Hello, my name is MaKayla Burns. I am 28 years old and I have been a part of the Boer Goat Industry since I could remember, stepping into a show ring when I was just 3 years old, showing dairy goats. I am now married to my husband, Dustin Burns, and we have 3 kids, Jase, Evelynand Lainey, and we are now building our own herd as a family, known as Burns Premier Show Stock.

I am formerly a “Richardson”, of Richardsons Boer Goats. My parents, Chris & Joyce Richardson raised my sister and I with goats starting with dairy goats, which they purchased to raise my baby sister with, who was allergic to cows milk. In the 90s, formula options were difficult, and our pediatrician actually recommended my mom to buy some goats and milk them. We then started showing dairy goats, but not long into that adventure, we were introduced to the meat goats, the Boer breed specifically and we switched directions, when my sister was old enough to no longer need the milk. She did eventually grow out of the allergy. 

Starting in Boer goats in 1999, I strongly remember making the long trip to Texas several times, where my parents befriended many of the founding members and breeders of the ABGA and started heavy into building our own herd, pulling genetics from all over the USA and learning a ton about the breed. I have fond memories of meeting several people, including but definitely not limited to, The Downen family (Downen Livestock), Jim & Lynn Farmer (Farmers Stock Exchange), Kallie Kohls (N&K Ranches), The Whitehead family of T4 Ranch, and The Ryals family (Rocking R Boer Goats), as well as seeing some of the most iconic and legendary bucks and does that have been a foundation in building the livestock out there today. My mother started becoming heavily involved with bringing the Boer breed to light in our state of Kentucky. Introducing it to our state fair board for the Kentucky State Fair, eventually allowing us to hold sanctioned shows at our state fair, hosting a South African Judges Training at our home with Lukas Burger & Louis Van Rensburg, working closely with them, learning how to evaluate the goats and hosting shows in our state at our local fairgrounds, bringing in breeders from all over the USA, including Texas, Missouri, Tennessee and more to help support the growth of the breed in our area. We continued traveling for years showing, attending sales, and meeting new people, all of which I hold as very fond memories growing up in this world of the Boer goat. 

I have since become heavily involved and passionate with the industry, and it’s become a part of my everyday life. I decided to become an ABGA judge, to further my endeavor with educating and evaluating the Boer goat. Passionate about education, and supporting our youth, I felt that was a way for me to give back from all my experiences and knowledge I have learned throughout the years and along the way, and be able to share with others who find the show ring home. I have learned a lot as a kid, being able to listen, observe, and soak in everything I could from some of the ABGA’s firsts, as well as view points from the South African Judges my mom brought to our home, which I owe a lot of my foundation thinking to them for their shared education with us. I have literally grown up within the industry and have been able to witness the evolvement of the breed as well as the enormous growth of breeders involvement in the ABGA. I hope to continue on with helping that growth, and when it comes to judging and evaluating these beautiful animals, I have set a goal with each show I set to judge, and that is to teach something new, to at least one person before I leave that show. It has been an incredible journey in life with being a part of the American Boer Goat Association, and it is something I am excited about bringing my growing family into as well, allowing our children to be involved with the JABGA and all the opportunities that come with it.