Gravette sisters win best-ofbreed awards with dairy goats

Destiny Tate, of Gravette, milked her goat at the Benton County Fair last month.
Destiny Tate, of Gravette, milked her goat at the Benton County Fair last month.

— A line of fascinated kids and parents gathered to watch Destiny Tate, 9, of Gravette, milking her Alpine Dairy Goat, Frenchetta, at the Benton County Fair last month.

The livestock barn was crowded with Benton County youngsters - many from Gentry, Decatur and Gravette - exhibiting their 4-H and FFA projects, whether they were goats, lambs, hogs, cattle or even rabbits.

Destiny and her sister Danica Tate, 12, answered the many questions from passersby with the knowledge of longtime veterans, although some of the more difficult questions - such as “what percentage of butterfat do goats produce?” - Destiny referred to her older sister.

The girls have owned dairy goats for the past five years. This year they won three best-of-breed awards with their dairy goats at the fair.

It takes months of preparation and long hours toget animals ready for the fair. The sisters help milk their 23 goats twice a day at home. They also have to spend time getting the goats used to walking on a lead line, which can prove to be a difficult task.

Watching the goats grow up and bottle feeding them are her favorite parts of owning dairy goats, Destiny said.

Goat milk is just like cows milk, except that it is easier to digest because it has smaller fat molecules, Danica explained.

Community, Pages 16 on 09/07/2011