Check out this useful showmanship tip from JABGA Board President, Cecelia Knott. JABGA President Cecelia Knott's Showmanship Tip Check out this useful showmanship tip from JABGA Board President, Cecelia Knott. Practice! Practice! Practice! Set goals for yourself. Have someone video you practicing, so you can watch yourself and see how you may need to make some changes. Everyone shows a little differently but watching more experienced showmen is beneficial. Related Posts

The Junior American Boer Goat Association holds a special place in the heart of Jodi Scholl, our JABGA Area 2 Regional Show Secretary. Get To Know JABGA Area 2 Regional Show Secretary The Junior American Boer Goat Association holds a special place in the heart of Jodi Scholl, our JABGA Area 2 Regional Show Secretary. “We all love to help the youth and promote Boer goats.” The Junior American Boer Goat Association holds a special place in the heart of Jodi Scholl, our JABGA Area 2 Regional Show Secretary. “It's where I saw my daughter bloom in her personality and find her niche after a life altering accident,” Jodi explained. “She has now served on the JABGA board for three years. I believe that if we give our youth the tools they need, they will thrive.” That’s exactly what she’s doing with the JABGA Area 2 Regional Show. She said the livestock industry is such a powerful tool to keep kids involved and teaches so much more than showing. The JABGA highlights some of those skills with the contest and activities they do at the regionals and nationals. “We have a great group of friends that help run our shows,” Jodi explained. “We all love to help the youth and promote Boer goats.” While it’s a lot of work, they have a great time doing this, she added. “Life is just more fun when you are around ‘family’,” Jodi said. Along with a group of individuals that helps run her shows, Jodi said she had access to a facility that was not utilized enough. “We thought it would be a great place for an ABGA show, and it just came together the first year,” Jodi explained. “We each took a job that we had strengths with. Mine just happened to be organizing, so that's how I got to be show secretary that I share with Lori Wickman.” That was 5 years ago, and the rest, you could say, is history. “We now have three separate shows that we have turned into a series, The Little Sioux Showdown Triple Crown,” Jodi said. “We try to do something new and different each year. This could not be done without the help of my amazing committee! While she joined the ABGA in 2011 so her daughter could be in the JABGA, Jodi said she’s found opportunities within the ABGA that have helped her operation. She’s also had the chance to get to know so many people. “I have two more children who are starting to really get involved with the JABGA,” Jodi said. “I hope to see the same growth in them as I did my oldest.” This is important to Jodi because she was also raised in the agriculture industry. “I grew up on a family farm where we had a cow calf operation, farrow to finish operation, and row crop,” she added. “I was always outside with my Dad helping with things on the farm. I was involved in FFA during high school.” Some things never change. “My husband and I with our three kids have been highly involved in agriculture,” Jodi said. “We have a small cow calf operation, our son has a small sheep herd, and we have around 100 head of goats at all times. I am still highly involved with my family farm helping my folks with their row crop. I definitely would not want to raise my kids any other way!” Related Posts

Check out the results and pics from the Area 3 JABGA Regional Show: Racing to the Heartland in Greenfield, Indiana! Area 3 JABGA Regional Show: Racing to the Heartland Check out the results and pics from the Area 3 JABGA Regional Show: Racing to the Heartland in Greenfield, Indiana! Check out these photos from the Area 3 JABGA Regional Show: Racing to the Heartland! See Racing to the Heartland Show #1 results HERE . See Racing to the Heartland Show #2 results HERE . See the contest results below. Related Posts

The Reasons Behind the Breed Standards by Jada Young Maintaining Breed Integrity The Reasons Behind the Breed Standards by Jada Young Many times, in my show career I have asked myself questions. A substantial amount when I was younger was ‘why some things about our breed are the way they are, and what makes those things so important?’ A few examples of that would be the depth of body on an animal, or the precise hooks and pin set on a doe, or even the breed’s characteristic roman nose? Many of these answers can be dated back to before the Boer Goat was brought over to the United States from South Africa in 1993. When looking for these answers we need to take a step back from the show ring and look at the breed from a production standpoint. Our animals were not always made for the show life. They were used to produce meat for slaughter purposes. The main factor in that production was kidding out does to have more potential babies, or slaughter opportunities. This is where the deep body cavity and hooks to pin set come into play. The deeper flanked a doe is, the more desirable she will be because she has more maternal capabilities. This means she will have more room to carry the babies comfortably to full term. The hooks and pin set also play a vital role in the birth of baby goats. If you have a doe that is too narrow in her rear end, there is a higher chance of babies getting stuck, which is a possibility of lost life. When looking at herd production, you want to continue growing, instead of losing vital members of your herd. The next stage of life for a young kid is to grow to their full potential. When a kid was born many years ago back in South Africa, many farmers looked at their body characteristics to determine how much natural muscling the animals will carry when they are older. The roman nose is believed to signify a strong, broad head which is associated with good meat production. This is how farmers would cull their herds to only keep what they believed would be good meat producers. Next time when you are wondering why some of our breed characteristics are in place, ask a fellow member in hopes of learning some of the history behind our association. It is very important to know why our breed characteristics were instilled in the Boer goat all those years ago in South Africa. Jada Young Junior Board of Directors Area 4 Related Posts Aug 9, 2024 JABGA Member, Baylee Lamb, Recognized by the state of Oklahoma JABGA Bred & Owned Percentage Doe Grand Champion's hard work and dedication pays off! Mar 26, 2022 What National Agriculture Week Means To Me JABGA Board Member, Alaina Blair, reflects on what National Agriculture Week means to her. Feb 28, 2022 JABGA Member Casey Stevens Researches Goat Meat Casey Stevens’ goal is to change the meat goat industry. Check out her award winning research!

Check out these contest results and pics from the Area 5 Regional Show, Spring in the Ring, held in Abilene, Texas. Area 5 JABGA Regional Show: Spring in the Ring Check out these contest results and pics from the Area 5 Regional Show, Spring in the Ring, held in Abilene, Texas. Check out these photos from the Area 5 JABGA Regional Show: Spring in the Ring! You can see the show results here . See the contest results below. #ABGAShows #JABGA #news Related Posts

The JABGA Junior Ambassador Program empowers members ages 10–15 to build leadership, confidence, and networking skills through mentorship, event involvement, and peer collaboration. Apply between April 17–May 15 to be one of 10 selected youth leaders! Junior Ambassador Program Launch The JABGA Junior Ambassador Program empowers members ages 10–15 to build leadership, confidence, and networking skills through mentorship, event involvement, and peer collaboration. Apply between April 17–May 15 to be one of 10 selected youth leaders! Purpose: The Junior Ambassador Program is designed to empower young JABGA members by fostering leadership development and enhancing networking skills. This program aims to provide a supportive environment where participants can build confidence, collaborate with peers, and engage with mentors to grow both personally and professionally. Through hands-on experiences, association involvement, and guided mentorship, the Junior Ambassador Program seeks to inspire the next generation of JABGA leaders to take initiative, communicate effectively, and cultivate meaningful connections that will benefit them throughout their lives. Age Requirement: JABGA members ages 10 -15 as of January 1st of the current year Application and selection process: The application process will open April 17 and close May 15 Applications will be evaluated in a blind selection by the JABGA Board of Directors. 10 Junior Ambassadors will be selected, 2 per JABGA area. In the case that 2 applications are not submitted in a specific area, a third applicant may be selected from the remaining areas. Selected applicants will be announced at the JABGA Awards Ceremony during the National Show. Guidelines for the program: Junior ambassadors will assist in the organization of activities at Regional and National Shows, as well as additional educational events. Junior Ambassadors will also aid in developing JABGA Social Media content. Tele-meetings will be held monthly with two JABGA Board of Directors presiding. Write an essay no less than 300 words. Essay question: You're sitting with a group of your friends telling them how you're gone most weekends with your goats. What do you tell them to help them understand how important it is to you and possibly motivate them to join the JABGA? Apply now! Related Posts

JABGA Board Member, Alaina Blair, reflects on what National Agriculture Week means to her. What National Agriculture Week Means To Me JABGA Board Member, Alaina Blair, reflects on what National Agriculture Week means to her. By Alaina Blair JABGA Board Member 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 Related Posts

Boer Goats, bred for meat quality and resilience in South Africa. Learn about their journey to the U.S. and their impact on goat farming by JABGA Area 5 Director Jada Young. The Importance of The Boer Goat Breed Boer Goats, bred for meat quality and resilience in South Africa. Learn about their journey to the U.S. and their impact on goat farming by JABGA Area 5 Director Jada Young. The Boer Goat was originally developed in South Africa, and first appeared around the early 1900s. The South African farmers selectively chose to breed a mixture of indigenous goats, Angora, and Spanish stock to create a hardy animal that could survive the harsh conditions of the South African planes, but also produce enough meat to feed their families. For the next few decades, the farmers used selective breeding techniques to focus on meat quality, meat quantity, and development of the striking characteristic of the white body with a brown head. In 1959, The South African Boer Goat Breeders Association (SABGBA) was established formalizing the breed. Although the breed had been made official over three decades before, the first Fullblood Boer Goat was imported into the United States in 1993. That same year The American Boer Goat Association (ABGA) was established. Since then, according to the USDA the total meat goat population has reached over 2.51 million in the United States. Of those, approximately just over 1 million Boer Goat and Boer Goat crosses are slaughtered annually in the United States for meat consumption purposes. It may be easy for breeders and showmen to visualize our herds as show stock, but it is important to acknowledge the breed for their original purpose. Many countries and families to this day still strongly rely on goat meat production to successfully sustain themselves. - Jada Young, JABGA Area 5 Director Learn more about Jada Young Related Posts Nov 4, 2025 Keeping the Breed Strong Strategic breeding is essential to preserving the breed’s standards. Learn more about raising goats by JABGA Area 4 Director Brook Arce. Dec 2, 2024 Overcoming Obstacles in the Industry The Boer goat industry faces challenges like breeding for quality, disease management, and labor commitment. Despite these, the rewards are immense. By Alaina Blair Oct 18, 2024 Maintaining Breed Integrity The Reasons Behind the Breed Standards by Jada Young

Finding a mentor in a new program, like JABGA, provides guidance, builds experience, and fosters shared passion to achieve your goals. Being a Mentor by Logan Hollen Finding a mentor in a new program, like JABGA, provides guidance, builds experience, and fosters shared passion to achieve your goals. When joining any program or association it can be easy to feel as though you are always one step behind. Everyone already has a routine and a set way of doing their selected tasks. How can you find yourself within a new program or association? From my own experience I would say that finding a mentor can be very beneficial. I have had the pleasure of growing up in the Junior American Boer Goat Association atmosphere and while growing up in this association I have met so many people who have kept me focused and on track to meet my goals. By having these teachers in my life, I have reached many of my set goals but more importantly I have created a strong and set path that helped me reach those goals. With a mentor you are not only learning but experiencing what they have gone through in the past and present. This alone gives you more experience to then build a stronger program of your own. I have had the opportunity to be a mentor myself while working on the JABGA board of directors. It has been a wonderful experience getting to meet so many young individuals that have fallen in love with the same association that I fell in love with many years ago. At the end of the day, we all have the same goals and passion and by being a mentor you can give the experience to help others reach those goals pushed by their own passion. So, the next time you find yourself needing a guide or looking for a push in the right direction just remember that this association is filled with people who want to see you succeed! Logan Hollen JABGA Vice President Area 3 Related Posts Oct 18, 2024 Maintaining Breed Integrity The Reasons Behind the Breed Standards by Jada Young Apr 2, 2022 Confidence and Eye Contact "When going into any showmanship class the most important thing you want to do is have confidence," says JABGA Vice President Logan Hollen. Mar 31, 2022 What is Agriculture? Read what JABGA Vice President, Logan Hollen, wrote about agriculture for National Agriculture Week.

Madison Reis spent much of her childhood entrenched in agriculture and showing alongside her grandparents in California. Meet JABGA President: Madison Reis Madison Reis spent much of her childhood entrenched in agriculture and showing alongside her grandparents in California. I first got into the goat world and stepped into the ring for the first time when I was around two years old. I had no clue what I was doing, but I held on to the end of the show lead and helped my gammo show that doe the best I could. Since that moment I have never looked back, and I took off and ran with goats. All the kids I went to school with growing up were interested and passionate about sports, but my heart and passion lay with the goats and the show ring. Every chance I got I was at the ranch with my grandparents doing whatever needed to be done around the barn. The older I got the more passionate I became about the Boer goat industry. I wanted to go to every show I could in order to work on my showmanship skills and to continue to better my herd and show string. By doing this I met so many amazing people and built a goat community across multiple states. Looking back when I was younger, I was just as passionate to help the youngers kids and watch them succeed as I am now. As I grew older, that passion just kept burning brighter and brighter, and I wanted to become more involved within the industry. The show community we have in California is a very tight knit group, and I have grown up showing with the kids within that community. I am one of the oldest junior members, and I have always wanted to set a good example for the younger members. This is where I really started to want to be more involved in JABGA so I could help more junior members. I have always been a helping hand, and people know that they can trust me to help with their kids or animals. In 2022 I applied to be on the Board of Directors for the JABGA, which was another way for me to become more involved and fulfill my passion for this association. Luckily, I was able to become a director and representative for JABGA Area 1. My first year on the Board of Directors I ran for an officer position to really show my passion and commitment to the association and its members. My second year on the board I was elected Vice President. Fast forward to the present in 2024 I reapplied to be on the Board of Directors, and luckily, I got reelected to be a director. I also was nominated and elected to be the President of JABGA. Looking back now my younger self would be so proud of how far I have come in this industry and the experiences and opportunities I have had all thanks to Boer goats and I wouldn’t have it any other way! Learn more about Madison Reis. Related Posts Jan 22, 2024 Applications Open for JABGA Board of Directors JABGA is now accepting JABGA Board of Directors nominations until March 1, 2024. Jul 9, 2022 Congratulations to the 2022-2023 JABGA Board of Directors Officers! The JABGA Board of Directors selected 2022-2023 officers as part of their annual Face-to-Face meeting on July 7, 2022. Feb 17, 2022 JABGA President Cecelia Knott's Showmanship Tip Check out this useful showmanship tip from JABGA Board President, Cecelia Knott.

The Junior American Boer Goat Association (JABGA) is growing rapidly, prompting us to update our areas for the first time in over a decade. JABGA Area Updates The Junior American Boer Goat Association (JABGA) is growing rapidly, prompting us to update our areas for the first time in over a decade. Why We Updated the Areas for the Junior American Boer Goat Association The Junior American Boer Goat Association (JABGA) is growing rapidly, prompting us to update our areas for the first time in over a decade. In the past 10 years our membership has also shifted. This change reflects those shifts to better serve everyone. Here’s why we made this change and how it benefits our members. JABGA Area Map - Effective 2025 Rapid Growth Brings New Opportunities JABGA has experienced some growth over the past several years. This growth has created exciting opportunities but also revealed some challenges with our existing area structure. The distribution of members across the country had become uneven, making it clear that an update was overdue. Balancing the Areas Our primary goal in updating the areas was to create a more balanced distribution of members. Previously, some areas had significantly more members than others, which made participation in events and leadership activities more challenging for some. The new structure ensures that each area has as equal a number of members as possible, promoting fairness and encouraging more consistent participation. Traveling Made Easier We understand that traveling to shows, and competitions can be a big commitment for our Junior members and their families. With the updated areas, members will have the opportunity to travel to events in states that are closer to home. This change not only reduces travel time and expenses but also makes it more convenient for members to stay involved and engaged in JABGA activities. Looking Ahead We’re excited about the positive impact this update will have on our organization and our Junior members. The new structure represents our commitment to fairness, accessibility, and growth as we continue to support the next generation of Boer goat enthusiasts. Thank you to everyone who provided input and support during this process. We look forward to seeing our members thrive in these newly balanced areas. Here’s to a bright future for JABGA and all our incredible Juniors! Related Posts Dec 2, 2024 Overcoming Obstacles in the Industry The Boer goat industry faces challenges like breeding for quality, disease management, and labor commitment. Despite these, the rewards are immense. By Alaina Blair Oct 18, 2024 Maintaining Breed Integrity The Reasons Behind the Breed Standards by Jada Young Sep 6, 2024 Meet JABGA President: Madison Reis Madison Reis spent much of her childhood entrenched in agriculture and showing alongside her grandparents in California.

Check out the results and pics from the Area 2 JABGA Regional Show: Little Sioux Showdown in Spencer, Iowa Area 2 JABGA Regional Show: Little Sioux Showdown Check out the results and pics from the Area 2 JABGA Regional Show: Little Sioux Showdown in Spencer, Iowa Check out these photos from the Area 2 Regional Show: Little Sioux Showdown! Related Posts