Greenwood's does take grand champion honors

Audrey Greenwood completed her Future Farmers of America career, at least as a youth exhibitor, last year. This year she entered 28 dairy goats in the open livestock breed show and won the senior grand champion, junior grand champion and junior reserve champion awards for the LaMancha breed.

Jolene, who is 2 years old, was the senior grand champion.

"I was not expecting Jolene to be grand champion," Greenwood said.

A doe who has given birth competes in the senior class. The junior class is for does who have not given birth. Although milking is not part of the senior dairy goat competition the criteria includes udder positioning as well as conformation and general appearance.

"The competition was a little stiffer in open versus youth," Greenwood said.

Greenwood explained that some of the breeders have been involved in shows for more than 30 years. She was 5 years old when she joined Fallbrook 4-H Club and began showing rabbits at the San Diego County Fair in 2003. She started showing dairy goats at the fair in 2006.

Greenwood transitioned her affiliation from 4-H Club to FFA when she began high school; although Greenwood attended Oasis High School she took agriculture classes at Fallbrook High School which made her eligible for membership in Fallbrook's FFA chapter.

Argonne's Dairy Goats is the name of Greenwood's business. Her great-grandfather was a Pearl Harbor survivor who was stationed on the U.S.S. Argonne, and Greenwood named her business after that ship. When Greenwood is not taking goats to a show, Argonne's Dairy Goats is located at the Greenwood family home in Fallbrook.

Jolene was born on the Argonne's Dairy Goats farm, as were the two does who took LaMancha junior grand champion and junior reserve champion honors. Stella, the junior grand champion, was two months old during the June 12-16 dairy goat show. Chaos, who was three months old at the fair, was the junior reserve champion.

"It was pretty cool," Greenwood said of having both LaMancha grand champions and one reserve champion. "It's a good feeling. All that preparation paid off."

Greenwood noted that the preparation included plans for breeding as well as caring for the does. "I'm already planning breeding years from now. That sounds weird, but you've got to find the perfect pairing," she said.

The fair had a best of show for all breeds, but grand champions and reserve champions were awarded for specific breeds. The dairy goat show also had recorded grade grand champions and reserve champions for mixed breeds and Greenwood won three of those four possible awards. Gardena, who is two, received senior grand champion recognition. Yahtzee, who was three months, was the junior grand champion and two-month-old Magnolia won junior reserve champion honors.

Jolene was given honorable mention status in the best of show competition.

"My doe is just a little young," Greenwood said.

Greenwood brought 17 senior goats and 11 junior goats to the county fair. The dairy goats first compete in age divisions, based on months for junior goats and years for senior goats, and the division champions compete for grand champion and reserve champion distinction. Greenwood had four of the five LaMancha junior age division champions and three of the five LaMancha senior age division champions.

"Had a good start, I guess," Greenwood said. "I'm really pleased with how all my does did. Hopefully it isn't beginner's luck. Hopefully it's going to continue on."

Greenwood graduated from Oasis High School in 2017 and was a Palomar College student during 2017-2018. Future Farmers of America has an alumni year provision which allows FFA members to pursue their American FFA degree, and the San Diego County Fair allows FFA members in their alumni year to compete in the youth dairy goat show and the market livestock show.

Last year Fusion, who is now 4 years old, won best in show for all dairy goat breeds as well as overall LaMancha champion and senior LaMancha champion and Greenwood also raised the LaMancha overall and senior reserve champion, the LaMancha junior champion and junior reserve champion and the Saanen junior champion. Greenwood and Fusion also won the FFA senior dairy goat showmanship during the livestock breed competition and then won the master showmanship competition for all large animals.

The October 2018 National FFA Convention in Indianapolis included the presentation of Greenwood's FFA American degree.

"A lot of hard work went into earning that," she said.

Greenwood noted that approximately 1% of all Future Farmers of America members obtain their FFA American degree.

"It's pretty special that I was able to do that," she said.

Fusion did not win awards at this year's open dairy goat show.

"She didn't look her best today," Greenwood said. "It just wasn't her time. I'm not disappointed. Last year was her year. This year was Jolene's turn."

The San Diego County Fair has a youth division for the dairy goat show, but other shows do not have separate youth and open divisions.

"I actually have already competed against all those breeders before," Greenwood said. "I was pretty ready to go into open."

The level of competition isn't the only difference between the youth shows and the open show. There is no master showmanship at the open level, so Greenwood will have more time between her San Diego County Fair show and the annual American Dairy Goat Association show which this year is in Redmond, Oregon, and will take place July 6-13.

Last year the ADGA national show was during the San Diego County Fair, so Greenwood didn't compete. Two years ago the ADGA show was in Wisconsin.

"We went straight there from here. We didn't even go home," Greenwood said.

Four of the six Greenwood children have graduated from Fallbrook High School or Oasis High School, but Frank Greenwood and Brian Greenwood are current members of Fallbrook High School's Future Farmers of America chapter and will be in Del Mar for the market livestock show, June 24-30.

"I don't have to go," Audrey Greenwood said. "My mom will be here."

Tricia Greenwood will accompany her younger daughter to the ADGA show after her youngest sons have finished their county fair activity, but Audrey Greenwood will be preparing for the ADGA show that week.

"We'll have some time to relax and get ready," she said.