July will be a busy month for me around the farm. I will be attending the American Dairy Goat Association National Show, I will be breeding my Boer goats and I will be farrowing out three sows for National Western Stock Show pigs. The ADGA National show is a really big deal, and even though I’m not convinced that I have an animal that can win, the opportunity to show at such a prestigious event is more than I can pass up. I have only been raising dairy goats for three years, and this will be my first national show. I will be showing my recorded grade Alpine named Cleopatra,…

Every spring, new babies of all species are born in meadows and barns. New mothers lick their young, and they take their first breaths and steps in life. This is by far my favorite part of raising livestock, as newborn animals are so incredibly pure. When I attended my first goat show last year, I saw one breed of dairy goat that I thought was adorable, and told myself that I would one day one them. That goat was the Nigerian Dwarf goat. Last December, I had the opportunity to look at a couple of does that were for sale, and picked one out for myself that I would pick…

There are few things that I love more than the smell of clean livestock, fresh shavings and show sheen. I realize to some this is very bizarre; but to me it’s heaven. This past weekend I got to experience all those smells with my goats at the Weld County Goat Extravaganza in Greeley, Colo. Goat producers from across Colorado, Wyoming and Nebraska came to show off their stock and network with other producers. I took five of my girls: an American Nubian and a recorded grade Alpine, and three Boer goats. Showing both dairy and meat goats can be a challenge because the shows run at the same time, but…