I could easily have written an anecdote about a family holiday tradition or a dish that stirs up nostalgic feelings of my grandparents, but I didn't think any of those stories would have helped you understand who I am. So I offer a simple serving of cheese and crackers. Yes, both are easily purchased at your local Hyvee (where I hear there's a friendly smile in every aisle, but not between 3-6 am or on Sundays). But it is not the style of the dish nor its simplicity that are unique. The cheese I offer is that of the dairy goat, not cow. How many of you are now looking for a napkin to spit that in? Or turning your nose up, even after you've had a couple bites and enjoyed it? Too late. I already know you like it. Do you know these facts about dairy?
-Humans are the only species who voluntarily drink the milk of other species on a regular basis.
-Worldwide, dairy goats' milk is drank more than any other animal - even cows.
-Goats' milk has a lower fat content and higher protein content than cow's milk, which means that those of you allergic to cow's milk are able to consume goat's milk.
-You can make all of the same products out of goat's milk as cow's milk.
-Goats' milk is whiter than cows' milk.
So what? You ask. What does that have to do with you? Well, here's the deal - my family has raised dairy goats since I was 10 years old. I joined 4-H (because I grew up in a small town in Missouri, that's just what we did).
I could have chosen something normal like cows, horses, pigs, or even dogs to show. But not me. I had to do something different. I always have to be the one to stand out. So what did I choose? Dairy goats.
How does one get into the business of showing and raising dairy goats to begin with? you ask.
I have no idea how it’s usually done because I WON my first goat – in an essay contest through the local 4-H extension program.
I didn’t find out until years later that I was the only one entered in that particular contest…
I can’t imagine why…
I mean, really – I was SURE when I entered that I’d have NO chance to win because EVERY 4-Her in Randolph County would be scrambling to get MY goat…wouldn’t you?
I had no idea what kind of journey I would be taken on when I wrote that fateful essay. Who knew what kind of effect that one paper would have on the rest of my life. There were good and bad times at shows, funny and sad times with the animals, and lots of responsibility and hard work and plenty of new experiences and things to learn along the way.
I won a 4 month old kid - that's what they call a young goat - through the essay contest. In June of 1993, I took Snowball, an adorable BLACK and WHITE kid home with me. Why I would name a black and white animal Snowball, I have no clue, but come on, I was 10.
My first year of showing was pretty pitiful. Snowball was small, and not a very nice looking goat, so I usually stood at the end of the line in shows. But I kept going.
In August of that year, my mom and I took Snowball to the Missouri State Fair. Again, I stood at the end of the line in most of the classes. It was time to try something new. Mom decided that I should get another goat for my birthday. Some of the other exhibitors there had animals for sale, so we started asking around about other kids that were available. And we found Eider.
Eider was a 5 month old tan and brown kid and very obnoxious. I had to have her. She was the most hyper kid in the pens. Jumping, running, always having to have attention – we’d get along just fine. So we took her home.
When we got home, we realized we had forgotten one minor detail…my dad came outside to help us unload the truck and saw that somehow over the weekend, our one goat we took to the fair had somehow become two... But we convinced dad that I desperately needed that second animal, so he let me keep her.
About a month later, I went out to the pen to feed my pets. Before I went, my parents warned me not to go into the pen or open the gate because Eider was still a little nervous at our place and getting used to her surroundings. But I knew my pets – they weren’t going anywhere. I walked out with the bucket of grain in my hand, opened the gate, and there went Eider, sprinting into the deep, dark forest surrounding our house.
We called in all the experts – my 4-H leader, my family, our neighbors, even Eider’s previous owner came in to be part of the Operation Eider Search party. About 3 days later, after combing the woods around my house and yelling “EI-DERRR” for hours (because we all know goats come when they’re called, right?) the poor, starving little imp came trotting up to the fence to get some grain. Luckily, I was outside and able to catch her. She was home safe and sound – just before deer season started, I may add.
We kept our herd to just two does for another year, but then in the fall of 1994, it was time to think about expanding our herd. After October, both of my girls were expecting kids, due to come in about February or early March. My first kidding season was interesting. Snowball had kids first.
If anyone has witnessed a live birth of any kind, it’s a shock to see your first one. Especially for an 11 year old. My mom was amazed and so excited – I was freaked out and grossed out. I tried to just let her take care of it, but she was adamant about my taking care of my animals. As I walked away, drying off the first kid, thinking that was it, I heard, “Gretchen, get back over here, there’s another kid!” All I could think was YUCK.
But after it was all over, there were two adorable little kids on wobbly legs, looking so darn cute I couldn’t stand it. I was hooked for life.
I didn’t realize that because of those cute little kids I would have to get up at 5:30 with my mom every morning to milk and bottle feed. What I wouldn’t give to go back to two does to milk – 14 years later, my mom is up to almost 10 does to milk and close to 20 kids to bottle feed twice a day!
As I got older, the showing part got a lot better. I started winning classes here and there, improving my showmanship ability and improving our herd quality over the years. As I got into high school, I was getting to be known in my county and surrounding counties at the fairs for my goats. I was winning all the shows and taking all the trophies. We decided it was time to go to the National show.
In July of 2000, we went to Springfield, Illinois, for a week to show among the best of the best around the country. We had a decent sized herd – about 6 milkers and 5 or 6 kids. We got to the barns, unloaded, set up camp, and started looking around. We were in over our head before the showing even began. These animals were big, gorgeous, and amazing. Had we mistakenly made it to a cattle show and not known? That’s how out of our league we were. Oh well, we had a good experience, anyway. They had youth activities, and that was what I was good at. I took 2nd in judging and 10th in my showmanship class that year. We left knowing that we had a long way to go as far as herd quality and improvement.
One of the saddest days in my career was during the Missouri State Fair in 2002. Eider and I had a very special relationship – she was the animal I used in showmanship. The animal a showman chooses for showmanship has to be the best behaved and most well trained because that is the class where you as the showman are being judged instead of the animal. The judge looks at your ability to handle an animal in the ring and your maneuvers and ability to prepare your animal for show. Eider and I had shown that morning and I won Expert showmanship for the first time. The afternoon was the senior show, and Eider was up for the aged doe class. I went to the pen to check on her, and there she was – lifeless. I felt like I had lost my best friend. It was the end of an era for me. And still very hard to remember. We had been through so many shows together. I found another animal to use in showmanship after that, but it wasn’t ever quite the same.
One of the hardest parts of going off to college and moving away from was not being able to be there in the everyday decisions of the herd. Since I have been gone for so long now, my mom has taken over and done a lot of improvements on the old herd as well as add a few new faces to the group. So when I go home, I don’t recognize a lot of the animals anymore. In fact, all the animals I used to show are long gone, and she even started a completely different breed and line of animals than what I had worked with.
My showing days may be over, but I’ve started a new path in this field. I got my ADGA judge’s license two years ago and judge small shows around a five state area over the summer. I had been judging county fairs and doing youth showmanship clinics for a few years before that, and it was one of my favorite things to do. I got to work with young showmen and teach them techniques and remember how I felt those first few years of showing.
Like writing, cheese making is about the process. Choosing the type of cheese you want to make is like choosing the genre of writing you want to pursue. Do you want soft cheese or short stories? Tangy feta or mild poetry? I have so many stories about my career in goats that it was really hard for me to write this and choose only a few. Owning animals like this has taught me so much. Goats are funny, quirky and loveable animals with distinct personalities and tastes. They certainly don't eat trash - in fact, they can be quite picky eaters! I could talk all day about my hobby. I have had to work hard, learn to lose gracefully, be patient for improvement, be responsible for my pets, and let go of favorites. There have been proud moments, like winning at Nationals or State Fair, or being known for my showing abilities when someone just knows my name; fun moments, like getting to be there when my best does have kids (which I now think is a fun and amazing experience, gross) and goofing off in the barns with people I’ve made friends with over the years; sad moments like losing my favorite animal, selling kids that I wanted to keep but couldn’t, and losing a class I had my heart set on. The people we've shown with are now close family friends - there at funerals, births, weddings, and everything in between. My life has been defined by this seemingly strange and simple project I took on almost 16 years ago. I’ve been so lucky to have done all the things that I got to do with these wonderful animals. Goat showing may not be for everyone, nor may be goat cheese, but it’s something I’m immensely proud of and would do all over again.
