Goat milking contest an udderly good time at Boulder County Fair
Aug. 8—The screams from Barn A, one after another, could be heard from the parking lot of the Boulder County Fairgrounds, but no one in Barn A, or the equestrian crowd at the adjacent Barn B, seemed to notice, or if they did, to show any concern.
The bleating from dozens of goats was little more than background noise for the owners, judges, and participants at the 4-H and FFA dairy goat show on Sunday.
The dairy goat show was one of several livestock events preceding the official Thursday, Aug. 11 start of the Boulder County Fair. The day included several showmanship classes for the youth handlers to show off their best goats, and culminated Sunday afternoon with the milking contest.
"Raising goats is like having a barnyard full of puppies," Kate Johnson, the assistant dairy goat superintendent, said while the milking contest was being set up.
With silver goat earrings and a "Have you hugged your kid today?" t-shirt, Johnson's levity echoed the sentiment of the room. Although there were ribbons to be won and titles to defend, the atmosphere was hardly cutthroat, with young people helping one another out.
Head, heart, hands, and health are the four tenets of the 4-H program. Melanie Bohren, dairy goat show superintendent, said the organization has expanded beyond its livestock and agricultural roots, and today offers programs in science and technology.
Although Bohren said the pandemic meant a limited participation in the 4-H program, there's been a resurgence of interest.
"I think it ebbs and flows, but we have new kids coming in, and a lot of people are looking for different things to do," said Bohren. "We're becoming more of a suburban area, and although that agricultural land is not as prevalent, there's more to 4-H.
"It's very inclusive. There's room for a kid with one pet goat, and there's room for the kid who's in to rocketry."
Amber Olson, a 15-year-old returning champion from Boulder, finished milking her full-size doe Jasmine, and shifted over a stanchion to lend a hand to Kaycee Kwang. The 10-year-old from Berthoud was milking out Melberry, a three-year-old Nigerian dwarf goat.
During the contest, female goats, or does, which have not been milked for more than twelve hours prior, are placed atop a stanchion, restraining them while the goat's two udders are manipulated, and the milk is collected into a bucket. The contest is judged by the weight of milk collected, not by time, and a sample of the milk is tested for buttermilk content.
With a pancake-sized belt buckle testifying to her past champion status, Olson collected nearly six pounds of milk from Jasmine, an Oberhasli goat, and winning her class.
Finally reunited with her two-month-old twin kids, Onyx and Orion, after the milking contest, Jasmine rested in her pen beneath a Best In Show Senior Goat plaque.
"It's been a long stressful day for her," said Olson. In the hours leading up to the milking contest, does are separated from their kids. "She's been worried about the babies."
