Olivia Webb

Richmond County Daily Journal

These 4-Hers know how to get your goat.

But normally, they prefer to get one from breeder John McInnis. Then they feed, groom, train, vaccinate, breed and show it.

Come Fall, you can bet they also know how to sell it.

“It’s a business, really,” said Michael Ezzell of the Richmond County 4-H Club. “My favorite part is meeting all the different people.”

At 19 years old, Ezzell will finish out his final season of showing goats for 4-H this year. Next up is the Richmond County Livestock Show on Sept. 12, where youth from 11 different counties will flock to Dale DeWitt’s Farm in Ellerbe and put their skills on display. Local club members raise money to bring in a judge and give away cash prizes.

According to Tracy, Richmond County has one of the largest 4-H livestock club in the state, with more than 20 young people participating in an average of 11 shows per season. Between 10 and 20 members will head on to the State Fair finals in October, where they can negotiate competitive market prices for prize-winning animals.

“They look at the goat - you have to train it and then brush it and bathe it before every show,” said Michael. “But they also look at you. You wear jeans and a button-up shirt; it’s about showmanship and how to present yourself.”

The showmanship emphasis is perhaps what turns the livestock circuit into a training ground for young people who want to explore agribusiness possibilities, like the breeding service Michael has operated since the age of 13. Or club President Ryan McInnis, who helps out with his father’s chicken business.

The process undeniably becomes more than a hobby for those who have the knack.

“We didn’t live on a farm until he started,” said his mother Tracy Ezzell of their backyard-turned-barnyard on McDonald Church Road in Rockingham. “It all began when he was five, and we got 12 baby chicks from 4-H through a livestock project grant they received from the Cole Foundation.”

With those chicks came the responsibility of caring for them - which Michael says he did for 5 years - and maintaining a project book to show what he’d learned.

“And we got fresh eggs, so he was able to sell those too,” said Tracy. “Since he did OK with the chicks, he decided to go with a goat.”

On Friday afternoon, more than a decade later, one can find Michael, his brother Nathan and their cousin Grayson McQueen out among the animals: Goats, rabbits, pigeons, hunting dogs, racoons, a pig, a mouse, two hives full of honeybees and a Bearded Dragon.

“They wouldn’t do all this if it wasn’t for 4-H,” said Tracy. “It teaches them responsibility. They care for the animals and pay for the food themselves. They figure out how much to feed a goat so it gets the right amount of muscle, and they make sure it gets all the right vaccinations and medical care.”

According to Tracy, sponsorship and donations to the club help offset the various expenses that go with raising and showing goats — like one $12 bag of food per goat per month, or one night in a hotel room during two-day events.

“Well we stay in a hotel room,” said Tracy of herself and another member. “But a lot of the kids just put down fresh bedding and stay in the barn with the goats.”

“I stay there and hang out with my friends,” said Michael, who will age out of the circuit this year after accumulating 4-H friends from across the state.

But as he leaves, Tracy said 7 new members joined the club this year.

“You need to make sure you have the time and the money to do it,” said Nathan, who serves as the club’s vice president. “But if you do, it is rewarding.”

The 2009 Richmond County 4-H Livestock Show will take place on Sept. 12, with sponsorship opportunities available through September 1. For more information contact Richmond County Cooperative Extension at 997-8255.