Important Update About Our 2026 Show Schedule
After careful consideration, we have decided that our club will no longer participate in the North Florida Fair beginning this season.
This decision comes after significant changes in the leadership and direction of the North Florida Fair livestock program this year, along with several new policies that no longer align well with the structure, goals, and inclusivity of our project.
As many of you know, our program is built around creating opportunities for a wide variety of youth, including first-time exhibitors, younger members, leased-animal exhibitors, homeschoolers, youth with unique abilities, and youth from many different backgrounds and family situations. We work very hard to make livestock projects accessible and educational for all kids who want to participate.
Unfortunately, several recent changes at NFF create barriers for many of our families.
Some of the biggest concerns include:
• The removal of the open show which excludes youth under eight years old
• The show is no longer sanctioned by ADGA
• Mandatory Wednesday check-in with a required event Wednesday afternoon at 4 PM
• No release until Sunday afternoon which makes for a very long show and requires youth to miss additional school days and families to miss additional work days
• Expensive certified veterinary inspections required for every animal
• New ownership requirements requiring youth to own the animals they exhibit, which eliminates participation through our lease program
• Policies and scheduling concerns that create inclusivity challenges and do not reflect the diversity of our club and families
The ADGA piece matters for our club. Our dairy goat program is not just about getting kids into the ring. We teach youth how to understand dairy goat structure, breed standards, registration, record keeping, ethical breeding, and how sanctioned shows connect to the larger dairy goat community. ADGA is a key part of how our youth learn to evaluate animals seriously and participate in dairy goats beyond a single local fair. Without sanctioning, the show no longer supports that part of our educational mission in the same way.
For many families, these requirements create significant financial, scheduling, transportation, and accessibility challenges. Our lease program has always been one of the ways we help youth participate in agriculture who might not otherwise have the opportunity to own livestock outright, and we are committed to protecting those opportunities.
We will still continue participating in the National Peanut Festival, Georgia State Fair, and Spring Fling. Those shows continue to provide valuable opportunities for our youth to gain ring experience, build confidence, and represent the club.
Moving forward, our primary focus will be the Florida State Fair.
The Florida State Fair is ADGA sanctioned and is an incredibly youth-focused event that emphasizes education, leadership, and personal growth alongside competition. Youth can participate in skillathons, record books, presentations, educational posters, ethics training, showmanship, seminars, and the Champion of Champions program. The fair also offers scholarship and livestock grant opportunities specifically for youth exhibitors.
One of the things our kids loved about the North Florida Fair was that we camped at the barn together during the fair. It has become one of the highlights of the year, full of teamwork, independence, late-night laughs, and memories the kids talk about long after fair season ends. The North Florida Fair no longer allows overnight stays in the barn and trailers have to be parked at a "remote location." Even if the youth did not stay every night, I will never leave our animals unattended at a fair.
We are also actively working on sponsorships and funding opportunities to help offset club costs associated with attending State Fair so that participation remains as accessible as possible for our families.
Our goal has always been to create a program that is educational, welcoming, sustainable, and centered around youth development. We believe this change helps us continue moving in that direction while keeping opportunities open to as many kids as possible.
Thank you for your continued support, flexibility, and trust in our program.
