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Cool, crisp mornings are starting to become the usual, only meaning one thing: fall is here. For me that means the last goat shows of the 2013 year, and the beginning of breeding season.

Last week, I attended the Colorado Boer Classic in Keenesburg, Colo., for my last Boer show before National Western Stock Show. Being a busy week, I didn’t have as much time to prep the does as I would have liked, and ended up doing most of my washing, clipping and blowing at the show.

This was my first time attending this show, and I was surprised at the number of exhibitors from other states. The show features breeders from Colorado, Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas and Oregon, and those were just the ones I knew about.

Percentages, purebreds and bucks were all shown, and there were definitely some beautiful animals that attended the show.

I took four does: Esme, Carrie, Tara and Gem. Esme was the only percentage that I showed, and the other three were fullbloods. The show was very competitive, and my best placing was a fourth, which I was ok with.

Since I’m still pretty new at raising Boer goats, I know that I still have a ways to go with my breeding program, and I also realize that I primarily raise wethers, and the breeding does that I use for that side of the enterprise are different than the seedstock does I see at ABGA shows.

The best part of the weekend for me was getting to spend time with my goat friends, and meet new producers from across the country. It’s always interesting to see what other breeders are doing, what works for them and what doesn’t, and to take those ideas home to incorporate into my own herd. It’s a continual learning process, which is one of my favorite parts of having livestock.

One of my favorite parts of August was attending the market goat show at the Colorado State Fair, as one of my friends and a breeder whom I have purchased stock from won the market goat show. What makes her win more incredible is that she won it with a wether that she bred and raised, and you don’t see that happening very often at the state fair.

Back at home on the farm, we are starting the breeding season for the Boer does. I have a young buck that I bought who isn’t quite ready to breed the does, so I began the search for a buck to lease. After speaking with half a dozen breeders around the state, I settled on a wether buck I liked out of Lamar, and made the trek to pick up Abe, who will be the primary sire of my wethers for 2014.

It was a great experience to meet the family that owns Abe, and to see their operation and what they are doing with their wethers. They have had several grand champions in the counties surrounding them, so I felt privileged to be able to learn from them and lease such a great buck.

The buck is now turned in with the does, and I expect to have a great crop of kids come February. They are a little later this year than last year, but since I have refined my feeding program, I believe they will grow out just fine. It will also be nice to not have pigs farrowing and goats kidding at the same time. I can get through all the pigs, and then move to the Boer goats.

The dairy goats will have their last show of the season coming up as well, and I will be taking two milkers and three junior does to that show. It’s always bittersweet to end the year, because it means you begin the preparation for the next year and new babies, but you have to say goodbye to this year.

This will be the last dairy show until the Weld County Goat Extravaganza next April, so we will be taking an almost eight month break from showing the dairy goats.

We have picked out the boars that we want to use on the sows, and have given them their pre-breeding shots. They will be synced during the second half of September, and will be bred in early October for mid to late January litters. I’m breeding six sows this year, so I should have lots of babies for the 2014 market year.

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July, August and September are three of my favorite months around the farm, not because of what I have going on at home, but because it’s the time of year that 4-H and FFA members around the country get to showcase all of their hard work and dedication.

County fair is the highlight of the year for many youth who show livestock. They may not be able to travel to open jackpot shows or make national shows, but they can make the fair and for many, this is their only opportunity to show off.

Usually a week-long event, the fair gives youth the opportunity to show in showmanship, breeding and market classes, compete for the title of Grand Champion, and anticipate the handshake from the judge that signifies them the winner.

There are very few moments that are more memorable for youth showing livestock than the first time they win a class or a show. The feeling of accomplishment and excitement cannot be compared, and is a memory they will cherish for a lifetime.

This year I had the opportunity to work with a new 4-H member on the western slope of Colorado, brand new to showing any type of livestock. She picked goats, and worked hard all summer to prep her animals for the show.

Since I was in touch with the family every few weeks, it was fun for me to see how she gained confidence with her goats, and to see the sense of responsibility develop within her. This is one of my favorite parts about raising livestock for 4-H and FFA members.

Raising animals teaches these youth about responsibility, time management and dedication, among other skills. They learn how to work with an animal which teaches them patience, and how to keep a record book, which will be invaluable to them later in life in a job.

When the fair rolls around, they spend hours prepping and fitting their animals. Each day they clean the pens and talk to attendees to the fair about their projects. This helps teach youth about speaking to the public, and gives them a chance to advocate for agriculture.

At the culmination of the week, most fairs host a junior market livestock auction, where the best animals in each species are auctioned to the public. Youth have a chance to earn some money, and local farmers, ranchers and businessmen have a chance to support the youth and their projects.

Most students use the money gathered from the sale to pay for their projects, and whatever is left over is saved for future projects and education. There are many students that I have known who have earned enough from their decade in 4-H and FFA to pay for their entire college education. That is a big accomplishment.

Supporting youth at the sale is a great way to get involved. Many counties now offer the option to add-on to a sale price, and it makes it easy to donate a little money without the obligation of buying an animal.

Even though I have spent the last several weeks running around to various county fairs, I also have a few things going on back at the farm.

In a few shorts weeks, I will be attending my last Boer goat and my last dairy goat shows of the season, so I have been prepping the goats for both of those events. August is also the time to start breeding the goats, and I will soon be turning in my herd sire, Huck, to breed the older does for next year’s market show goats.

Shortly after the Boer show, we will begin breeding the purebred does for February and March kids, and shortly after that it will be time to breed the remaining open dairy goats for March and April kids.

The hogs will be bred in the beginning of October, which will put their farrowing dates in January. I am in the middle of deciding what boars I want to use on each sow, and will be finalizing that breeding schedule in the next few weeks.

It’s always busy around the farm in the fall, but that’s what I love!

Click here to see the published version in The Fence Post.

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This last weekend, I had the opportunity to attend another goat show, the Tri-County Goat Show, which was held at the Boulder County Fairgrounds in Longmont, Colo.

This was my third time attending this show, and the more shows that I attend, the more people I get to know.

Each show is more fun for me than the last, due mainly to this fact; I love meeting new people, and listening to their stories about how they got started raising goats, and how they got to where they are now. I know what I need to do before each show, and I know that all over the state there were other goat people that were doing the same thing.

In preparation for the show, all of the goats that I was taking had to be entered in advance, cleaned, clipped, feet trimmed and checked for overall health. This is important for several reasons, but mostly to make sure the goats are healthy enough to compete, and not spread disease to other goats.

Once I got to the show, it was time to set up and unload everyone. All over the ground were families doing the same thing. Those who did not, their family there helped, and at the end of the night, everyone was checked in and settled in.

First thing in the morning of both days of the show, youth competed in showmanship, where they show off their skills to the judges. One of the best parts about youth organizations is that they have pee-wee showmanship, where very young kids can compete. Since students can’t join 4-H until they are 8-years-old, this is a great way for them to get involved with showing livestock early.

There are many kids there who may not have their own goats, and they borrow goats from family members or friends to compete. I love watching the youth exhibit the passion that they do for their livestock, and watching them take the time to prep and exhibit their animals. Once showmanship is over, the show moves to the senior doe show, which is for does that are in milk. Many breeders will have several animals in a single class — and this is where the camaraderie can really be seen.

Since you can only show a single animal at a time, if you have several animals in a class, you will need help. Many times this is where youth will help, but it extends farther than that. Friends, family and total strangers will step in as well. I have been to many shows where people will show another animal for someone they barely know. It’s the willingness to help one another that really makes me love showing animals.

I had several instances where I needed help, including during the double ring buck show, when I had two different bucks showing in two different rings at the same time. A friend of mine was happy to help show my Nubian buck, and when he made it to the championship drive, another friend quickly jumped in and showed him since I was still showing my Nigerian Dwarf buck.

It’s great having friends and family who can help you, especially when you show multiple animals.

Overall the show was great for me, and my goats did really well. Cleopatra was first in class both days, Teagon was second in class both days, Nala was first in class both days. Jasmine was ninth in class the first day, and fifth in class the second day.

For the bucks, Abu was second in class in one show and third in class in the other, and Simba was second in class in both shows.

Back home at the farm, we had our last set of dairy goats that were born. My Nigerian Dwarf doe, who is the mother of Jasmine and Abu, gave me two little gorgeous blue-eyed bucklings.

I knew when she was going into labor when my LaMancha, Texas Tornado, gave the alarm. She started making much more noise than normal, and when I went out to check what was wrong, there was a newborn baby. Of all the kids that I have had, Nigerian Dwarf babies are probably the cutest. They are so tiny, and yet so cute, that you can’t help but to love them.

Click here to see the published version in The Fence Post.