One Fine Acre - 2023 4H Steer Project Update

[babsbag]

That was a long explanation of shows...thank you and good job. I don't think I have ever seen a youth show out here but then I don't show, I only learn through listening to my friends and asking a lot of questions. I have shown a few goats for others, but none of mine. I do know that our fairs pay next to nothing for winning and many of them don't even have sanctioned shows anymore as there aren't enough goats entered to make a class; very sad. Glad to see that goats are important somewhere. This is just a guess, but I bet we would have more entries if we had youth shows; always more fun to watch kids show and compete against someone their own age; at least I would like it more.

Sounds like you did ok in the ring even without the rosette. Good luck tomorrow.

 

[Latestarter]

Thanks OFA for such a detailed explanation. It appears there is much more involved than what I had thought at first. Sounds like your daughter did great, even without rosettes. Have fun and enjoy the time with daughter, family, and goats! Good luck for the rest of the show!

Edit to ask: You say there are no entry/pen fees for the kids... What are customary fees to enter the show for adults? Is it per animal? I ask because if they are paying out that much, the funds have to come from somewhere...

 

[Southern by choice]

Yes I am posting on OFA's thread...
Went to the fair today and got to meet up with OFA and family.

We had fun and it was very nice to have a familiar face.

Thanks OFA!

Got some cool pics but I'll run them by you first!

 

[Ferguson K]

You're making me jealous! It'll be next year or so before we can resume showing. I'll have to follow you and yours through this busy show season.

 

[OneFineAcre]

Yes I am posting on OFA's thread...
Went to the fair today and got to meet up with OFA and family.

We had fun and it was very nice to have a familiar face.

Thanks OFA!

Got some cool pics but I'll run them by you first!

Good seeing you again too. And @Goat Whisperer too.

You picked a good show to come to, it went really well.

Were you still there when the animal rights activists come protesting through the building? If not you missed it .
The judge from Ring 2 got on the microphone and gave them an ear full.

I'm sure if I'm in the pic it's not very flattering, but I don't care if you post.

I'm 51 years old and it is what it is at this point. Doesn't matter if it's on the inter-web or not.

 

[Southern by choice]

No... we had to leave but when we were leaving the officers were very busy and following someone on the radios... they were hauling butt!

Sorry I missed that.

Very neat to see the different judges and their styles. So many cool awesome goats. It was really neat to see the Obers! That was pretty cool. The Nigies- well they are fun because the "variety" alone is just spectacular.

I enjoyed seeing how you and Maureen handle the goats before going in. I liked that. Maybe next year we will get to see the youth show.

I am still laughing at some of the Nigies jumping around. That was so cute... Can you imagine an Alpine doing that?
Alpines were beautiful.

 

[babsbag]

Would have loved to have heard that judge. Why in the world would you protest against dairy goats, most of them are pampered and spoiled rotten.

 

[OneFineAcre]

Thanks OFA for such a detailed explanation. It appears there is much more involved than what I had thought at first. Sounds like your daughter did great, even without rosettes. Have fun and enjoy the time with daughter, family, and goats! Good luck for the rest of the show!

Edit to ask: You say there are no entry/pen fees for the kids... What are customary fees to enter the show for adults? Is it per animal? I ask because if they are paying out that much, the funds have to come from somewhere...

The funds come from the N.C. Department of Agriculture. Our State fair is under NCDA. Raleigh is the capital city of NC and a metropolitan area, but NC is still a farm state, and our state fair is still an agricultural fair.

No way the entry fees for the non youth exhibitors pays for the premiums. Our entry fees for the open show were $5 per animal. 15 animals cost us $75. No pen fees because Rachel was in the youth show. If not the pen fees would have been $5 per pen. We get 8 pens. We put the animals in 6 pens, our tent in another (if you look at the picture) and we generally keep our junk in another. There were extra pens, so we moved our display.

You probably shouldn't base your information on the NC State Fair ( read my reply to babsbag).

The club shows are different. We are in the NC Dairy Goat Breeders Association, and there is also a Piedmont Dairy Goat Breeders Association. Those shows have to fund themselves.

First, they pay $0 premiums. You are competing just for the fun of it, or pride, or the hopes that if you have champion caliber animals you can sell your kids for a premium price.

At NCDGBA show, it's a $6 per pen fee, and $6 per animal (per show, it is a 3 ring show). I think if you enter all 3 rings, they give a break, like $15 per animal for all 3 We also do a 24 hour milk test for $10 per animal (that's a bargain)

We have to pay ADGA the fees to sanction the show, and $3000 to rent the Eastern North Carolina Agricultural Center, we have to pay the judges, and we have to pay there travel expenses. We get sponsors, we have a raffle table. We have to at least break even. The last few years we have been in the black, thanks mostly to the Nigerian Dwarf.

 

[babsbag]

I belong to a dairy goat club too and we sponsor a show and it is the same as yours...we do try to give nice prizes. but no money for cash premiums

 

[OneFineAcre]

Would have loved to have heard that judge. Why in the world would you protest against dairy goats, most of them are pampered and spoiled rotten.

Ok, so they come through shouting about the exploitation of animals, and how using animals for food is violence
So, the judge in ring 2 got on the microphone and said " these people get up every morning to milk these goats, and feed these goats, and care for these goats, and love these goats. Every time you eat you should thank a farmer.

And they really made themselves look especially bad. They launched their protest when the actual show was over. They did it during the "special show", when all of the exhibitors provide an animal and a "co-handler" to allow a special needs child or adult show an animal. They walk the animal out, the judges who are great speak to all of them, they get their picture taken and get a medal. So, here we are trying to make the world a little bit better for someone who needs it and these knuckle heads come shouting through the barn.