Sheep And Goat Clinic Held At The Fairgrounds

Several local youth were able to take part in a sheep and goat showmanship clinic last week.  Jennifer Smith who is the owner and operator of J2 Livestock and Productions currently serves as the goat chairman on the market animal committee for the Caribou County Fair.  Jennifer has been involved in raising and showing boer goats for several years.  Since taking over the goat chairman position last fall she has been very active in helping the youth and the fair work to improve the already fast growing market goat program locally in the county.  In addition to fundraising and being a 4H leader herself Jennifer has used her vast experience and knowledge to make connections for local families to those that have been involved in showing for several years.  

One of those connections is Rockin HW Show Stock out of Mendon Utah.  Rockin HW Show Stock got its start when the oldest of three sisters Hannah started showing sheep in 2016.  From there things just grew for the Welker family as Hannah was soon joined by younger sisters Ashley and Nicole and the sheep were joined by goats.  The sisters have put a lot of time and effort into bettering themselves and others in the show ring.  They have shown in several jackpots and fairs all over the western United States.  The Welkers and Smiths friendship that began when the Welkers were looking to purchase show goats from the Smiths has blossomed into a great amount of mutual success in breeding and showing goats.  This friendship is what gave Jennifer Smith the idea of bringing the Welkers to Caribou County to put on a clinic for our local youth.  Any youth that are planning on showing sheep or goats at the county fair were invited to attend.  

There was a great turnout last Thursday evening for the event.  The local youth were encouraged to bring their animals to the fairgrounds to get instruction on what to expect at the fair show as well as tips to help make their performance in the ring the best that it could be.  Due to the large turnout the youth were split into two groups, an older group and a younger group.  Rockin HW spent close to two hours working with the youth and their animals covering several areas of showmanship.  As the clinic came to a close the Welkers expressed how impressed they were with the local youth causing Nichole to comment, “I was very happy with how much they listened and were willing to learn.”  

Jennifer Smith was pleased with the turnout and stated, “The more you get those kids out with their animals the better.  They'll be less nervous at the county fair.”  When asked what advice they would give someone just starting out in showing livestock the Welkers proudly displayed their matching farm shirts which read, “Practice like you've never won, perform like you've never lost.”  For a chance to see local youth display their livestock showing skills you can go to the Caribou County Fair August 5th through the 10th.  The livestock shows will take place at 8 a.m. on August 7th and 8th.