A Visit to the Goats -- and Goatherds -- of Knox County

I had a great time today with the 4-Hers of Knox County! The Knox County Goat Improvement Association sponsors an annual fair goat sale, and hosts an educational clinic prior to the sale. I was honored to be asked to be the speaker for the clinic this year! There was a great turn out of 4-Hers and parents at the event, and the goats that were lined up for auction were lovely! What makes a goat a fair goat? Fair goats, or "club" goats, are raised specially to be show goats. They are typically from the Boer breed, or are a Boer-cross goat. Boers tend to have excellent meat, but are rather high maintenance -- thus they are perfect for market goat shows since they flourish under the devoted attention of 4-H members! As a contrast, my goats are "commercial goats". They are not as pretty, but they are low maintenance.

The Knox County Fairgrounds is a lovely site, set on rolling hills. The event was held in the beef barn, and I even had a beautiful "model" goat to use for demonstration purposes! (Her ear tage number? 1013, my birthday!) I shared with the audience of 4-Hers and parents some ideas on goat care, preparation for show, and what a judge looks for in a market goat. To establish my credentials, I opened by explaining to the kids that every animal I ever showed at the fair won grand champion. Every animal! Of course, I only showed one animal at the fair. And it was a rat. But Generallisimo Francisco Franco triumphantly trounced 41 other hamsters, guinea pigs, and ferrets to win the title of 1994 Fairfield County Grand Champion Pocket Pet! I can only imagine how impressed these young 4-Hers were!

We discussed appropriate housing (it's pretty embarrassing when your goat escapes and eats your neighbor's flowers), the importance of nutrition (you'd feel like junk if you ate junk food all the time and so would a goat), and medical treatment of goats (internal parasites = weak intestines that tear = angry Ethiopian customers when intestine-cleaning takes too long). The story of my little goat with lung problems got a good laugh. Last fall Isabelle was suffering from lung issues, probably pneumonia. I began a 3 day regimen of penicillin to treat her. On the first day she did not feel well, so she sat quite still for the shot. On the second day she was better, but still to weak to protest much. On the third day, however, Isabelle was greatly recovered. While I tried to hold her and medicate her properly, she squirmed & squirmed. The next thing I knew, I had given myself a shot of penicillin in the finger . . . OW! The good news: I never got sick this winter!

I encouraged the 4-Hers to PRACTICE and PRACTICE with their goats. Goats are crazy, this is a fact. In the show ring, goats will jump and tug and run. What makes a difference is if the young person has spent time with the goat and knows how to handle this situation! Also -- as my mother always ingrained in me during my 4-H competitions -- it is sooo important to smile. If a 4-Her looks worried or miserable, the judge can tell. If the 4-Her smiles and appears confident, the judge is much more likely to be impressed during a showmanship competition. Goats are incredibly awesome and a show is a wonderful opportunity for a young person to show off their skills. It should always be fun!

Finally, I shared with the 4-Hers what I look for in a market goat. In a show that focuses on a certain breed, I judge based on breed standards. In a market show, however, I judge on what the carcass will be. The goat market rewards a higher price per pound for 50-70 pound goats, so I feel that is the size range which should be encouraged. These shows are to teach young people skills to compete as successful goatherds. Thus, they should not be encouraged to raise 100-120 pound market goats -- these animals eat more feed, which costs more money, and thus creates a smaller profit for the goatherd. Market classes should not be beauty contests. In a breed class I consider such things as the grace of a feminine head, the pigmentation of the goat, and the attachment of teats, but these things have no impact on the carcass & should not impact a market class. While I dislike more than two teats on a breeding goat, as a butcher I don't care how many teats a goat has when I cut up the chops & roasts!

It was a great pleasure to speak to the young goatherds of Knox County today! I sincerely appreciated their hospitality and hope they will come to love the goat industry as much as I do!

4-H Rocks! Stories from the Goatherd's Youth . . .

Recently I was asked to speak at a 4-H club on how my life was impacted by 4-H. With that approaching engagement, I have thought quite a bit about my experiences. I am proud to have been an 11 year 4-Her in Fairfield County OH! Despite growing up on a livestock farm, I took only one animal project during that entire time. Most of my projects were related to home economics: cooking, sewing, genealogy, health, laundry, etc. One of my proudest moments was winning the state in the bread competition in 1990, which earned me a trip to the National 4-H conference in Chicago! This was a big trip for a little 14 year old from the farm! Chicago seemed cold, but full of great restaurants. I remember being super excited for our "formal" event at the hotel ballroom so that I could wear my new black velvet & hot pink satin dress! (Truly, I was ready to rock fashion in the 90s!) I still make my winning yeast roll recipe from 1990 for many holiday gatherings!

As much as I enjoyed cooking I hated sewing! My mother & I would battle constantly over her efforts to get me to sit down and SEW! I remember getting in trouble because I would hide in our closet (that had a light!) and read novels when I was supposed to be sewing. It taught me a great deal of resposibility, however, to take charge of completing my projects. The week before project judging was always stressful as I hurried to complete everything. My mother would intone: "If a task is once begun, never leave it 'til it's done. Be the labor great or small, do it well or not at all." Oh, I got so tired of hearing that! I knew it meant that if I signed up for a project there was NO way she was letting me quit. Here's the amazing thing, though: I find as an adult that I never even contemplate quitting something no matter how hard the task. And, I even find myself repeating that same saying at times! I may still struggle at sewing buttonholes, but through 4-H I learned the value of hard work, leadership, and responsibility. I like to think my mother would be proud!

Having these memories at the forefront of my mind was great during today's OSU Extension Legislative Luncheon at the Statehouse! This is an event to help educate legislators on the work that Extension does and the value that it has. The 4-H program helped to shape me as a young person, and I now use those skills when I serve as a speaker at Extension events related to sheep & goat production! Part of the mission of land-grant institutions is to share research with the community. Thus, numerous programs have grown out of Extension such as 4-H, Master Gradener groups, money-management classes, etc. Extension is funded jointly through federal dollars, state funds, and county monies. Extension has a vitally important role as more people are interested in growing & preserving their own foods, as farmers need to feed an ever-increasing population, and as young people need opportunities to develop skills for the new economy.

I had the pleasure today of seeing my personal State Representative, the wonderful Anne Gonzales! In addition I got to speak with Franklin County Representative Michael Stinziano. Both of these freshmen legislators have been very supportive of agriculture, and I applaud their efforts! Our Great State of Ohio is looking at significant budget cuts, which will undoubtedly impact every program. Despite this awareness, any opportunity to educate our legislators on agricultural and community programs is valuable! The highlight of the day for me was getting to see the Extension Home Ec educator who was based in Fairfield County during most of my 4-H career! It was very rewarding to see this lady who had such an impact on me as a young person and to thank her for all that she did!

4-H was such a key part of my youth and I was honored to be able to share with our legislators the impact of this program on me personally as just a small part of the good work that OSU Extension does! And even though my mother accused me of faking illness during the summer of 1988 so that I wouldn't have to do my 4-H projects, I am still incredibly grateful for her efforts as my parent & my 4-H leader! I ended up getting PLENTY of mileage from the maternal guilt she felt when I was diagnosed with emergency appendicitis! But despite that hospital stay, I still got my 4-H projects completed on time . . . If a task is once begun, never leave it 'til it's done! Thanks Mum!