Wrangling goats and winning ribbons

MOSES LAKE — The young people line up outside of the pen, wrangling the goats they have been raising all season and waiting for the judge to call them into the ring. Goat heads buck, feet fly into the air and one by one they trot into the enclosure, often pulling the goat by its leash and sometimes its tail to get them inside. The young agriculture enthusiasts wait for the judge to walk by and examine their goats.  

As judge McKenna Knott, 18, walks by, goats pop into the air with their handlers trying to get them back in line. These young people are a part of the Future Farmers of America program and have all had the opportunity to raise, feed and train their goats for this competition.  

“I think so far it has been pretty good,” Knott said. “We still have a lot of goats to get through, but it has been pretty self-explanatory on how to place them and so it’s going pretty good, not too many complaints yet.” 

Harlie Torgeson, 17, competed for her second time in the Grant County Fair with her goat and won Market Goats Grand Champion.  

“It feels really good,” Torgeson said. “I worked really hard for this. I have had lots of new learning experiences. This is only my second year doing this so it was hard finding new ways or better ways to get them trained and ready and fitted up for everything including growing all their muscle mass and all of that so they can hopefully win.”  

Although Torgeson won, she said there are things she can work harder on. She hasn’t been focusing on endurance and some of the classes are longer than what she has been practicing, which negatively impacted her performance.  

Torgerson also won an award last year for showmanship; however, she said this award is a bigger deal.  

“I am really proud, I don’t know,” Ferguson said. “It’s just kind of crazy, my head is kind of spinning.”  

Juan Cuevas won a champion reserve ribbon after competing for the first time in the Grant County Fair with his goat, Texas Ranger.  

“He came in the most complete, the readiest for market and the best to go into someone else’s freezer,” Knott said about Cuevas’ goat.  

Cuevas also calls Texas Ranger the “chosen one” because he has a twin brother who is also a black goat; however, Ranger’s twin does not have a white mark on his forehead. Cuevas said that his special mark brought him good luck.  

“I am excited to win, but at first I was nervous because I didn’t know what would happen,” Cuevas said. “It feels good knowing I could and did win my first time and like knowing you can do anything if you try and put your head to it. “ 

Cuevas said raising a goat is fun and fulfilling. Although he said his goat often gave him trouble and was hard to catch, he enjoyed the work that went into it and how it paid off at when showing the animal.  

“Being with a goat is like having another sibling so you have to take care of them and not get too annoyed with them, it’s pretty nice,” Cuevas said.  

Natalie Vehrs, 14, received a callback ribbon, which was her first win after showing goats for three years.  

“I keep bringing back the first two,” Knott said about Vehrs’ goat. “They handle the hardest from their front to their hind legs. I think those are some pretty cool goats.”

Vehrs said that she was particularly nervous because Sheldon, her animal, is a shy goat and has frequently gotten spooked easily. However, he stayed calm throughout the showing.  

“I really like raising goats and I am starting to get better at it because Sheldon is a lot better built than some of my goats in the past and I am really proud of that,” Vehrs said. 

Cora Tonne, 12, competed for the second time this year and received a ribbon for Buster’s performance. Tonne normally participates in cattle competitions, however, she decided to try goats out.  

“I feel very grateful and fortunate enough that I am able to come to the fair and raise animals and I am very grateful for the opportunity that I have,” Tonne said. 

Tonne said that her goat did well considering it is only his second day at the fairgrounds. She said that new places can often make animals nervous and make them misbehave, however, she didn’t have any issues with that.  

“I feel I did the best I could and so did Buster,” Tonne said.

Correction: The spelling of Harlie Torgeson's name has been corrected above.

    Harlie Torgeson, 17, competed for her second time in the Grant County Fair and won Market Goats Grand Champion.
  

    Juan Cuevas, a first-time competitor, won a champion reserve ribbon after competing for the first time in the Grant County Fair with his goat, Texas Ranger. He rubbed the ribbon on Texas Ranger for good luck.