Shady Lane Farm is our home and has been the Abney Family home for five generations.  In March, 1867, Capt. Zachariah Abney established himself in Prattville where he practiced law and took up farming.  He married Alexandra Victoria Doster.  They had four children who survived childhood.  Zachariah Abney, Jr. was one of those four.  He married Marian Frances Bowen.  These are Sam’s grandparents.  Capt. Abney served Autauga County as Register in Chancery from 1883 until his death.  Many long term Prattville attorneys can still trace the beginning of their careers back to reading law under Attorney Zachariah Abney. According to family tradition, Zach and his twin brother Sam, were the first set of twins to graduate from the University of Alabama.  All the present Abney generation are loyal Auburn Alumni and fans.  We currently live in the original house that has been moved to its present location about ½ mile from where it was built.  It is a continual work of love.
 

Daniel Pratt moved to Autauga County in the fall of 1833.  He purchased a large tract of swampy land, ditched and drained it, and prepared the foundation for the first building to begin the town that now bears his name, Prattville.  The town was built, styled after a New England village.  Pratt continuously improved his gin and became the largest gin manufacturer in the world.  Prattville and Autauga County are among the fastest growing areas in the state.  It has come a long way from being “The Birthplace of Industry in Alabama”.  Sam and I are proud to be a part of this progressive town.

Sam retired from sales in 2002.  He has been able to live his dream of raising goats fulltime. He is President of The Sheep and Meat Goat Commodity of Alabama and Chairman of the Autauga County Farmers’ Federation Sheep and Meat Goat Commodity.  He has a part-time business with his mother managing Shady Hill Mobile Home Park, next to Abney Estates.

Day Lillies at Shady Lane Farm

For the past 37 years, I’ve taught first grade. 34 of those years have been at my Alma Mater, Billingsly School.  My classes look forward to the visits of the goats.  Sam brings the goats to school and teaches a mini unit on goat farming.

We promote the goat industry by sponsoring a youth Boer Goat Show in February.  The Autauga Agribition is in conjunction with the Heifer / Steer program for youth.  The show continues to grow each year.  This year’s show has 41 youth participating and 141 goats. Four states were represented.

We do an open sanctioned Boer Goat Show in March at Garrett Coliseum.  It is the Southeastern Livestock Expo Boer Classic.  This has been an ABGA and Int. BGA show and has grown with number of exhibitors and goat entries.

Sam and I married in 1982, blending two families for a total of 5 children.  They were active in 4-H, showing steers, heifers and horses.  Two of our children and their families help us show goats.  The youngest of our children, Zach and Maria, raised goats as youngsters and still enjoy this today.  Zach is married to the former Robin Roberts.  They have a new home in Tallapoosa, GA.  Zach works in Center, AL for Wal-Mart and Robin works for Harbin Clinic in Rome, GA.  They have a daughter Samantha, who in addition to being pretty good at showing goats, plays basketball and softball.  She was an All-Star softball player last summer.  Maria is married to James Collett of Prattville.  They have two children, Will and Madyson.  James works for Lithonia Lighting in computer programming.  Maria teaches kindergarten at Locust Grove Elementary.  Their home is in McDonough, GA.  Will is 8 and has been showing goats since he was 2.  Madyson had her debut at the 2005 Autauga Agribition as she and her goat dressed as Thumbelina in the Goat Parade.  She is now 2 years old.

Sam’s first memories of goats was at the young and impressive age of six.  A white doe on the family farm kidded in a ditch about 100 yards in front of the house.  He was so excited and impressed by the two kids, he has seldom been without goats since.  When we married in 1982 Sam provided animals for the live nativity at the First Baptist Church of Prattville.  Two of those animals were Nubian does named Dolly Parton, for obvious reasons, and Abigail. While we were on our honeymoon, Dolly Parton gave birth to twin bucks who were named Honeymoon and Chester.  This began my love affair with goats.  From those two does our herd increased to about 150 fullblood and cross bred Nubian goats.

In 1998 Sam heard about large boned, meaty goats from South Africa called Boers.  We bought our first fullblood Boer does from our good friends, Jimmy and DuWayne Middlebrooks of J&D Boer Goats.  Jimmy told us about the Ryals from Tylertown, MS. We made an appointment to visit, hopefully to purchase a buck.  On the trip down, as fate would have it, the Ryals stopped at the Mississippi Welcome Center coming home from the Lebanon, TN goat show.  We walked over to the trailer to check out the goats.  The trailer just so happened to belong to Rocking R Boer Goats.  We followed them to Tylertown and spent half a day in goat heaven.  I saw Magnum and was hooked forever.  Bill and Blake served us tea and while we sipped tea, we picked their brains about Boer Goats.  We realized how little we knew and how much we had to learn.  Since that day our friendship has grown.  We feel fortunate to have the family as our mentors and friends.  That day we purchased a son of Top Brass.

(Click on picture for more info) (Click on picture for more info)

We own "Ennobled" Bigun, DOB: 02/17/02.  Bigun is a son of RRD Remington M160 "Ennobled".  Every animal in his pedigree except one is ennobled.  Remington was the 2001 ABGA National Reserve Grand Champion Jr. Buck and the 2001 International National Grand Champion Jr. Buck.  Bigun placed 1st at the 2003 NAILE, 4th out of 65  in the 12-18 month old bucks class at the 2003 ABGA National Show, 3rd at the 2004 International BGA show, 3rd at the 2004 Houston Livestock Show, was Over-All Reserve Grand Champion Buck at the 2004 Dixie National Boer Goat Show, Grand Champion Buck ath the 2003 Ohio Meat Goat Association Spring Fever show, 2002 1st at the Greater Alabama Boer Show, 2nd at the LMGA (LSU) Boer Show, 2004 Over-All Reserve Grand Champion West Georgia Boer Goat Challenge, 2004  Sr. Grand Champion Fullblood Buck Indiana Summer Wether Series #1, 2003 2nd West Georgia Boer Goat Challenge, 2004 Over-All Grand Champion Buck Southeastern Livestock Expo Boer Classic, 2004 Bayou Boer Goat Classic Over-All Grand Champion Buck, and 2005 Cajun Classic Day 1 Over-All Grand Champion Buck.  He has numerous progeny who have been winning in the show ring.

Bigun is the sire of RRD Hammer Time, a beautiful paint buck who has won 5 grand championships and 2 reserve grand championships.  He is the grand sire of the 2005 ABGA National Grand Champion Jr. Doe, the sire of 6 Grand Champions, 10 first place winners, 5 second place winners in the ABGA with numerous winners in the top of the class at ABGA and International Shows.  He has a gentle personality and is still in top condition.  We breed and flush to him often.  Bigun and his off spring have a total of 205 Traditional points, 54 Non-Traditional points and 20 unassigned points.

We purchased 'Right on Target' at the Ryals dispersal sale, in partnership with Jeff and Melissa Lathan of Lazy L Boers.  We have semen available on him from Luke Vickry.

We do flushes in the fall and spring at Shady Lane Farm and natural breedings.  Semen straws are available also.  People are welcome and encouraged to visit us.  Sam is usually ‘round and about, either in the barn or nearby.  We have several youth we are sponsoring, as well as our grandchildren.

Hopefully, you are enjoying your goats as much as we do.  Come on down to Prattville.  We’ll sit awhile, talk a lot and introduce you to true Southern hospitality, Prattville style.

 Sam and Mary Lou Abney

---

website-hit-counters.com

---

J&C Ranch Web Design
Copyright © 2004-2008  All Rights Reserved.