Jefferson County, IA – The barns were bustling and competition fierce as local youth showcased their livestock expertise during the Goats (Dairy and Meat) and Sheep events at this year’s Jefferson County Fair. With dozens of entries across breeding, market, carcass, showmanship, and bottle classes, a few standout individuals walked away with top honors.
Grand Champions & Reserve Champions
Breeding Goats
- Grand Champion Breeding Meat Goat: Blake Sobaski (Fairfield FFA), entry #1036 – Breeding Does Under 1 Year of Age
- Reserve Grand Champion Breeding Meat Goat: Scout Lock (Packwood Trojans), entry #542
Market Goats
- Grand Champion Market Meat Goat: Blake Sobaski (Fairfield FFA), entry #1035
- Reserve Grand Champion Market Meat Goat: Bryan Meixner (Ceniteers), entry #627
Carcass Goats
- Champion Carcass Goat: Clae Cass (Fairfield FFA), entry #216
Breeding Lambs
- Grand Champion Breeding Lamb: Scout Lock (Pekin FFA), commercial ewe lamb #541
- Reserve Grand Champion Breeding Lamb: Scout Lock (Pekin FFA), purebred ewe lamb #543
Market Lambs
- Grand Champion Market Lamb: Emily White (Fairfield FFA), entry #262
- Reserve Grand Champion Market Lamb: Madisyn Woodburn (Fairfield FFA), entry #1324
Carcass Lambs
- Champion Carcass Lamb: Ava McArtor (Des Moines Ramblers), entry #1019
Pen of Three Lambs
- Champion Pen of 3 Market Lambs: Gabe Conner (Leading Hands), pen #94
- Reserve Champion Pen of 3 Market Lambs: William Vanderhorst (Pekin FFA), pen #1139
Top Rate of Gain Awards
- Goat: Joseph Lanman (Packwood Trojans), entry #1449
- Sheep: Gabe Conner (Leading Hands), entry #91
Bottle Goats & Bottle Lambs
Junior Division (Grades 4–6)
Bucket-Bottle Goats
- Champion Junior Bucket-Bottle Goat: Layla Cline (Leading Hands), entry #538
- Reserve Champion Junior Bucket-Bottle Goat: Eli Carlson (Des Moines Ramblers), entry #1303
- Other Notable Placings:
- Joseph Lanman (Packwood Trojans), entry #1455 – Blue, 4th
- Finn Schafer (Leading Hands), entry #102 – Blue, 3rd
Bucket-Bottle Lambs
- Champion Junior Bucket-Bottle Lamb: Brenna Miller (Ceniteers), entry #373
- Reserve Champion Junior Bucket-Bottle Lamb: Blake Miller (Ceniteers), entry #374
- Other Notable Placings:
- Scarlett McKee (Leading Hands), entry #737 – Red, 4th
- Joseph Lanman (Packwood Trojans), entry #1456 – Blue, 3rd
Intermediate Division (Grades 7–9)
Bucket-Bottle Goats
- Champion Intermediate Bucket-Bottle Goat: Kagan Vannoy (Leading Hands), entry #703
Bucket-Bottle Lambs
- Champion Intermediate Bucket-Bottle Lamb: Carson Stagers (Packwood Trojans), entry #334
- Reserve Champion Intermediate Bucket-Bottle Lamb: Kagan Vannoy (Leading Hands), entry #702
Return Bottle Lambs
- Champion Return Bottle Lamb: Kagan Vannoy (Leading Hands), entry #701
Showmanship Winners
Meat Goat Showmanship
- Senior Champion: Kale McBeth (Packwood Trojans)
- Intermediate Champion: Scout Lock (Packwood Trojans)
Dairy Goat Showmanship
- Junior Champion: KaliAnn Nupp (Leading Hands)
- Intermediate Champion: Joseph Lanman (Packwood Trojans)
Noteworthy Performances by Club
- Fairfield FFA dominated both goat and sheep categories, led by standout exhibitors Blake Sobaski and Emily White.
- Packwood Trojans excelled in showmanship and multiple market and breeding categories, including Scout Lock and Joseph Lanman.
- Pekin FFA had a strong presence in lamb classes with multiple wins by Scout Lock and William Vanderhorst.
- Leading Hands stood out in bottle and showmanship divisions, with strong performances from Layla Cline, Kagan Vannoy, Gabe Conner, and KaliAnn Nupp.
This year’s fair clearly showcased the hard work and dedication of Jefferson County youth. Congratulations to all participants for an outstanding exhibition!
A huge thanks to our Jefferson County Fair sponsors for making this fair coverage possible:
- Graber Services
- H&R Block
- Hinshaw Trailers of Richland
- Keosauqua Lumber of Keosauqua and Fairfield
- Merschman Seed
- Mt. Pleasant Chevy, GMC, CDJR
- Sinclair Tractor
- Yotty’s Golf Cars