How does this get your goat? A National Champ
It’s not just milk that goats produce. One goat, in particular, recently produced a Junior National Champion Recorded Grade award for Minneota’s Garrett Moorse.
Moorse’s goat “Ferrari”, a Doe Kid, earned the national champion award in the Recorded Grade category at the 2018 American Dairy Goat Association National Show and Convention June 23-30 at the Ohio State Fairgrounds and Expo Center in Columbus.
Several other goats that Moorse showed also earned high places.
Josh Schuelke made the trip with Moorse and participated in several youth activities, including showmanship where he placed among the top group from among nearly 60 exhibitors.
For Moorse, it's the fourth time the 21-year-old Minneota farmer has competed with his goats at the “big dance”, where the top dairy goats and breeders in the nation compete. And it was the first time he has earned the aforementioned coveted national prize.
Moorse, who will be entering his second year as the Minneota FFA Advisor this fall, competed in 2013 in St. Paul, 2014 in Louisville, KY; and last year in Madison, WI.
He bred, owned and exhibited the Reserve Junior National Champion recorded grade in St. Paul. And he earned several high-placed ribbons for his goats last year in Wisconsin, including being named the Premier Youth Exhibitor for the Alpine and Saanen breeds.
Moorse and Schuelke met up and traveled with some friends from Kenyon, MN for the 2,000-mile trip to Columbus. “We have been friends with them for years, showing with and against them,” Moorse explained about his Kenyon companions.
“On long drives like this, it's always good to travel with others in case something happens.” Moorse’s 11 goats were all shown at the national competition. Besides the Junior National Champion Award, he received first place among 27 entries in Recorded Grades for his Senior Kid goat.
He also was awarded second place among 43 Saanen entries in the Senior Kid division, third place out of 51 Alpines entries in the Senior Yearling category, fifth place out of 55 Alpines entries in the 2-Year-Old division, and fifth place out of 24 Recorded Grade entries in the 3-Year-Old division.
The other eight goats also placed in the upper half of their carious categories. Moorse showed all 11 of the goats he brought to Columbus: Alpines – Junior Kid: 14th place out of 25 contestants; Senior Yearling: 3rd out of 51; 2-Year-Old: 5th out of 55. Lamanchas – Senior Kid: 17th out of 41; Senior Yearling: 16th out of 44; 2-Year-Old: 10th out of 43. Saanens – Senior Kid: 2nd out of 43; 2-Year-Old: 12th out of 38 Recorded Grades – Intermediate Kid: 1st out of 24 (Junior National Champion); Senior Kid: 1st out of 27; 3-Year-Old: 5th out of 24.
“Judges look for many things while judging,” Moorse explained.
“The American Dairy Goat Association has different scorecards for Junior Does and Senior Does that they are supposed to use as a tool in judging.”
“Different categories have different point values. Judges are supposed to place goats in order as being the most correct on a scorecard. Obviously, personal preference comes into play as well.”
Moorse feels his goats generally place high due to their overall general appearance.
“This includes feet and legs, stature, breed characteristics, back, and front-end assembly,” he noted. “My milkers also placed well for having strong mammary systems.”
But the knowledge Moorse has gained through his countless hours working in the barn studying pedigrees and genetics is also a vital reason he fares well at events.
And you don’t spend that much time studying and sweating unless you enjoy it. Showing and raising goats is something I’ve always had a passion for,” he said.
“Breeding and studying the genetics and pedigrees isn’t always fun, but it’s really the starting point for a strong herd.”
While Moorse admits that sometimes raising goats and the daily management that goes along with it can be time-consuming and boring, he still enjoys the chance to showcase all the hard work he’s put in.
“Competing and winning is awesome,” he said. “But it’s really the people you meet at shows and conferences that help make it all worth it.”
Along with showing their own goats, Moorse and Schuelke were able to assist two other herds with daily chores and to help show at nationals.
“Between our group, we won a lot of classes, brought home three national champs and one reserve champ,” he said.
“But the best part wasn’t all the wins. It was great spending time and creating all the memories with some of our closest friends.”
“We had a great week in Columbus with good goats, and amazing people.”