Hey, local businesses and fellow friends who buy local!
/This post is a little different than most, but my niece and nephew are doing some pretty cool things and this proud aunt wants to share about it!
My niece, Gwen, and nephew, Hudson, are showing their market goats at the Carroll County 4-H & FFA Fair (July 30th-August 6th) in a few weeks, then hoping to sell said market goats (4 total) at the Livestock Sale on Friday night, August 5th. If you’re a local business in Carroll County, the sale is a wonderful opportunity to promote your business (also there are tax benefits for most) while supporting a great cause. AND/OR if you’re like me and like to buy locally, humanely-raised meat, the livestock sale is a great place to do so while supporting some great kids.
I’ve watched both Gwen and Hudson work so hard this year on this 4-H project, not only do they care for their goat’s physical needs, but they’ve worked really hard to train them for the show ring. If you’ve never been around a goat, they’re really stubborn animals, and training and working with them is a hard-earned, character-building, often frustrating experience. I’ve watched Gwen and Hudson’s confidence grow, and seen their persistence and perseverance over the past several months and I could not be more proud of them!
For those interested I’ve copied the following from my niece Gwen’s letter to potential buyers:
Facts about goat meat:
Per 3oz. of goat meat there are 122 calories, 23g of protein, and 2.6 g of fat
Goat meat is a leaner alternative to traditional meats, being low in cholesterol and high in protein. It’s lower in calories than both beef (179 calories) and chicken (162 calories).
Goat meat is high in Iron. Goat meat has 3.2 milligrams of iron per serving, trumping beef’s 2.9 milligrams, and doubling chicken’s 1.5 milligrams.
Goat meat is also free of any growth hormones. Hudson and I have been extremely specific and careful in what we feed our goats, to not only do our best to produce the highest quantity of meat per animal but also make sure, to the best of our ability, that the meat is high quality and rich in nutrients.
The following are a few facts regarding the Carroll County 4-H & FFA Fair specifically:
To save time checking in on the day of the sale, the Sale Committee is requesting that buyers fill out a Buyer Pre-Registration Form. If purchasing via cowbuyer.com please indicate your Buyer number on the registration form.
Once an animal is purchased at the sale the buyer will be asked to select a processor. The processor is where the animal will be taken to be butchered for steaks, chops, ground meat, roasts, and just made from the animal based on your choosing. Once completed, the processor will contact you to pick up your meat, packaged similarly to what you would see at the grocery store.
The majority of the money made from the sale will go back to the individual kids to help them purchase their next year’s project, along with feed and supplies. No funds collected from the sale go to salaries, as 4-H is run by volunteers who donate their time. The auction will keep a small portion to help pay for the expenses of the sale such as supplies, equipment., etc.
Once you purchase an animal at the sale, The Sale Committee and Volunteers will take care of hauling your purchased livestock to the processor, so you will not be responsible for or have to worry about the transportation.
If you would like to participate in the sale but would like to donate the animal back you are welcome to do so. When animals are donated back they will be resold at a livestock auction and the money will be given to a charity of your choosing.
In most cases, your purchase is tax-deductible. Please consult your tax advisor, as everyone's situation is different.
Purchasing an animal at the sale is a great way to promote your business or company! Many businesses around Carroll County will have the animal processed and use the meat as gifts for the employees, or use the meat for employee picnics, etc.
If you have more questions about the sale specifically, please feel free to contact Ramona Rawlings and Deanna Geiman at sale@carrollcountyfair.com
