The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Raising goats provides life lessons

- By Abby Mackey Pittsburgh Post-gazette

When Alexa Miles approached graduation from high school, she had an uncommon requiremen­t from prospectiv­e universiti­es: Her class schedule had to accommodat­e her barn schedule.

She selected Penn State’s World Campus because it’s completely online. With that flexibilit­y, the freshman agribusine­ss major was able to spend eight to 10 hours every fall day with her six baby goats. She fed them and cleaned their pens, as anyone would expect. But because she hoped one of them would become a champion, she also exercised each one on a treadmill and washed and conditione­d their hair every day. Those are necessary steps for showing livestock successful­ly, but they also impart important lessons for everyday life.

“It teaches you to be compassion­ate because you’re taking care of other living things that are relying on you to survive,” she said. “If you don’t feel like working up and feeding them, then they don’t eat. So it teaches you to be compassion­ate and very hard working and dedicated because you have to do it every day. You can’t just decide I don’t feel like going to the barn today.”

Knowing that only one of her kids could compete at the Pennsylvan­ia Farm Show, she narrowed down that group to her most promising one in December, a goat she named Eddie.

The 106th Pennsylvan­ia Farm Show took place from Jan. 8 though 15 in Harrisburg. According to Linda Spahr, junior market goat and meat breeding chair for the show, judges look for long- and deep-bodied goats

with only a small amount of fat, since their muscles don’t incorporat­e it, or “marble,” the way cattle do. They look for an even distributi­on of muscle across the animal and “some eye appeal,” such as perky ears and an inviting posture.

“It’s not unusual to hear ‘a goat came in because it wanted to win,’” Spahr said. “That’s a lot of work on the young person’s part at home.”

Noticing those characteri­stics, plus his silky hair, Eddie and his handler were named Grand Champion Market Goat in the 4-H class and Champion Overall Goat Showman in front of family, friends and mentors.

Miles is the third generation of women in her family to show livestock. While she learned plenty about that process from her mother, grandmothe­r and aunts, the changing industry caused her to adopt mentors along the way to modernize her knowledge.

“The livestock industry changes day by day,” said one of her mentors, Forrest Ohler, 32, of Rockwood, Somerset County. “You have to adapt to the piece of livestock you have, what you have to feed that certain one for the show ring.”

For Ohler, Miles and a small group of others, that involves receiving hard-to-obtain goat feed by train from Texas.

“Goats were just being introduced to this part of the country 20 years ago when my aunts and mom showed,” Miles said. With an influx of immigrants from the Middle East and Latin America into the area, the demand for goat meat has increased, and local supply as responded. Over the past three years, the number of goats coming into southwest Pennsylvan­ia farms has increased more than 2½ times, according the state’s 2021 Economic Impact Study.

Miles notices that trend when she whittles her herd at local auctions. While she used to get around $100 for a goat that didn’t meet show standards, that number is now around $300 or $400.

That might sound like a nice profit, but when her time in the barn is combined with veterinari­an bills, hotel and gas costs when going to shows, feed and more, there’s little, if any, money to be made, though she’s not counting.

“It’s just kind of like my sport,” she said. “I’ve done it my entire life. I enjoy it. Even if you don’t make a lot of money, it’s still worth it,” partly because of her bond with the animals.

Naming her animals denotes a closeness that might prove problemati­c when it comes to selling them to those who will process them for meat. It’s a fine line, but one she’s toed since shortly after she was able to walk.

“You just have to get yourself in the mindset when you buy them that we’re going to pamper them and give them the best life we possibly can,” she said. “They’re going to be taken care of like kings until the show,” where Eddie was sold after his championsh­ip day.

She sent him off, as she does all of her animals, with affection and gratitude.

“Whenever I sell an animal, I always thank them for giving me a great season and winning whatever we won, accomplish­ing something big,” she said. “I give them a big hug and a kiss, and I always thank them.”

 ?? COURTESY PENNSYLVAN­IA DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTUR­E/TNS ?? Alexa Miles sits with her market goat and the banner they won after being named Grand Champion of the 2022 Pennsylvan­ia Junior Market Goat Show.
COURTESY PENNSYLVAN­IA DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTUR­E/TNS Alexa Miles sits with her market goat and the banner they won after being named Grand Champion of the 2022 Pennsylvan­ia Junior Market Goat Show.

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