Jerusalem Ridge Farms

I just spent a couple of exciting days at the North American International Livestock Exposition in Louisville, showing off the Kentucky Goat Producers Association exhibit/display and visiting with friends.  Our operation is commercially-oriented in both terminal and seed stock so we don't show goats, but we know lots of great folks that do.

Wednesday, November 15 the two-legged kids took center stage showing off some 4-legged kids in the first-ever NAILE Junior Wether Show.  There were over 120 entries from all over the country, as far away as Texas and California.  Those guys from the west are more familiar with wether shows this time of year.  Here in the Commonwealth, the Kentucky State Fair usually marks the end of our summer-long series of wether shows.  This year the State Fair included market goats in the Sale of Champions so, hopefully, the NAILE will soon follow suit.  With the first NAILE wether show behind us, more of our producers may be looking a little closer at having wethers ready for the November show next year.

Now, let me gripe a little.  Market goat shows are NEVER an acurate representation of what the meat market actually requires.  Poodle-clipped 90+ lb. wethers are not what bring the good prices for producers.  I would hope the shows might get away from the artificialities and focus more on preparing young producers for the real world.  However, livestock showing and genuine livestock production have always been worlds apart.  I'd hope that someday the gap might close a little.

On Thursday, November 16 over 500 percentage and fullblood Boers went head-to-head in the ABGA sanctioned open show.  Again, the competition came, literally, from all over the map.  This has grown into one of the largest and most important Boer shows in the country and it shows no signs of slowing down in the future.  It's exciting to have the show right here in Kentucky.

Hope everyone has a safe and Happy Thanksgiving.  After a quick trip to visit Steph's folks in Lone Oak next week, we'll settle down for a day or so with our daughters and sons-in-law.  Then, it's back on the road for a web development presentation to the Purchase Area Goat Association in Mayfield on the 28th, the Kentucky Farm Bureau Annual Meeting and Convention on the 30th and a meeting of the Hardin County Goat Association in Elizabethtown that evening.

I'm so excited about all the great things that are happening in Kentucky's goat industry.  There's even more good times to come.

God Bless,
Ray