Six 4-H members from urban areas in Lancaster County are benefiting their heads, hearts, hands and health by working with goats in the first year of the Lancaster County 4-H Meat Goat club.
Aleyna Cuttlers, a longtime member of Lancaster County 4-H, aged out of 4-H last year but still had the resources to show goats. She decided to give back to her county by giving members from urban areas the opportunity to show a goat at the county fair. A couple of 4-H members came up to Aleyna last year and expressed interest in exhibiting a goat.
The Cuttlers family has a herd of goats near Raymond, Nebraska, and while Cuttlers will still be showing some goats in FFA, the rest of their goats were available for 4-H projects. Members pay $150 to show their goat at the county fair and an extra $50 for the state fair. Cuttlers and her family house the goats and feed and water them throughout the summer.
One of the members, Dalton Shotkoski, explained the impact that showing livestock has made on his life. He has enjoyed showing pigs through the Pick-A- Pig 4-H club and now the Lancaster County 4-H Meat goat club.
"My goat’s name is Pippy Longstocking, and I'll also be taking my goat and 4-H pig to the state fair this year," said Shotkoski. "I really like how fun the club is and the new people I get to meet at the fair."
During the summer the members went out to the farm and chose a goat to show at the fair. Members learned how to work with their goat and how to show it properly in the show ring. Members also learned how to wash and groom their goats properly for the show ring. Every Tuesday throughout the summer members could come out and decide what they wanted to focus on with their goat.
"I have a couple of kids who are only showing a goat this year, and so I'm having them walk throughout the fairgrounds asking fair guests if they want to pet their goat," Cuttlers said. "Having that interaction with the ag literacy side of things is also important."
A fun experience for members who, because of Cuttlers’ guidance, were showing their goats at the Open Class Douglas County Fair. This gave members the chance to show their goats before coming to the Lancaster County Fair and see how other young people from other counties show their goats.
Jack Roberts, another member of the goat club, said he has gotten so much joy out of showing goats and the skills he has learned along the way. His family has connections to agriculture even though he grew up in Lincoln.
"I placed third or fourth during showmanship and second place during the market show with my goat Eclipse," Roberts said. "Farming is in my blood, and agriculture will never come out of me."
Cuttlers explained how important 4-H has been in her life even though she is not going into an agriculture career. She is so passionate about the industry and is glad that she can be a part of the 4-H experiences of members in the goat club she created.
"Watching the joy on their face when they got their ribbons and said, ‘Look at how I did!’ and I said, ‘I'm so proud of you!’ — that interaction is so special to me," Cuttlers said.
If you are interested in learning more about the Lancaster County 4-H goat club, you can reach out to Aleyna Cuttlers at aleynacuttlers@gmail.com or (402) 840- 1200
