Our state 4-H goat program provides educational sessions and contests each year through the 4-H Goat Extravaganza, Junior Breeder Livestock Symposium at Rutgers, and the State 4-H Goat Show. 4-H members meet others in their project area, learn skills, and share their knowledge and creativity through a team poster contest, skillathon, quiz bowl, art contest, film festival, and showmanship competition.
But wait, there’s more! For those wanting to pursue additional opportunities for learning and competition beyond the 4-H program, you are encouraged to explore the wonderful youth programs of the American Dairy Goat Association (ADGA).
ADGA National Show
ADGA Youth Showmanship Contest
All of the youth activities occur on Saturday and Sunday, July 6-7, 2019 – the first two days of the weeklong ADGA National Show in Redmond, Oregon. ADGA hosts a goat judging and management contest, a morning of showmanship contests for all age groups, and a team fitting competition, in addition to a youth mixer and other fun activities. If Oregon is too far away for you, stay tuned, as the national show is held in a different area of the country each year. Information about all of the youth activities will be posted soon on ADGA’s national show website.
ADGA Annual Convention
ADGA Annual Youth Convention
If you love our NJ 4-H Goat Extravaganza, you might also enjoy the youth section of ADGA’s Annual Convention. It includes youth team education, skillathon, and quiz bowl competitions, as well as essay, photography, and youth representative contests. There are also educational workshops held throughout the week. This year’s annual convention is scheduled for October 15-20 in Boise, Idaho, but it will be much closer in 2020 when it is held in Syracuse, New York. ADGA plans to update all information about the youth events in July – so check the youth section of their website over the summer. For now, the 2018 info will provide you a good idea of what is available and how all of the events are organized. Also, ADGA provides competitive youth scholarships to help offset the cost of your trip. They are due July 1. Your participation in 4-H may help you secure one of these scholarships!
By Chad Ripberger, Mercer County 4-H Agent, Rutgers Cooperative Extension