Corbin Melvin took home the top meat goat prize at Tuesday’s Fayette County Junior Fair Boer Goat Show.
Following a long day of intense competition at the sales arena, Melvin, who has only been showing goats for four years, was awarded with the overall meat goat grand championship trophy.
“I wasn’t expecting it,” said Melvin, a member of the Lucky Leaf Livestock 4-H club. Melvin added that he was very excited and that he works with his animals almost “every day and night.”
Drew Pontious, who also had an impressive day at the goat show, won the overall reserve champion prize in the meat goat competition. Pontious also took home the Fullblood Boer Breeding Doe grand championship.
At the overall goat showmanship contest, Hayden Walters won the top prize for the third time. Walters said he’s been showing goats for eight years.
Also on Tuesday, Walters, a member of the 4-H Fun Bunch, won the reserve champion dairy goat prize and the reserve champion percentage doe.
The other finalists in the overall showmanship contest were Madison Swayne, who won the overall dairy goat showmanship award, as well as Elizabeth Aleshire and Clay Wines.
“Usually I’ve been competing against my sister and my cousin, who do well, so it’s been fun,” said Swayne, a member of Miami Trace FFA. “It’s about bonding with your goat, and really, he’s my best friend.”
Ethan Steele, also a member of the 4-H Fun Bunch, won the grand champion dairy goat prize for the second time.
Steele said it felt great to win and that he put in a lot of hard work.
Kelsey Pettit won the grand champion percentage doe trophy.
The champion performance class goat was exhibited by Clay Wines and the reserve champion performance class goat was exhibited by Isaiah Smith. Fifty-three goats competed in the performance class. An award of $250 goes to the champion and $150 goes to the reserve champion. The Fayette County Meat Goat Association sponsors the prizes.
