For this week, we have been attending the National Dairy Goat Show in Columbus, OH.  For those of you who are not “goat” show knowledgeable, let’s just say they are similar to dog shows.   The National Show to a goat enthusiast is the equivalent of the Westminster Dog Show for dog lovers.  It is THE competition to attend.

We decided to attend again this year, especially because of the location in Columbus, OH.  The National Show moves around the country every year, so we took large advantage this year and took a large number of our girls. Next year, the show will be in Redmond, Oregon and we will not be attending, just too far to haul them. The complexities of giving care during long-distance travel are immense..

In 2018, a record number of Nigerian Dwarfs competed at the National Show.  Over 520 Nigerian Dwarf dairy goats descended onto the Columbus, OH fairgrounds.

On Sunday, June 24^th the Junior Does (Yearlings and younger who have not been bred) competed.  Classes had a minimum of 40 entrants all the way up to 80 and sometimes took two hours to finish to completion.  The goal at the  National Show is to “make the cut”, or in another words, be one of the top 20 allowed to remain in the ring and be placed after everyone else has been excused.  Due to the size of the show and the Nigerian Dwarf contingent, we were still in the ring showing  junior animals at 1:30 am Monday morning.  Steve and I were probably both high on a little adrenaline and were amazed we weren’t snoring standing up.  We were pleased beyond measure with these results:

Nigerian Dwarf Junior Kid (born between 4/1/18 and 5/25/18) – Over 40 entries

Honey Sweetie Acres Edelweisse    –    Third Place   (Top 5)

Honey Sweetie Acres Octavia          –    Eighth Place (Top 10)

Nigerian Dwarf Intermediate Kid (born between 3/1/18 and 3/31/18) – 57 entries

Honey Sweetie Acres Magnifique   –  Third Place   (Top 5)

Honey Sweetie Acres Wu Zetian    –   Fifth Place (Top 5)

Nigerian Dwarf Senior Kid (born between 1/1/18 and 2/28/18) – 61 entries

Honey Sweetie Acres Daenerys      –   First Place (Top 5)

Honey Sweetie Acres Rose Otto     –  Second Place (Top 5)

Nigerian Dwarf Senior Yearling   (born between 6/23/16 and 4/30/17) – 72 entries

Honey Sweetie Acres Ambrosia     – Seventh Place (Top 10)

Group Classes

Best Three Junior Does    – Daenerys, Rose Otto and Ambrosia –  First Place – 27 entries

Junior Get of Sire –  Rose Otto, Wu Zetian & Ambrosia – Second Place – 28 entries

FINAL CHAMPIONSHIP LINEUP

Reserve National Grand Champion –  Honey Sweetie Acres Daenerys

On Monday, June 25, it was time for the Senior Does…….meaning those who have delivered kids and are milking animals.  Our two standouts were:

Five & Six Year Old Nigerian Dwarf Senior Does –   Jasper Pine URF Heidi –    13^th place out of 61 does.

(Side note:  Heidi is the doe who was the single survivor of a C-Section 5 years ago.  She was tiny and weak and we fed her through a tube in her nose for the first week.  We raised her in the house for several months.  She wears a collar bearing the words “Daddy’s Little Girl”.  An incredibly special doe to us, so “making the cut” was incredibly sweet.

7 Years & Older Senior Does –    Algedi Farm Dancing Gal –  2^nd Place out of 20 does & 3rd place best udder

Even if our does had not done so well, we would still love them.  Each has her own special personality and place in our heart and on the farm.  I am writing this at the show to make our newsletter deadline.  It has been a fantastic experience and we are truly grateful to all those who have shared their expertise with us over the years.  Many thanks to Dan Cassel and Kasey Covert for professionally showing our girls in the ring to their best advantage.