GARRISON, Ky. – Like so many southern farmers his age, Joe Bentley of Lewis County in Kentucky transitioned from growing tobacco to another venture in order to make ends meet.

For Bentley, the transition from tobacco to goats was a brilliant move. He purchased seven Boer goats in 2005 and has been reinvesting in the herd ever since. Today, his Dappled Boer goats are coveted across the globe.

“I never dreamed I would be doing this,” said Bentley, whose farm is located along the south shore of the Ohio River near Garrison, Ky. “I took advantage of a cost-share program and started my herd with just seven Dappled Boer goats. My first big doe I paid $300 for. The following year, I found a nice buck in Henry County. I’ve been reinvesting into our herd for more than 20 years.”

When Bentley gave up tobacco farming, the goat business became his part-time job. He soon obtained his teaching license and became a teacher, currently at Garrison Elementary School.

 “I took an opportunity to be on the same schedule as my children,” Bentley said. “I was able to teach two of them and take all three to school. My wife is a teacher, my mom retired from teaching from Garrison Elementary, and I have two aunts who were also teachers.”

 His teaching at school allows him plenty of time to tend to the goats before and after school, not to mention the summers off.

Goats on four continents can trace their lineage Bentley’s herd. Bentley’s farm ships breeding stock overseas, to Jamaica (a five-year contract to supply 1,500 breeding animals) as well as to Canada, Bahamas, Philippines, Thailand and St. Lucia for live goats. Semen is distributed in Australia, Brazil, the United Kingdom and the European Union.

“What’s neat is those animals are from Kentucky, raised in our hills and hollers,” Bentley said. “And, because we are small, we raise only 10 percent of what we export. We have a lot of nice producers around the state helping us out.” He works with producers in Boone, Campbell, Carter, Lewis, Morgan, Perry and Taylor to fulfill contracts.

 But why Dappled Boers? According to the Kentucky Department of Agriculture (and something Bentley researched at the onset) the Dappled Boer goat is a distinctive breed with a unique coat pattern, distinguished by irregular-shaped splotches of color, known as dapples, which can include combinations of red, black, cocoa and white. These patterns are genetic throwbacks, meaning they are recessive traits that may not appear in every generation, and first-generation dapples are relatively rare.

 Beyond their coat, Dappled Boers maintain the muscular build, size, and conformation typical of the Boer breed, making them suitable for both meat production and show purposes.

 Bentley’s goats are bred for meat and milk, too, not just for their genetic value in improving other herds worldwide.

 Bentley uses social media to share the farm’s work, with a Facebook page of more than 243,000 followers, many from other countries.

“You think everybody wants to see your big bucks, but the whole world wants to see your baby goats,” Bentley said. “Social media is the door to the world. When I look at the people who follow the page, you’ll see a guy in Georgia with ‘Trump 2024’ as his profile picture, then the guy beside him has the Iranian president as his profile picture. Goats are a common language all over the globe. Every culture has an appreciation for the goat.”

 Bentley says Dappled Boer goats are known for their friendly and social personalities, making them suitable for small farms, 4-H and FFA programs.

 “Dappled Boer goats are prized for their aesthetic appear, making them popular in show exhibitions,” he said. “They are also excellent for meat production, as they retain the breed’s characteristic muscle mass and growth rate.”

 Breeders often select for dappling over multiple generations to enhance the coat pattern while maintaining strong body conformation and health. Dappled bucks are particularly valued for producing offspring with color, and careful selections ensures that desirable traits like length, height and chest width are passed on.