If you're a breeder looking to register your animal(s) with ABGA, you'll need a unique Herd Prefix, which can be a combination of letters and/or numbers, between 3 and 5 characters. When you apply for a new ABGA Membership, you'll choose your Herd Prefix at no additional cost. Non-members will need to pay a $10 one-time filing fee. Your Herd Prefix will be used for animal identification by tattooing it in the right ear of each registered animal. How do I choose a Herd Prefix? Choose a unique Herd Prefix that represents your ranch or farm. For instance, if your ranch name is Johnson Ranch and you're located at 123 Main Street, you could choose JR123. But the choice is ultimately yours. Your Herd Prefix can be a word or words, or a series of numbers and/or letters. You cannot change your Herd Prefix once it's assigned, so we recommend providing at least three options in case your first choice is already taken by an existing ABGA member. Where and how do I tattoo the Herd Prefix? Tattoo the Herd Prefix in your goat's right ear, and ensure that it's done correctly to avoid any issues during registration. You can find more information about tattooing here . If you own the dam at the time of conception of the goat you are registering, you are the breeder. Therefore your Herd Prefix is what you will tattoo in your goat's right ear. If you purchased an unregistered goat on application, you must tattoo the breeder's Herd Prefix in your goat's right ear. One exception to this rule is when you have bought a bred or pregnant dam that gave birth while in your possession. In such a case, you can use your Herd Prefix. Ensure that you obtain a Service Memo from the breeder. Can I use the same Herd Prefix for my family or children? If you're a family with multiple members, you have the option to share the same Herd Prefix. Junior members can use the Herd Prefix assigned to an adult member residing in the same household and serving as their agent. Additional Information No herd prefix will be assigned that utilizes one letter followed by a number or series of numbers (example: D4 or R278). Once assigned, the herd prefix and tattoo sequence cannot be changed. Exception: Rule 212F (Rules & Regulations) An ABGA herd prefix may be reassigned in the case of court order, inheritance, or sale of herd prefix by submitting a completed ABGA Name & Herd Prefix Transfer Form and appropriate fee to the ABGA office.

We are taking nominations for this year’s Ambassador of The Breed! The American Boer Goat Association celebrates and recognizes those who help to promote the American Boer Goat Breed. You can nominate your candidate by clicking the button below:

Congratulations to the newly elected 2023-2024 JABGA Board of Directors! Jordan Jelinek (Area 1) Kate Schaefer (Area 2) Amber Schroeder (Area 3) Alaina Blair (Area 4) Rebecca Sullivan (Area 5) This is a momentous occasion and an exciting new chapter for the Junior American Boer Goat Association. We look forward to seeing the positive impact you will have on the future of the JABGA program. Best wishes for a successful term ahead! #JABGA #news

When Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds stopped by the Mid-Summer Classic Open Goat Show during the Van Buren County Fair, ABGA member Rachel Smith said it stopped the show. “ We respect Governor Reynolds, and we were honored ,” said Rachel, whose family was hosting the Open Meat Goat Show for the second time. Rachel and her husband Blain Smith’s children were showing goats when the Governor stopped by. “My kids grasped the magnitude of this.” As an Iowa Meat Goat Association board member, Rachel had heard the governor might stop by when she was making rounds at some agriculture events. When Rachel told her kids, her daughter Audrey commented, “She will want to see Pearl” (the goat she was showing). Not only did Governor Reynolds see Pearl, she also held Audrey’s goat. She asked the Smith kids some questions too. “They are proud of their goats,” the proud mother added. “They feed their own goats, and they do their own caretaking.” While Rachel and her husband help when needed, she said her kids know what to do. In fact, Audrey, who is 19 years old, is interested in agriculture. She is majoring in biochemistry at Central College in Pella, Iowa and plans to be veterinarian. “Raising Boer goats gave me a purpose while growing up,” Audrey said. “Through showing I have learned many life lessons and met a great community of people. It was exciting to meet someone I look up to. Governor Reynolds talked about her family’s involvement in the agriculture industry.” Audrey’s 15-year-old Zane agreed. “It was a privilege to meet the governor! She asked me about my animal and how I have been doing showing this summer. She was really nice, and I can’t believe our state governor showed up to a small-town county fair.” Zane likes goats and showing them. So much so, he’s following in his mother’s footsteps. He is the reporter for the Junior Iowa Meat Goat Association. The Smiths, who have been ABGA members for about 10 years, live in Keosauqua where they have 45 head. Goats mean quite a bit to their kids because they’re homeschooled. “I like to show goats for the fun of it,” Zane said. “I don’t really do it for the competition.” This is music to his mother’s ears, because she believes this: winning is just a fun part of it.

Ever wonder why your Certificates of Registration are different colors? Check out the images below to see which Herd Book your Boer goat is registered to. For an explanation of the ABGA Herd Books, lets dive into the Rules & Regulations below! Rule 200: Herd Books The record of animal registrations of the Association shall be known as the American Boer Goat Herd Book. The methods in which the records are kept are vested with the Board of Directors. The American Boer Goat Herd Book is made up of three (3) herd books: Fullblood American Purebred American Percentage The herd book(s) are divided into categories. Each category is assigned a level of Boer breeding that determines the category of next generation. In order to maintain common percentage breaks, the percentage of the animal may be rounded to the nearest category. Rule 201: Fullblood Boer Goats Fullblood Boer Goats must have originated from 100% Fullblood stock, either imported or American born. Rule 202: American Purebred Boer Goat Does American Purebred Boer Goat Does must have a minimum of 93.75% and less than 100% Boer blood and originate from any combination of Fullblood, American Purebred, or American Percentage parents whose average percentage falls within the requirements for this category of registration. Does in this category become eligible to be shown in the same classes as Fullblood Boer goats. Rule 203: American Purebred Boer Goat Bucks American Purebred Boer Goats Bucks must have a minimum of 96.875% and less than 100% Boer blood and originate from any combination of Fullblood, American Purebred, or American Percentage parents whose average percentage falls within the requirements for this category of registration. Bucks in this category are eligible to be shown in the same classes as Fullblood Boer goats. Rule 204: American Percentage Boer Goat Does American Percentage Boer Goat Does must have a minimum of 25% and less than 93.75% Boer blood and originate from any combination of Fullblood, American Purebred, American Percentage, or unregistered parents whose average percentage falls within the requirements for this category of registration. Rule 205: American Percentage Boer Goat Bucks American Percentage Boer Goat Bucks must have a minimum of 50% and less than 96.875% Boer blood and originate from any combination of Fullblood, American Purebred, American Percentage, or unregistered parents whose average percentage falls within the requirements for this category of registration. Rule 206: Percentage Boer Wethers; Record of Pedigree Bucks of less than 50% Boer goat blood will not be eligible for registration. Wethers (castrated males) with at least one registered parent are eligible for a “Record of Pedigree” certificate. This “Record of Pedigree” will be issued after the proper documentation has been submitted with the wether’s herd prefix, herd name, tattoos, date of birth, and a three-generation history. Rule 207: Animals Otherwise Ineligible for Registration or Record of Pedigree; Listing Paper Animals that are otherwise ineligible for registration or a Record of Pedigree will be eligible for a “Listing Paper” with the Association. This “Listing Paper” will be issued after the proper documentation has been submitted with the applicant’s herd prefix, herd name, tattoos, date of birth, and a copy of any applicable registration certificate issued by another association.

This recipe is courtesy of former JABGA Area 4 Directors Noah Ridding and Isaac Ridding. You can find this and many other tasty recipes in the JABGA "Cooking for the Future", now available in our E-Store. Easy Goat Enchiladas Ingredients 12 tortillas 1 onion, chopped ¾ LB grated Cheddar cheese 2 cans cream of chicken soup 1 PINT sour cream 3 jalapeno peppers 2 CUPS cooked goat meat Directions Mix sour cream and soup in a saucepan; add chopped peppers. Heat mixture until bubbling. Heat tortilla in hot oil one at a time. Add onions, cheese, goat meat, and a spoonful of soup mixture in the center of each tortilla; roll and place in a large baking dish. Pour the remaining soup mixture over the enchiladas; top with remaining grated cheese. Bake at 400 degrees Fahrenheit until the cheese has melted.

First Coni Ross Memorial Scholarship Recipient “Being chosen as the first-ever Coni Ross scholarship recipient means a lot to me,” said McKenna Blair, who is from Wagoner, Okla. “I considered her to be the best of the best.” Ranked 7th in her class, McKenna graduated Wagoner High School with a 4.0 GPA in May 2021. She now attends Oklahoma State University in Stillwater, Okla. As a double major in Agriculture Education and Agriculture Communications, she has a 4.0 GPA. “I will forever cherish Coni’s impact on my life,” McKenna said. “I can still remember her smiling and walking around the ring doing what she loved most. She brought so much positivity to the barns that always brightened my day.” Known worldwide for her knowledge of Boer goats and her interest in sharing her knowledge with others, McKenna said she hopes to follow in Coni’s footsteps. “I can only hope to, one day, be as knowledgeable about livestock as Coni and expand my own education to help and mold the generations to come,” McKenna said. After she graduates from college, McKenna wants to be an ag educator and build her own Boer goat herd. “Boer goats are beautiful animals,” McKenna said. “There is nothing cuter than a baby goat.” But it goes farther than that for McKenna. McKenna also wants to pay it forward by providing show animals to kids who are interested in showing and building a bond with the younger generations. McKenna said if you look deeper into what the Boer goat offers, there are many reasons to like Boer goats. “At the show level, they teach youth and adults how to manage time as well as how to be good caregivers,” she explained. “I think one of the greatest things Boer goats have to offer is their efficiency to convert forage to meat production. If a person isn’t interested in the show aspect of the Boer goat, the market and farm-to-table aspect is very beneficial and should be utilized more in today's world.” #JABGA #news

Congratulations to Jiles Coble who was selected to the 2021 Georgia National Livestock Ambassador team! #JABGA #news

An Unknown Staple of Meat | A Study of The Boer Goat Industry Casey Stevens’ goal is to change the meat goat industry. Her research “An Unknown Staple of Meat, A Study of The Meat Goat Industry” came in 4th in the Ag Sociology category at the San Antonio Stock Show & Rodeo. You can download and view her study here. #JABGA #news

By Alaina Blair Agriculture has provided me with vast opportunities and has impacted my life in many great ways: from skills learned and values instilled in me to hard work and responsibility are a way of life. It teaches perseverance, to hold tight to my faith, and know the sun will rise again tomorrow. Agriculture is not only cultivating the land, producing crops, and raising livestock, but it’s being a caregiver. It’s setting roots that run deep with family, history, and community. One day I will become part of a legacy left on the land as the next generation is raised. Agriculture is vital for all, for it produces the necessities that maintain life. ABGA has helped me find my passion and fuels my drive for the Boer goat industry. It’s given me the opportunity to be involved in the industry I so deeply love. Hopefully, one day I will be able to have a livelihood in becoming a veterinarian that specializes in small ruminants and giving back to the industry that has given me so much. Therefore, celebrating National Agriculture Week makes me think of gratitude and harvest time. Gratitude for the backbone of our nation that provides our food and a way of life to be proud of! It’s the past, present, and a promise of the future. It gives me a reason to celebrate the industry I love and settles my soul. Here’s to a lifestyle worth celebrating! #JABGA #news

By Logan Hollen What is Agriculture? As a girl growing up in Kentucky, I have been surrounded by ag my whole life. Throughout the past 18 years on this earth, I have learned what agricultural means to me. The foundation of the world is agriculture. Ag gives you everything – from the clothes on your back to the lights in your house. A few months ago, I found myself in front of a freshman ag class teaching them what agricultural is. After the lesson I left them with one last thing to remember, “without agricultural, we have nothing, without agriculture, we are nothing”. The American Boer Goat Association (ABGA) is a great representation of what agriculture is. This organization teaches young students about the importance of animals and how to properly care for them. We need more organizations such as the ABGA to share the importance of agriculture. I strive to share the importance of ag and continue to share with others why we must keep ag the focal point in everyday life. #JABGA #news

By Logan Hollen When going into any showmanship class the most important thing you want to do is have confidence. You can grow your confidence by having eye contact with the judge. When having eye contact it allows you to have a connection with the judge, and in hopes, they will remember you and set you apart from the rest. It’s very important to stay focused on where the judge is located in the ring. This is done by keeping eye contact. By knowing where the judge is at all times will let you have a smoother transition when moving around your goat and will help keep you focused on the class. This is definitely something that can be practiced at home with the use of a mirror. The use of a mirror in your barn will also help you with feet placement. Judges are very picky on how feet are placed. This will separate you from 1st place and 2nd place the majority of the time. The quicker you can place feet and be looking back up at the judge is what will push you towards the top of the class. #JABGA #news