Let’s goat to the fair

Jaiden Emmons is getting her goats ready for the 4-H show on Friday. It's been a challenging year.

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July 25, 2022 - 2:43 PM

Jaiden Emmons trims her goat, Mocha, in preparation for Friday’s meat goat show at the Allen County Fair. Photo by Vickie Moss

Jaiden Emmons’ goat project got off to a rough start. 

In March, she bought two goats to serve as her 4-H project. She’s a member of the Logan Pals 4-H Club.

The same night they brought the goats to her great-grandmother’s house in Gas, where she has a pen set up, dogs broke into the pen and killed both goats. 

Jaiden was able to replace them, but the breeder had only two goats left. They weren’t ideal. 

“These two were not my first choice,” Jaiden explained, introducing Mocha and Latte, the goats she plans to show in the Allen County Fair this week.

“They don’t have as much muscle. The other two had a better frame.”

That meant she had to work harder to get Mocha and Latte up to show quality. She worked on their diet and walked them regularly.

Then, she noticed Latte had a problem.

“He was acting drunk,” Jaiden said. 

A veterinarian found he had a thiamin deficiency. After two shots and a few days, he was better. The experience, though, seemed to leave lasting effects.

“He’s still a little nutty.”

Even so, Jaiden is feeling pretty good about their prospects at the fair. 

The goat show is scheduled for 6 p.m. Friday at the fairgrounds show arena. 

Jaiden is also entering a visual arts project with a wooden toilet paper holder. She came up with the idea because her cat likes to shred toilet paper. Now, the cat can’t get to it. 

Jaiden Emmons shows off Latte as Mocha tries to intervene. Photo by Vickie Moss / Iola Register

JAIDEN is proof that even city kids can be part of 4-H.

She lives in Iola with her grandparents, although the family has a farm in the country. She attends Marmaton Valley High School, where she’ll be a junior this fall.

Over the years, she has taken a variety of 4-H projects to the fair, from bucket calves and rabbits to clothing and photography. 

Now, her main project is goats.

“Every year I get different goats. It’s fun to learn their personalities,” she said. 

“Latte is kind of clingy. If Mocha wants me to pet him, Latte will shove him out of the way. Mocha is just a mellow goat. Unless he’s hungry. Then he’ll scream.”

She’s worked these two goats more than any others she’s owned, Jaiden said. That’s because they required more effort to overcome their initial shortcomings. 

“A lot depends how much you work with them. That’s what I always had trouble with before. I never had time to work with them and then I expect them to do what I want on the day of the show,” she said. 

“I think I had more motivation to get them looking better because of what happened to the first two.

BESIDES THE goats, this year has posed other challenges for Jaiden.

She has a thyroid problem, which doctors diagnosed in January as Graves’ Disease, an immune system disorder that causes an overactive thyroid. In addition to symptoms such as eye problems and hair loss, it can also make her feel anxious and exhausted.

Part of Jaiden’s anxiety comes from her thyroid condition.

 When she’s anxious, the goats tend to pick up on it. That can make things difficult in the show ring.

In September, she will have surgery to remove her thyroid and will need to take medication for the remainder of her life. 

There’s still one more challenge to face before the fair.

Jaiden is part of the MVHS’s KAY Club, and she’s at camp this week. She’ll return home on Friday, just hours before the show. 

“Considering what I started with, I’m pretty pleased,” she said. 

“They’re fun to show. Latte is one of the best-looking goats I’ve shown.”

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