Livestock shows have always been a staple at the Montana State Fair and dairy goats are becoming more and more popular across the state as well.
Showing animals can be very educational for people of all ages, whether you grew up around livestock or not. There is a lot that goes into judging the animals that are being shown. And while it’s not all about the prizes, the people involved have been preparing for a long time to show their animals, and hopefully win.
Gwenn Dormady, the superintendent of the goats at the fair, has been involved with the goat show since their first year in 1979 and is very involved with the American Dairy Goat Association (ADGA).
“It gives people who aren’t used to seeing animals a chance to see a variety of different animals and learn about them,” said Dormady.
Everyone who is involved with the livestock shows have a passion for the animals and want others to have the opportunity to learn about what they do as well.
Roseanna Cintron is the owner of Manzinita Lamancha and has been showing goats for about 10 years.
“It's really a 365 day a year project because they do come in to milk every spring when they kid so, you have to milk them twice a day whether you're showing them or not,” said Cintron. “So it's a big commitment and it's more of a lifestyle commitment.”
The judging process is based on a variety of different factors, and it’s broken down on the judges’ scorecard. Dormady and Cintron helped in explaining the judging process.
“The judges are looking for good body structure and good udder placement and all the things that make them a beautiful milk animal [and] have kids that we judge on body structure and things like that,” said Dormady.
“You just want one that's productive, you know, that has a lot of milk because at the end of the day, they are a dairy animal so that's important,” said Cintron.
Each night from July 31st through August 5th, from 6pm to 8pm, they will be hosting “Come Milk A Goat” in the livestock barn, and it is a fun event everyone is welcome to join in on.
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