Ember is already a blue ribbon winner and her owners, two young sisters from Portersville, are working to see her in the winner’s circle again this summer.

Ember, a LaMancha goat, placed first in the junior goat show at the 2021 Butler Farm Show and came home with overall grand champion ribbon. Margaret LeViere, 11, and her sister, Elizabeth, 6, are hoping for a repeat performance Aug. 8 to 11 at this year’s farm show, 625 Evans City Road.

Although the LeViere family has been raising goats since the early 2000s, only meat or dairy goats may enter the show ring. Margaret, a 4-H member, decided to research the nine different breeds of dairy goats to select one to compete with.

It was the LaMancha goats that drew Margaret’s attention. She said it was not only their “cuteness” but their high milk production, temperament and popularity.

Margaret and Elizabeth got their first LaMancha goats sometime in March 2021.

A LaMancha goat is a dairy goat known for their tiny ears, or gopher ears. They come from Spanish goats with tiny ears and were crossbred in California with other dairy goats like Nubian goats. They are now considered a main American breed of goat.

“Dairy goat milk is the most common milk in the world outside of the United States,” Margaret said.

The name LaMancha comes from the name of a region located in Spain. Compared to other goats, they are more docile and tend to be quieter. They also have a high milk production, which enables them to provide for families. Experts say, LaMancha can be milked for over a year, and they can be bred up until they are 9 to 10 years old. Gestation for dairy goats is usually four to five months or 145 to 150 days.

Ember was bred by Devin Myers of Amanda, Ohio, and Justice, the sisters’ second LaMancha goat, was bred by Denise Leonard of Prospect.

Margaret is the vice president for Town & Country Kids 4-H group, and recently joined another 4-H group called Caprine Connection. Elizabeth is also a 4-H member and will be in Clover Buds until she turns 8.

4-H offers children the opportunity to be representatives for different clubs at fairs or farm shows. For this year’s Butler Farm Show, Margaret will be the junior representative for the dairy goat shows where she will assist in handing out awards.

Representatives are selected for their showmanship. In Margaret’s case, this involves how well she interacts with not only her goat but other goats as well, and how much knowledge she has about goats.

Margaret and Elizabeth registered their two LaMancha goats, Ember and Justice, through 4-H to enter into the 2021 Butler Farm Show, their first animal show. The official registration names for the goats through the American Dairy Goat Association are Little-Walnut LSM Ember and Doggie Days LC Justice.

While Elizabeth showed in the Peewee dairy goat category, Margaret showed in the junior goat division.

Since Ember and Justice were the only two LaMancha goats that year, they naturally won first and second place or grand champion and reserved champion. In the next round of judging, the champion in each breed is then judged among the whole of the dairy goats. Ember won overall grand champion of the dairy goat show.

Before goats can be shown at the farm show, they need to meet certain requirements.

First, the goats must be registered under one of the two organizations — American Goat Society or American Dairy Goat Association. Goats must also have a Certified Vet Inspection, proving they are free from disease.

The last requirement is a tattoo or tag that is associated to their papers.

According to the LeVieres, meat goats usually have the tags on their ears while dairy goats have tattoos. Since LaMancha goats have very small ears that simply cannot fit a tattoo, they need to get them under the tail web.

According to Margaret, there are several qualifications that licensed judges evaluate such as the goats size or how nice their fur is. Ember’s brown and black color pattern is the most commonly seen in LaMancha goats.

Also taken into account are the lengths of the goats’ necks, how straight their backs are, a flatter rump, whether they meet a certain width and finally, their “dairiness” or their dairy body capacity or strength.

After dairy goats breed, a must after their second year, judges will observe the goat’s udder for certain dimensions; 1/3 behind the leg, 1/3 in front of the leg and 1/3 of the udder that is not seen.

The judges decided Ember came with the full package. The LeVieres’ goat earned herself a fancy blue ribbon to show off, and she will have a chance to defend her first place spot in this year’s Butler Farm Show.