Show at fair is a search for just the right goat

Nicholas Cronkite, of Knoxville, had a heap of ribbons sticking out of the back pocket of his white Levi’s jeans at the fair on Wednesday.

Nicholas, 15, held his Alpine goat, KitKat, by his side while surrounded by children curious about the animal.

“They’re a lot smarter than people think,” he said of goats.

For instance, he said, an older doe of his, Coda, responds to her name like a well-trained dog might.

“She’ll be in the bottom of the field and you can just call her name out and she’ll come running up,” Nicholas said.

Nicholas was well equipped to educate his audience, as he had been named the Overall Showman earlier in the day for his knowledge of goats, as well as his ability to handle and present the animal to a judge.

The impromptu question-and-answer session occurred during the Youth Dairy Goat Show at The Great Frederick Fair. Does of different breeds and ages were shown by youths throughout the day.

Kyle Miller, wearing a green vest, was a judge on Wednesday. He studied each animal before declaring over the public-address system in the barn the winner of each class.

Miller said he followed the American Dairy Goat Association scorecard when making his rulings.

The ADGA scorecard has four general categories a goat could receive points on:

1. General appearance: the overall framework and femininity of the animal

2. Dairy strength: the body composition of the animal, ensuring enough substance and angularity

3. Body capacity: the chest and barrel relative to the development of the animal

4. Mammary system: the capacity for milk production, which would not factor into the evaluation of a junior or dry doe

“Each one of those has points awarded in subcategories, and then we just break it down,” Miller said. “We’re comparing it to the ideal goat, the perfect goat.”

As each exhibitor walked their goat into the barn, Miller checked their height at the front shoulder to ensure they met qualifications.

Often, he would touch the back of a doe to feel for the hair and skin, the angularity of the animal and the flatness of the rib bones.

Overall, he compared showing animals to “beauty contests.”

When Calie Bloomfield, 18, from southern Frederick County near Clarksburg, showed her Nigerian dwarf breed of doe, Miller said it “really caught my eye.”

Youth Goat Show

Calie Bloomfield stands with Penelope after being named Master Showman at the Youth Dairy Goat Show during The Great Frederick Fair at the Frederick Fairgrounds on Wednesday.

A balanced animal that scored well across the board did not happen by accident, according to Bloomfield’s father, David Fricker.

Fricker said most of the qualities that lead to high scores are genetic, so they look to breed a buck and doe with complementary traits and hope for the best.

“You need to look at the overall, general appearance of the animal,” he said. “So, the legs, the feet, the shoulders — it all comes together when you’re doing a show like this.”

Bloomfield further distinguished herself by being named Overall Master Showman, besting Nicholas Cronkite.

Once an exhibitor earns the title of Overall Showman, they can compete in the Master category with other previous Overall Showmen.

Fricker said Calie Bloomfield’s younger brother, Michael Bloomfield, 13, was studying for the showmanship competition, as well, trying to follow in his sister’s footsteps.

“He was always coming up, ‘Can you quiz me on this? Can you quiz me on this? What is this?,’” Fricker said of his son.