Your 2024 IDGA Officers:

President: Butch Sowers

Vice President: James McDaniel

Board of Directors: Deb Konen, John Wiebold, Aaron Lehmkuhl, Robyn Van Wyk, and Rich Hanson

As I write this, it's two days into the New Year. We're having an amazing open winter so far. I'd like to share a great amount of appreciation to our board for their efforts this far, and to our Secretary, Beth Konen, and Treasurer, Wendy Peffers. Now the next two I mention have hit a home run out of the park... Laurie Cavahn and Jessica Hicks our newest newsletter and Webmaster craftsman, have stepped up and given us their all. Thanks everyone.

Please read through this latest newsletter, find a reason to renew your membership if you haven't already, find a reason to encourage someone else to join. Give a membership to someone as a gift.

Please note,, time is running out to renew your breeders listing. We're sorry but we just can't carry an ad indefinitely. Your listing is truely a bargin. Please take a minute and get this done (note new deadline in separate article). Also note a few minor changes to our Spring Classic Show fees (in separate article).

And finally it's go time for kidding season. The efforts we put in now repay us throughout the life of your animals. I'm semi retired, but I cover 5 states as a Dairy Goat nutrition and management consultant dealing with around 150 dairies at some where around 25 thousand goats, mostly on Amish and Mennonite farms. Over the past 9 years I've preached the message of CAE prevention and getting the animals as healthy as possible for maximum profitability. It took many meetings to change non believers to believers. They've gone from 6 or 7 lbs. of milk, to 11 and 12 lbs of milk.

One of my highlights was mentoring a 180 head dairy averaging 3600 lbs in 2020. Because feed and hay have climbed to all time high costs, we must be diligent in our operation costs. This is as true for us hobbyists and show people as well as the commercial herds. Yes we endure non profit hobbies for our enjoyment, most all people have a " vice"... however I would encourage you to select for production as well as show. High quality Bucks are running at $1600 on up to and topping $4200 at the biannual Central States Production sale. And those my friends are on commercial non registered bucks. Non registered high production doelings topped the sale last Spring, nearing $500 at 5 months old. So due to high opperational costs, these commercial dairies are no longer just buying a registered purebred buck thinking it must be a good one, they are now demanding it to be from proven stock from herds on Official milk tests.

Perhaps you might have an opportunity to enhance your bottom line and get your herd on Test and pursue some commercial business. Unfortunately all breeds don't seem to excite the commercial sector. Saanens, Alpines, and Lamanchas or recorded grades thereof, are what they're looking for, with a few good Toggs tossed in. Todays market is demanding the stock to come from 3000 to 4000 lb animals. If you want more information look me up.

Good luck with your new Kidding season. Give it all you got.

Take care,

Butch

Hi! I am Aubrey from Warren County. I was awarded a goat through the Share-A-Kid program.

Her name is Sunny. She is a Saanen goat. She loves playing with other goats and LOVES to eat Cheetos!

I have loved learning about dairy goats and how they are raised. The SAK program is a fantastic program. People donate their goats of many breeds for a statewide contest.

I have been able to learn the responsibility of taking care of Sunny as well as working with a vet to make sure she gets what she needs to stay healthy.

My name is Karah Hayes and I entered the 2023 Share-A-Kid essay! I had not previously owned dairy goats but was very interested in learning more about them. I was able to learn so much about dairy goats just by researching in order to write my essay. When I found out that I had won a Nubian doe kid, I was extremely excited! I got in contact with my Share-A-Kid donor, Colt Churchill. He was very helpful, especially with it being my first time ever owning dairy goats! I was also able to get a companion for my Share-A-Kid doeling from Colt. When the time came to pick up my doeling (who I named Jolene) I was super excited! I learned so much about goats in the first few days, my favorite part was definitely bottle feeding them! I also enjoyed learning about their personalities and how different they are from each other! When summer time came around I was able to show my doe kids at the Webster County Fair. I also learned a lot about showing goats at the county fair and look forward to doing it again this year! I hope to be able to show at the State Fair this year as well. Both of my doe kids received blue awards at the county fair! I am now continuing to grow my dairy goat herd and am expecting kids in March! I am so glad that I was able to get this opportunity and experience from the Share-A-Kid Program! I would definitely recommend this program to youth who are interested in starting their own dairy goat herd! A huge thank you to Colt Churchill for donating my doeling and being so helpful in my first experience with dairy goats!

Hello, my name is Haley Heath, and I am one of the 2023 Share-A-Kid winners.

This past year, I took my goat, Stella, which was donated to me through the Share-A-Kid program, to many shows across Iowa. We had a very successful first year. This included winning Reserve Champion at the Dallas County Fair and Reserve Champion Junior Alpine in both the 4-H and Open Dairy Goat Show at the State Fair.

Over the last year, I learned many new ways to care for my dairy herd with the help of this program. I learn more about raising dairy goats every day, and I am glad I have had this opportunity. I cannot wait to see what the future holds for Stella and me.

Hailing from Epworth, Iowa, Pleasant Grove is home to 300 registered milking does on the commercial dairy operated and owned by Craig Koopmann. Craig has had dairy goats since 1984 and has been involved with IDGA since the 1980s. The farm takes a large interest in ADGA performance programs and exhibiting at local, state, and national shows! Pleasant Grove breeds Alpines and Saanens, having multiple national champions over the years.

Craig has been a tremendous dairy goat advocate as a speaker or industry expert panelist at many conferences, and also continues to support local and state associations. Over the years you could find Craig donating a Pleasant Grove animal for a fundraiser, or youth share-a-kid program in several states. He has donated several kids to the Iowa Share-A-Kid program in the last 10 years. You can also bet some top sellers on many sales have come from this farm's breeding program! Craig enjoys showing support as a bidder or as a consignor in the industry leading sales.

To drive the future of the industry, Pleasant Grove supports 4th year vet students every November and February for days on the farm to learn. Craig is proud to advance knowledge for the future by participating in research projects with Iowa State. The appreciation is deep for mentors in the industry, and Craig looks forward to supporting the same efforts for the next generation of dairy goat breeders.

Thank you Craig for all you have done and continue to do to support the dairy goat industry and the youth that will be the future leaders in raising dairy goats!

We are Colt and Kaylee Churchill of Rockin' T Acres. We breed primarily purebred Nubians with a couple of Alpines and a single Recorded Grade mixed in.

We have been raising the dairy goats under the Rockin' T Acres herd name for about seven years now. I (Colt) have been raising and showing dairy goats for the past twenty years, and started when I was old enough to join 4-H. That is the main reason we started donating a doe kid to the Share a Kid program. I know we had several people who helped us get started and taught us about dairy goats when my sisters and I started showing in 4-H. I felt like we could give back and do the same thing for youth who were interested in dairy goats.

We always enjoy talking to the families of the SAK winners and answering any questions they may have. We also enjoy staying in touch with the families and getting updates on the goats we donate. We try to help them anyway we can. We believe it is important to be involved with Share a Kid so that youth can get started raising dairy goats and they have a reliable, knowledgeable resource they can turn to with questions. We will continue to be a part of Share a Kid as long as IDGA continues the program.

Thank you Colt and Kaylee for all your support and mentorship of youth striving to be involved in raising dairy goats!

I know it is the middle of winter and show season is the furthest thing from your mind right now, but kidding season is fast approaching and it is never too early to be thinking about dairy goat shows. As I continuously tell any youth who has shown under me in showmanship, "good showmanship starts at home well before you set foot in the showring." As an ADGA licensed judge of five years and dairy goat exhibitor of twenty years I have certainly come up with a few tips and tricks to help everyone involved with dairy goat shows have success and enjoy the show experience. Many times when talking to people I have referred to these as "judge's pet peeves" and I will be discussing them mainly from a judge's perspective on how it affects their job. However, I want this to be viewed in a positive light where people can learn a few things. I do believe what I will be talking about can be helpful for anyone who shows and will affect anyone who is involved with shows in a positive manner.

Tip #1: Your goat shold be comfortable being handled. I have observed many animals who throw their head around while being led, will not lead at all, or are otherwise not cooperating for their handler in any way. When goats do not handle properly in the ring it makes a judge's job evaluating them more difficult. The judge may see structural issues with an animal that are actually not present, and it will take the judge longer to evaluate that particular animal because they want to be fair and accurate in their evaluation. My suggestion is to work with the animals you plan to show at home before show season. It makes a tremendous difference in how the goats act in the ring. They know what their handler is doing or asking them to do. Even just a few minutes everyday for a couple weeks would be helpful. Practice setting the animal up and walking them around in a circle. It will also sharpen your showmanship skills as the handler.

Tip #2: Set the right pace for the showring. This goes along with handling your goat and is just as important as your animal cooperating with you. The pace you walk your animal around the ring is vital for he proper evaluation of your goat. There are many exhibitors that lead their goat way too fast and this does them no favors. As a judge it is very difficult to evaluate an animal if they are walking too fast around the ring. Similarly to an animal not handling properly, walking too fast around the ring can make an animal look as though it has structural weaknesses when in fact it does not. I always say walking slower is better. If you want a good reference on the ideal pace, as I have heard another judge explain it, you should lead your goat at a pace at which you would walk as if you were walking and having a conversation with another person.

Tip #3: Be on time! It is extremely important that you are on time to the show ring with your goats. Many shows will not wait for an exhibitor to bring their animal to the ring when their class is called if there are sufficient numbers to make sanction without one animal. It is not fair to other exhibitors, the judge, or show officials if an exhibitor is holding up the show because they are late to the ring. Show officials do not want to make anyone miss the class their goat is supposed to be in because the exhibitor brought the animal and paid to enter it, but they simply cannot make the judge and exhibitors wait for an extended amount of time for an exhibitor. The best way to avoid being late to the showring is to know the show order and show start time ahead of time as well as the numbers of each breed. One of the first things I pay attention to when we attend a show as an exhibitor is the show order and the number of entries for each breed. That way we can plan accordingly if the breeds ahead of our breed are smaller or larger.

Tip #4: Plan ahead. As exhibitors we plan ahead if we will need extra handlers for a particular class at a show. Many times I have seen exhibitors who are ring side ready to walk in the ring with their goats and they are searching for extra handlers. This can hold up the show significantly and take more time from the show officials and judges, as well as the other exhibitors. Before we get to the show we try to think of anyone we know that may be going to the same show who can help us with a particular class that we have more animals in then we can handle. If we are not sure we know anyone going, we will find someone the night before the show, and at the very latest the morning of the show well before the start time. It is also a good idea to pay attention to the show order if you are taking multiple breeds to a show and your breeds will be showing in different rings at the same time. If you look at that ahead of time it will save you from being surprised at the show that you will need more handlers.

Tip #5: Know key information about your goat. Remembering the age, birthdate, number of freshenings, or date of freshening is very important in the showring! Most judges will ask these questions depending on the class. These questions can sometimes be helpful to the judge when evaluating a class. It is important to realize most judges ask these questions and be ready with the answers so as not to hold up the show. Be sure to also inform anyone, who may be showing for you in a class where you need help, with this information about an animal. I have seen many exhibitors who forget to do that.

Hopefully these tips are helpful and everyone can learn something from them and sharpen their showmanship skills as a dairy goat exhibitor. The number one goal of dairy goat shows is for everyone to have fun and learn. Practicing these things as showmen can help everyone achieve that. These may seem like small, minor details but they make the judge's and show staff's jobs easier and help the show run more efficiently and smoothy. The more efficient the show is, the more fun and positive the experience will be for all.

My name is Jacob Hanson. I’m 14 years old and a freshman at Ar-We-Va CSD.

This year I am the 2024 Youth Dairy Goat Ambassador. I have been working with Nigerian Dwarf goats

the past seven years.

Some fun facts about me are: I currently have a goat milk soap business. I have eighteen does and doelings, and four bucks. I am also the secretary of the Westside 4-H club.

I’m looking forward to being the 2024 Youth Dairy Goat Ambassador, because I would like to be more involved in the Iowa dairy goat community, and I’m excited to work with and help educate the youth of the dairy goat community as well as learn more from my peers.

The Oberhasli is a Swiss dairy goat. This breed, which is common in its native country of Switzerland but relatively rare in North America, is known for its gentle disposition.

Oberhasli color is described as bay, ranging from light to a deep red bay with black markings, although some does are solid black. Oberhasli have short erect ears and the bridge of the nose should be either straight or dished.

Oberhasli does are at least 28 inches tall. A mature doe weighs at least 120 pounds and a mature buck weighs at least 150 pounds. Oberhaslis are excellent producers, just like the rest of their European cousins. Two gallons per day is considered normal for many breeders, and three gallons isn’t uncommon. Butterfat is close to the Toggenburg and the Alpine as they stick close to 2.5% to 3.5%. An Oberhasli doe may be expected to produce 1,600 pounds of milk in a year with an average milkfat content of 3.6 percent.

Oberhaslis are generally known as sweet, mellow goats who are easy to milk.

Sources: https://www.iowadairygoat.org/oberhasli/ https://adga.org/breed-standards/