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Iron Rod Farm in Winter
We would like to thank
you for your interest in our herd. We are currently working on the
creation of this
website, and plan to use it as a substitute for our annual brochure. After having moved from the Pacific Northwest,
we have successfully shown our animals primarily in the Mid-Atlantic region for the past
nineteen years. Although we have been breeding quality French Alpines for
over twenty years now, we have purposefully kept the herd small with an
average of ten milkers.
Our herd name is derived from the lyrics of a favorite hymn:
"Hold to the rod, the Iron Rod; 'tis strong and bright and true;
The Iron Rod is the Word of God; 'twill safely guide us through."
We are grateful for the stewardship we have been given over our small herd of God's graceful and productive creatures.
We own a small farm in the beautiful Piedmont Valley just north of Charlottesville, Virginia, at the foot of the Blue Ridge Mountains. We have been able to make our farm a place where caring for our animals can be characterized as a more comfortable routine (except for breeding, kidding, and showing seasons, of course).
Our commercial cheese
product, Iron Rod Chevre, has been a successful enterprise for ten
years. Our market is several country inns, upscale restaurants, and a
health food store in the Charlottesville area. For a number of years now
our dairy goat business has been completely sustained through cheese
sales, show wins and animal sales.
We participate
in linear appraisal every other year. However, we did not
participate in 2005, as we traveled to Europe to pick up our son,
Nathaniel, after the completion of a two-year religious mission.
Showing was also curtailed last year for this reason. In honor of
his return from Croatia, we have given our 2006 kid crop Croatian
names.
Leslie says,
"I have been breeding and showing
dairy goats for over twenty years now, and have noted over these
years the benefits and disadvantages of this passion. Enthusiastic
pursuit of any goal has its sacrifices. As most of you reading
this know, raising dairy animals is the most time consuming of all
livestock enterprises. There is no time that they do not require
our concern and effort. We are each given one lifetime, with
finite time, strength, resources and relationships.
"Our success in preserving these
elements is a reflection of our choices. As a rule, (1) I do not
breed does their first year, (2) I choose some heavy milkers to
take through a second lactation, and (3) some finished champions
are given a season's rest and renewal in hope of extending their
lives.
"I am a patient herdsman, respecting
the lives for which I am responsible. My barn is not burgeoning
with does, my kids play in a half acre of forest, and each buck
has a quarter acre in which to exercise.
"I want to breed these wonderful
animals for many more years and so I am conservative, attending
only those shows that do not deplete my savings or over strain my
marriage."

GCH
Iron Rod Rev Sutra *M
1993 ADGA National Champion Alpine
Our most unique and memorable experience still must be the
1993 National Show in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, when GCH
Iron Rod Rev Sutra *M became Grand Champion Alpine and Best Udder. At the
time we owned two milking does, Sutra and
Tiliza. In the ensuing years, we have had many does win 1st through
14th place at the National Show. Having
a small herd often prevents us from having entries in the group classes.
However, in the 2001 National Show we were ecstatic when CH
Supersonic's daughters took first place Junior Get of Sire. We
also won Best Three Junior Does that year.
We have
attended seven National Shows in the last 12 years. Placings of
does owned by or bred by Iron Rod are as follows:
Best of
Breed Alpine and Best Udder
Reserve Junior Champion
1st Place Junior Get of Sire
1st Place Best Three Juniors
1st Place 4-year-old
1st Place Aged Doe
1st Place Yearling Milker
1st Place Junior Doeling
2nd Place Senior Yearling 2X
2nd Place Junior Get of Sire
2nd Place Best Three Juniors
3rd Place Aged Doe
3rd Place Senior Yearling
3rd Place Junior Doeling 3X
3rd Place 3-year-old 2X
3rd Place 5-6-year-old
4th Place Senior Yearling
4th Place 4-year-old |
5th
Place Senior Yearling
6th Place 4-year-old
6th Place Junior Doeling
6th Place Intermediate Kid
7th Place 3-year-old
8th Place 5-6-year-old
8th Place Dam & Daughter
9th Place Junior Doeling
9th Place Senior Yearling
10th Place Senior Kid
11th Place 3-year-old
12th Place 5-6-year-old
13th Place 3-year-old
13th Place Junior Doeling
14th Place 4-year-old
16th Place Intermediate Kid
20th Place 5-6-year-old |
Please use the links
at left and below to navigate around our site and learn more about our
Iron Rod Alpine Dairy Goats. Please contact us if you have any questions
about our herd. We would love to hear from you.
Thank you,
Leslie & Larry Sidwell

Leslie & Larry Sidwell
Iron Rod Farm
2955 Earlysville Road
Earlysville, Virginia 22936
phone: 434-973-8407
e-mail: lesliesidwell@ironrodalpines.com

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