Age: 17
Hometown: Beloit, Ohio
What fairs and shows do you participate in? Canfield Fair, Northeast Ohio Kinder Show, Ohio State Fair and the NC Festival of Kinders
How long have you owned Kinder Goats? Eight Years
How did you get started in Kinder Goats? After my first year showing in 4H, my 4H advisor Kim Moff, gave me my first Kinder Goat. She let me pick one out and I picked a black one with spots. I named her Rain because it looked like rain had washed off her black color.
How many Kinder Goats do you own? It goes up and down with the time of year. I sell some of my Kinders at the fair in the fall and I give some away to start other kids in 4H spring. Right now we have 13 Kinder goats.
What’s your favorite memory of working with your goats? Sleeping with my goats in their pen overnight at the Ohio State Fair. They’re very comfy and relaxing. Also, one year at our county fair I was working on getting my goats ready to show and little kids started coming up to help me and soon I had three cloverbuds working and talking while we got my goats ready for the show.
Who has been your Kinder mentor? Kim Moff
What’s your favorite thing about Kinder Goats? They’re very huggable. I love their personality. My packing goat, Charles, follows me everywhere. At the fair the judge asked who wanted to let their goat off lead to see if their goat would follow them. I volunteered and as I walked away, he followed right beside me. Charles acts more like a dog than a goat.
How would you like to improve your herd? I would like to add a little more leg to make it easier to milk. Also, even though color doesn’t make the goat better, I would like to add more color to my herd.
Meat or milk? Milk
Do you think you will continue to own Kinder Goats as an adult? Yes, I’d like to keep a couple of them around for milk and companionship.
What advice would you give to another youth thinking about raising Kinder Goats?
You should definitely get Kinder goats. I’ve used them for milk, meat and packing projects at my fair. Make sure you spend a lot of time with them when they are young and they’ll want to work with you when they are older.