The Boer Goats are coming! The Boer Goats are coming!
And due to a happenstance, they have been coming annually to Fort Scott for three years.
“This will be the third year ( the Heartland Showcase Boer Goat Sale) will be held in Fort Scott as we are in the middle of the area of people raising Boer Goats,” Allen Warren, with the Bourbon County Fairgrounds Board, said.
What is a Boer Goat?
“The development of the Boer goat in the early 1900’s can be traced to the Dutch farmers of South Africa. Boer is a Dutch word meaning farmer. With meat production setting the selection criteria, the Dutch farmers developed the Boer goat as a unique breed of livestock. The Boer goat has a rapid growth rate, excellent carcass qualities and is highly adapted to different environments,” according to http://abga.org/about-abga/history/“
“They (the Heartland Showcase Boer Goat Sale organizers) originally held their first sale in Columbus,” Warren said.
There was a lack of hotels and restaurants in Columbus, according to Warren.
“As some of the officers were on their way home to Nebraska, they drove through Fort Scott and decided to see what kind of a Fairground and facility we had to offer,” Warren said. “The next day they called the K-State Extension Office and got my telephone number. This developed into the relationship we have today. They feel our facilities and our community has a lot of what they were looking for.”
“We heard that they were a good location, centrally located. Fort Scott seemed to be the perfect fit,” Lisa Stripe, co-owner of the sale, said. “We generally have 12 different farms bringing their goats into the sale. Usually the crowd draws 100-150 people.”
The Stripes are from Humeston, Iowa.
“We personally got started because as a kid Ithought it would be fun to have some. Later, I bought some behind my husband’s back.”
“They are good animals for kids in 4-H or FFA because they are gentle, the kids are less likely to get hurt versus a cow or calf.”
“I would like to thank the businesses , the motels the fairgrounds,” Stripe said. “We couldn’t ask for a better place to have the sale.”
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