NYS Fair Youth Goat Exhibits

This optional competition is in memory of Kimber Hamm, one of NY’s premier meat goat farmers.

The competition is open to meat goat youth exhibiting a meat goat at the NY State Fair Youth Show. This award is given to the junior and senior youth meat goat exhibitor who most demonstrates the diverse qualities of a good meat goat herdsperson. Youth must compete in all meat goat competitions including the Project Notebook competition, Meat Goat Fitting & Showmanship and the Kimber Hamm Conformation Class (#98 or 99). Youth must also compete in the Youth Goat Knowledge Olympics and the meat goat section of the Youth Goat Judging Competition. Please contact the Youth Meat Goat Assistant Superintendent in advance if you have a conflict as re-scheduling for some events may be possible.

This award is given to the 4-H Dairy Goat exhibitor who best embodies the 4-H Motto “To Make The Best Better”.  In order for a dairy goat exhibitor to be eligible, he/she must participate in all the following contests (Goat Bowl, Knowledge Olympics, Product ID, Team Fitting, and Goat Judging Contest) during the week.  The top 5 (five) place winners of each contest will receive 1 – 5 points with 5 being 1st place, 4 being 2nd place, etc.  At the end of the week the 3 top point scorers are then in contention for the Award.  A Committee will pick the winner based on attitude, helpfulness & sportsmanship. Awards to contestants include plaques. 

Youth will submit a record on a market kid, doe kid or doe that he or she raised during the current project year.  The record used must be the appropriate NY State 4-H meat goat project notebook available on the web at or through your local Cooperative Extension Office.  The First Year notebook is to be used at the 4-H leader’s discretion for 4-Hers in their first year of a meat goat project. Junior youth are strongly encouraged to use the Junior record notebook. Project  record book must be submitted to the Youth Meat Goat Assistant Superintendent. Entry is limited to one project record book per youth. The goat recorded in the record book does not need to be present at the fair.

Ribbons will be available for the top 10 places in the project record review. Youth do not have to bring their project goats to the NY State Fair in order to participate in this activity.  However, the exhibitor must be present for the competition.  Juniors and seniors will be scored separately.

The Goat Judging Clinic and Contest begin at 1:30 PM on Mon. Aug 28th following the Youth Meat Goat Show.  All senior and junior youth competing for the Kimber Hamm Goat Rancher award do oral reasons on a meat goat. Seniors may additionally do oral reasons on a dairy doe if competing in the total Judging Contest.

• The clinic will be presented by the Judging Contest Judge(s) or other qualified person.
• No sign up is required. All youth goat exhibitors are encouraged to participate.
• The clinic will be held immediately prior to the Judging Contest to allow youth to fine-tune their judging skills and address their questions about judging.

1. The Goat Judging Contest is open to all youth goat exhibitors and any youth currently enrolled in a 4-H goat project. 
2. The number of classes judged will be at the discretion of the judge.
3. The contest will be conducted much in the same way as other livestock judging contests.
4. There will be four divisions (A = Over Microphone; B = 14 yrs. old or older; C = 13 yrs. old or younger and D = Novice) in which contestants may participate.

Goat Educational Display Contest – includes both scientific and general goat information posters. Scientific posters can be either an experiment or descriptive science conducted by the youth related to goats or the goat industry. Scientific posters should include Title/Author, Introduction, Hypothesis (what question you are trying to answer) or Objectives, Methods, Results and Conclusions. Photos, drawings, charts, tables, references and/or acknowledgements may also be included. All entries in the contest must be accompanied by an Exhibitor Information Statement Card available from your county’s Cornell Cooperative Extension office and should consist of a poster (at least 14”x 22”) or 3-dimensional exhibit that can be hung on a wall OR fit on a 2’x 3’ counter space.  The public will have access to the displays, so please do not use valuables as part of your display. We strongly encourage you to have your display judged at the county level first to make sure it is well organized and presented. One contest is for individuals and the other is for clubs. Counties with a club or individual display will receive a one-time bonus score on goat herdsmanship.

This award in honor of tatiana Luisa Stanton will be given to the Youth Goat Exhibitor who has exhibited their goats in all three divisions of the Youth Goat Program at the NYS Fair: Dairy, Meat, and Working Goats. In order to be eligible, he/she must also participate in the following events: Goat Bowl, Knowledge Olympics, Product ID, Goat Judging and Project Record Book (for one of the divisions). The top 5 (five) place winners of each contest will receive 1-5 points with 1 wt place receiving 5 point, 2nd place receiving 4 points, etc. At the end of the week the 3 top point scorers are then in contention for the award. A Committee will choose the winner based on attitude, helpfulness, and sportsmanship.  Awards to contestants include plaques.