Entry Fee: $10.00/contestant, pre-registration is required

Contest Time: 30 minutes

The Contest will take place the Tuesday after the show at 9 am on the east end of the goat barn. Contestants will be required to attend a mandatory meeting prior to the contest held the day of check in.  There will be three age divisions. Exhibitors must follow the Code of Ethics in the Rules and Regulations section of the Premium Book.

• To enter you must check the entry form box and pay the $10 entry fee. Sign up must be completed at check-in with team members names. The team will be issued an entry number and this number must be displayed during the contest.
• Participants must be a current market wether show exhibitor
• Each team will consist of no more than two individuals.
• Each team will be required to furnish and fit one wether. The animal must be an eligible entry at the current Suwannee River Youth Fair and the animal must also be owned by one of the team members.
• The animal needs to be clean to start (washed and dried), no products, free of any artificial substances (no mousse, foams, etc.) are allowed on the animal upon entering the competition area. Animals will be checked for products before entering the competition area. The animal may be lightly misted with water to confirm that the animal is unfitted.
• Each team is responsible for obtaining/provide their own fitting equipment and supplies used to fit their animal.
• It is the responsibility of the contestant to have their equipment in place 15 minutes prior to the start of the contest.
• Once the contest begins, no team member may leave the area and no additional equipment may be brought into the fitting area.
• Each team will be allowed 30 minutes to fit their animal.
• Contestants may not use inappropriate fitting methods. Unethical fitting situations include but are not limited to the addition of any hair or hair like substances (including twine). All fitting techniques must be within acceptable practices, Any Exhibitor caught using unethical fitting practices could result in disqualification.
• Only contestants and officials will be allowed in contest area. All audience members must stay out of the area designated as the contest space and are not allowed to communicate with the participants in any fashion. No assistance or coaching will be allowed once contest begins.
• Judge will circulate and question participants during the 30 mins.
• Periodic time announcements will be made throughout the contest. A 10-minute warning will be given. At the end of the 30-minute allotted time, clippers down and work stopped.
• Once time has been called, all teams must cease working on their animal. If fitting is continued after time is called, the team will be automatically disqualified.
• After fitting time, each team member must be beside the animal, but are not allowed to continue fitting the animal after time is called.
• Once released from the competition all animals must be broken down and products washed from the animal.
• Rules will be strictly enforced
• Exhibitors will be judged based upon the following criteria and points/scoring will be awarded/based as/on follows:
  • Quality of workmanship (ability to fit)
  • Team Skills – collaboration, organization, and participation of each team member
  • Compatibility of the use of various types of grooming equipment and supplies.
  • Overall completion and final appearance of the animal
  • Judge’s questions for team members (response to these will be related to their knowledge of the animal, products, or fitting methods)
  • Neatness of individuals and area will be in consideration.

Entry Fee: None
Skill-a-ton is a contest to test your knowledge of the goat industry
Each age division will have their own test.
The number of questions per test will vary per year. 25 -50 questions
A moderator will be present.
If you have trouble reading, make sure to let us know upon arrival and an assistant will help you with reading your quiz.
Pens and pencils are provided
Casual dress
The use of electronic devices is prohibited.  Any contestant found to be using a phone, headphones, watches or any other electronic device will be disqualified from the contest.
Once you’ve entered the contest you must complete your test.  You will not be permitted to leave and reenter.  If you are found to exit the contest with the physical copy of the test you will be disqualified for the current year and the following years contest. 

Entry Fee: None
Junior Division: Minimum of 3 minutes and maximum of 5 minutes.
Topic: What should you do in the showring?
Intermediate Division: Minimum of 4 minutes and maximum of 6 minutes.
Topic: Why or why not is record keeping important for the care of your herd?
Senior Division: Minimum of 5 minutes and maximum of 7 minutes.
Topic: Pick a biosecurity issue.  How would you overcome this issue within your herd?
Electronic devices will not be allowed in the holding area or contest room.
Materials: two 3x5 note cards can be used, absolutely no outside materials are allowed. Excessive reference to notes may result in deduction of points.
The use of visual aids are not allowed.
Dress:  no required dress, but it is important to keep in mind that appearance is important.
Each contestant must make the presentation without a microphone.
Contestants will penalized one point per second on each judges score sheet for being over or under the time allowed.
Ties: in the event of tie, it will be broken by comparing scores in the following judging sections:
a.    Content
b.    Delivery
c.    Language

Entry Fee: None
Sales talk uses a live setting complete with a live animal, photo or pedigree and potential buyers.  This contest is a mock sales situation – you are selling your animal to a buyer.  The purpose is to evaluate the effectiveness of the presentation and the contestant’s ability to merchandise their project goat.  Contestants will be judged on their knowledge of the animal, semen or embryos they are selling, their ability to relay important information and their overall effectiveness in convincing the judges to buy their product.
Time allotted: 4-7 minutes
Materials: A live animal (another individual may hold the animal), photo, (no larger than 8 x 10) or registration certificate for the animal, semen, or embryos being “sold”
Dress: There is no required dress, but it’s important to keep in mind that appearance is important when marketing yourself and your animals.
Ties:  in the event of a tie Scores will be compared and broken into the following order:
a.    Knowledge/ Introduction
b.    Organization/Style
c.    Delivery
d.    Response to questions

Information on this page is for informational purposes only and does not imply a contest, event, or show will occur at the Suwannee River Youth Livestock Show and Sale. If you find a broken link please email: Holly Houghton