Welcome
to our little piece of heaven
at Rudugast's Ideal!
About our Farm:
Rudugast's
Ideal is a small farm dedicated
to the preservation of heritage
livestock and heirloom plants
owned by Gary and LaShall Bates
of West Fork, AR. We realize the
importance of older, hardier,
multipurpose livestock breeds
and cultivars. Older livestock
breeds are often smaller than
the current norm and thus create
less demand on the land and are
easier to manage. Heirloom crops
are often hardier and much more
flavorful than the hybrids in
current popularity. We do our
best to to raise crops and livestock
in a natural method. We believe
that decreased chemical use is
better not only for the environment
but also healthier for all species
involved.
This
site was created to showcase not
only our animals, but to provide
general information about the
breeds and to provide links and
information that we have gathered
over the years.
About
Our Name:
The
name Rudugast's Ideal is actually
inspired by the Tolkein character
of Radagast the Brown. The idea
of Radagast was of one who becomes
enthralled with the birds and
beasts of the land. We decided
to go back to the root of Radagast
which is the Olde English "Rudugast"
meaning brown earth spirit. Therefore
the ideal of Rudugast would be
a place with a lot of diversity.
This ideal would mimic the diversity
found on a homestead in the middle
of the last century.
About
US:
Our farm
is our therapy, a place to get
away from the stresses of school
and our research.
Gary
received his PhD in Plant Science
from the
University of Arkansas in
Fall 2006. LaShall is currently
pursing her PhD in Cell and Molecular
Biology at the University
of Arkansas. LaShall has a
BS in Mathematics, a BS in Computer
Science and a Masters in Computer
Science and Engineering. Gary
has a BS in Biology, a BA in Chemistry,
and a Masters in Plant Pathology.
Gary
is currently an instructor at
NWACC
teaching General
Biology. We both teach for
the Upward Bound/Math and Science
Academy at the University of Arkansas.
The programs focus on helping
students prepare to go the college.
We
have had the opportunity to travel
to England, New Zealand, Argentina,
and Brazil. While there we loved
to check out the local livestock
and books :-).
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