We caught up with Brittney Schmillen, the exhibitor the Reserve Grand Champion 4-H Market Goat at the 2023 Iowa State Fair! Learn a little more about Brittney below!

Age: 12

Hometown: Marcus, Iowa

Grade: 6th Grade-Remsen St. Mary’s

What’s your Goat name? and what made him/her so special?
My goat’s name is Luke and he is the first goat that I have ever owned and shown so that makes him special from the start. Luke was purchased from Chad Walker and raised by Blue Team Wethers, he has been an awesome addition to the barn and has had a very successful start.

Throughout your show career what’s been your favorite Goat?
That would have to be Luke….I’m sure as I continue to show there will be some other favorites but he was the one that got me started  and will always have a special place in my heart.

What do you tell yourself right before you go into the ring?
Stay calm and try not to show my emotions on my face 🙂

What’s your dream college to attend?
I haven’t quite thought that far ahead yet but I could see myself going to an Ag School closer to home.

What’s your favorite thing to do in the barn?
Play my music and boss my brothers around….I do like working legs. I also like lambing season in the barn, I look forward to helping with the new babies every year

What’s your favorite show? and why?
I love the Iowa State Fair….I spent so many years watching my big brother Sam show and now this year I was finally old enough to participate. 8 days of being in the barn and running around the fair with my friends, it was a lot of fun.

How do you stay focused on reaching your goal?
Her name is Jill Schmillen.

Who has been your biggest influence?
Being new to the Goat Barn, we received a lot of help from Chad Walker leading up to the State Fair. Then for show day prep and some tweaking on showmanship Hayden Schroeder from Blue Team Wethers came over and helped me out. All of their help is much appreciated and I couldn’t have accomplished what I did without all of their guidance.

We caught up with Payton Rodgers, the exhibitor the Reserve Grand Champion Market Goat at the 2023 Missouri State Fair! Learn a little more about Payton below!

Age: 17

Hometown: Savannah, MO

Grade: Senior

What’s your Goat name? and what made him/her so special?
My goat “snickers” was a very special goat for me because he was the first goat I ever showed. Everyone told me that goats have very strong personalities and snickers definitely lived up to that.

Throughout your show career what’s been your favorite Goat?
This was the first goat I have ever shown so he is my favorite so far, but I’m excited to continue showing and getting new goats in the barn.

What do you tell yourself right before you go into the ring?
Before I go into the ring I always remind myself that our family worked as hard as we could and did everything we could to get to that moment, whatever is going to happen is in Gods hands.

What’s your dream college to attend?
I have always wanted to attend Oklahoma State University.

What’s your favorite thing to do in the barn?
I always enjoy working in the barn and it’s where most of my time is spent. It’s hard to pinpoint my favorite thing to do in the barn. I enjoy every aspect of spending time working on livestock with my family. However if I had to pick a favorite it would be working hair.

What’s your favorite show? and why?
I really enjoy every show and each one is unique, but my favorite show would have to be the National Western Stock Show. In my mind it has always been the Super Bowl of Livestock Shows. I think the thing that really sets it apart is the history and tradition behind it. I have always enjoyed getting to look at the high quality livestock and getting to look at the bulls on display. I have met so many people and made so many memories because of the NWSS and it will always be a special place for me.

How do you stay focused on reaching your goal?
The biggest thing that keeps me focused on reaching my goals is my passion for this industry and showing. I know my time in the showring is coming closer to an end but until then I want to do everything I can to accomplish the goals I have. I have learned to use disappointment as motivation. Not everything is going to go the way I envision so, instead of getting upset or giving up on a goal I have learned to find the positive with what I’m doing, learn from coming up short, and use it as motivation to work harder to accomplish my goals.

Who has been your biggest influence?
I have been very fortunate to have many influential people in my life, all of which have played a significant role in helping and shaping me into the person I am today. However my biggest influences would have to be my parents. They have devoted so much time and given so much support to my sister and I. They have taught us how to work hard and never give up, always push us to reach our goals, and to do and be our best. I will forever be thankful that they had my sister and I grow up in this industry because I truly couldn’t imagine  growing up any other way.