If you were not at the Richmond County 4-H Goat Show on Saturday, you missed quite the event. Fifty youth from Hoke, Guilford, Iredell, Moore, Randolph, Rockingham, Richmond, Scotland, Stanly and Stokes counties showed more than 100 Boer goats. The show is one of the larger county goat shows in the state, drawing a crowd of close to 200 spectators from across the region.
Coleman Berry, Richmond County, was awarded the Senior Showmanship award, while Ava Berry, Richmond County, was the Intermediate 11-13 Showmanship winner and Alby Pulaski, Randolph County, won the Junior 9-10 Showmanship division. Kali Mabe, Stokes County, was awarded the Senior Showmanship 2nd-place award, while Savannah Shepard, Richmond County, was the Intermediate 11-13 Showmanship 2nd-place winner. Laura Jessup, Randolph County was awarded the Junior 9-10 2nd place in the Showmanship Division.
Richmond County Cloverbud participants aged 5-8 were Ella Shelley and Lexi Reep. Richmond County Peewee participants under 5 years old were Rhett Shelley, Maddie Hoffman and Ella Hoffman, among others. The Showmanship classes are designed to gauge the 4-H’ers knowledge and skill with the animal, and hard work. 4-H’ers were asked questions about their animals and how they are cared for while presenting the animal to the best of their ability for the judge.
Kali Mabe from Stokes County showed the Grand Champion Doe and the Reserve Champion Doe. Does are females who will be bred and will continue production on the farm. Does are judged on their frame and structure based on how they would carry the extra weight of being pregnant and the stress of milking.
Wethers, castrated male goats, are judged on the total marketability of the animal. The Grand Champion Market Wether was shown by Laura Jessup from Randolph County and Alainna Houck from Stanly County showed the Reserve Champion Market Wether.
We would like to thank Ricky Dewitt and John Mullen from Richmond County Farm Bureau for passing out awards and the American Legion for providing lunch. We would also like to thank our Richmond County 4-H Meat Goat Show sponsors who made the show possible: Richmond County Farm Bureau, Inc.; The Berry Patch; Pee Dee Electric Membership; Smithfield Hog Production; E.E. Vuncannon, Inc.; Dale and Melanie DeWitt; Long’s Pool & Spa Center; Tom MacCallum; Rockingham Paint and Glass; Stogner Architecture; BioZyme, Inc.; Richmond County United Way; and N.C. Cooperative Extension.
For more information about 4-H Livestock, please contact me at 997-8255, or visit the Richmond County 4-H Facebook page at www.facebook.com/richmondcounty4h.
Tiffanee Conrad is the livestock extension agent for the N.C. Cooperative Extension office in Rockingham.
Coleman Berry, right, stands with his goat as Senior Showmanship winner while show judge Alyson Moore holds his trophy at the annual Richmond County 4-H Goat Show on Saturday.
