Some inside skinny on goat judging

Folks thinking that all the Carlton County fair judges are local folks sharing their expertise are only partially right.

A lot of judges - every livestock judge, in fact - come from outside the county, said Ora Mord.

Mord drove nearly 200 miles from Clearwater County (west of Bemidji) to judge dairy goats for Carlton County 4-H last week.

"You cannot judge in your own county," Mord said. "That's because you know the animals, you know the kids and you know the people. We want to make it as impartial as possible. That way no one can say, 'oh, you're favoring this one because you know the family.'"

Mord participated in 4-H for 11 years as a youngster, having grown up on a farm, and later did 22 years as a "goat leader" in Clearwater County.

Mord judges each goat based on 16 ideal standards set up by the American Dairy Goat Association. The abilities of the 4-H member who raised the goat are also on display.

"They're handling the animals; they're setting them up. They're answering questions," she said, explaining that she asks questions about the animals and each youngster's knowledge.

She runs her hand over a yearling goat to demonstrate some of the things she's looking for. Birthing capacity seems to play a starring role.

"You feel for the spring of the rib, how wide the ribs are spaced, flatness of rib and flatness of bone, how far back they go into the barrel - to show width for kidding - and you look at the hips, pins and the thurls (ball-and-socket joints joining the hind legs to the pelvis) for width for kidding," she said.

Mord judged 31 goats Thursday morning, from babies through milkers that could be several years old.

Morgan Wield, 10, was exhibiting her two Boer goats for the second time this year: the first time was at the South St. Louis Fair in Proctor. Her nanny goat got a grand champion ribbon at that fair, and she was pretty sure the kid got reserve grand champion. Wield, from Alborn, didn't know yet how her goats did in Carlton County.

"I think it's pretty fun being able to walk around with them and play and chill with them a lot," she said. "And these ones are really playful and nice, very sweet. Sometimes the little one will follow me around with no leader."

Mord said her son fell in love with goats after he started helping a local farmer. Her son had ADHD, and she handled that by giving him more chores and added responsibilities, including working with another local farmer.

"He really clicked with that farmer and the goats," she said. "So, we bought some, and the first year he got reserve grand champion at the Minnesota State Fair."

Now Mord raises LaMancha and alpine goats. Although Cole has grown up since then, it's still a family thing, really.

"He comes off the road with his semi and helps," she said. "He's been looking after them while I've been here."

It's good business, and they still get to show together. In fact, she and Cole were headed to a show in Watford, North Dakota when she got back home.

LaMancha are the only dairy goats that originate in the United States, Mord said.

"I've got people that buy [goat milk] for everything from pigs to puppies to whitetail deer, making cheese," she said.

She was looking forward to getting back home to her goats on Thursday.

"I guess you could say the goats have grown on me over the last 30 years."