pot-bellied stove to provide the basic heat. Now is the time of year I have to get out and chop firewood for the winter."
The house lives lived in, perhaps even a little cluttered, but Karr says he wouldn't have it any other way.
"I'd rather live out here in the country in a tent than in the nice house in Lawrence. This is exactly what I want."
The house isn't tied into Tonganoxie water mains, so Karr pumps in all his water from a 1,000 gallon water storage tank
"We've got country water here," he said.
BUT THE BIGGEST chore of all for Karr is taking care or almost 50 goats that live on the small rural plot.
At 5 every morning, Karr walks out of his warm house, saunters past the kid pens and the buck pens, through squawking groups of bears and roosters and to the doe pen, where 18 does wait to be milked.
"The does have to be milked twice a day," he said. "Once before I go to work and once when I get home."
We always get a treat of best tender, loving care and Karr
they do, we I've had some of the best breeding goats in the country.
The herd can't be cared by by just one person and Karr said, "It's a family venture. We all in it together."
"SAANEN GOATS, WHICH were originally developed in the Swiss Alps, are my top ones right now."
He said that Laurie had been working with a different type of goat, called the Nubian.
goat, called the Nunan.
"They're known for their long floppy ears and mischievous
"They're known for their long floppy ears and mischievous temperament." Karr said.
"Ralph has been working with yet another breed. It's the smallest of the three when full grown—the Tagengerb."
KARR SAYS HE talks to his goats when he's alone with them and he thinks they sometimes understand what he's saying.
"I think they're the funest animals there are," he said. "I like to take them out for walks, especially in the summer when the leaves are on the trees. I take them out and pull the branches of the trees down a bit so that the goats can nibble at the leaves."
The Karrs enjoy their animals but they also take them very seriously. They've raised many award-winning goats the past five years, and they attend all the local, regional and national goat shows they can.
Karr said they had entered goats in 14 shows last year
"They took home awards from each show. They win enough prize money at the shows to pay for all of our travel expenses."
DORINDA, a 3-YEAR-OLL milk-cooking and Karrt “pride”
in the championship champion 14 times in the last two
years in various club shows.
His breeding operation is gaining Korn some widespread recognition among fellow goat lovers, and this year the National Breeders' Association awards him.
"I got into this business because I was unhappy with the cow I had. I decided that cows were too big and clumpy and stinky."
Karr said he felt that goats were much cleaner than most other domestic animals. He had her warts not only clean, but also insides and are satisfied with their coat.
"OURS ARE HAPPY MOPS. Some people say that their mops are always trying to get out of their pens, but ours don't do that."
"I have no real market for the goats' milk, but I give some of it to the kids and some to the three hogs I own."
He and his family also drink the milk and like it better than cows' milk.
He said he hadn't made any large profits from his breeding operation, and ran it mainly to provide extra food and milk for his family and to get the pleasure that he takes from working with the good-natured goats.
When asked if there was money in his business, Karr smiled and said. "Yeah—mine."
Karr and his daughter, Laurie, use an old pot-bellied stove to warm their feet between chores around the farm.