The Kentucky State Fair is starting this week. In this episode, you will meet Joe Goggin, Regional Lending Manager for Ag Credit, and one of the State Fair Board Members. Hear how the Championship Drive and selection of the Top 5 in each species came about. Learn more about the activities at the fair and what new events are taking place this year!
The Kentucky State Fair is starting this week. In this episode, you will meet Joe Goggin, Regional Lending Manager for Ag Credit, and one of the State Fair Board Members. Hear how the Championship Drive and selection of the Top 5 in each species came about. Learn more about the activities at the fair and what new events are taking place this year!
[00:00:01.270] - Caleb Sadler
Welcome to Beyond Agriculture, the podcast that takes you beyond the scope of Ag and into the real-life stories, conversations, and events taking place in our community. Who we are and what we do is Beyond Agriculture. Hello and welcome to Beyond Agriculture. Caleb Sadler back with you today. We're sitting here in our Paris branch. I'm also joined with Shelby Wade. Shelby, you doing okay?
[00:00:31.940] - Shelby Wade
Yeah, doing good, Caleb, been working on some loans and get ready for a trip we're taking next week. Me and a couple of loan officers are going down to Columbia, South Carolina to our main bank, AgFirst, and we're doing some Farm Credit University training down there, so I'm looking forward to that. It will be my first time traveling with Ag Credit since I've started.
[00:00:52.590] - Caleb Sadler
I remember going to the I've been several times and our guest on today will get to that a little bit later, but I'm sure he can enlighten us some there as well. But I've been several times the bank and it's always great to get back down to Columbia or in Charlotte to those places where we meet typically with the bank. So thank you, Shelby. Ben, we've got him on a man behind the scenes running our tech. You're doing okay, Ben?
[00:01:14.510] - Ben Robin
Yeah, I'm doing pretty good. I was going to pitch in there. First time I went down to the bank was Dr. Kohl was going to be there for Farm Creek University and I guess the change in weather maybe in the fall or something and I lost my voice.
[00:01:27.960] - Shelby Wade
Oh, no.
[00:01:28.340] - Ben Robin
So I couldn't participate in any of the activities there. But it's really good experience and you have fun.
[00:01:35.720] - Shelby Wade
Yeah. Looking forward to it.
[00:01:37.160] - Caleb Sadler
Good deal. Well, we also are joined with us today in the, I guess you could say the studio with Joe Goggin. He is an employee of Central Kentucky Ag Credit and been with the association for a while now. I'll let him tell you a little bit about himself. Thank you for coming on, Joe.
[00:01:55.600] - Joe Goggin
Thank thank you you for having me today. As he said, my name is Joe Goggin. I was born raised in Boyle County, Danville, Kentucky on a farm. Our family has always farmed run beef cattle primarily. Most of my life we've had registered Angus cattle. We've also run a lot of feeder cattle, backgrounding them primarily during the summer, buying them in the spring, selling them in the summer and fall. And actually Caleb did something this spring I thought I would never do. My son, who farms full time since he graduated from UK, had finally talked me into getting rid of the last of my cows. So it's the first time in literally 50 years I don't own a cow right now. And just really backgrounding some steers for him. So they'll hopefully be gone by the holidays. Caleb and then this winter a lot less stress doing that. So yeah, just with work it just got to be I couldn't do the AI work that I wanted as I wanted to do it with my cows. And this just made a lot more sense, and I think I'm going to enjoy it, actually.
[00:03:06.060] - Caleb Sadler
Yeah, I can tell you. I mean, I can relate to that because, my gosh, when it comes fall and I'm sure Ben sitting back here, he can say the same thing, it's a lot. By the time you start to juggle a full time job and then full time job at the farm, AI cattle and setting all that up, that's a lot of work at that point.
[00:03:21.250] - Joe Goggin
When you run fall calves, and then you're trying to breed them in late November and the days are shorter, and by the time you get home, it's dark. Yeah. It really gets to be a challenge. But that's the good thing about Ag Credit. Most of our loan officers, they do farm on the side, and so they know about agriculture and all those challenges.
[00:03:41.080] - Caleb Sadler
So, Joe, we brought up the fact that you don't have any more cows anymore after you said nearly 50 years. So I won't get into your age or anything like that on the podcast.
[00:03:49.930] - Joe Goggin
I started young.
[00:03:50.890] - Caleb Sadler
That's right. There you go. But tell us a little bit about how long you've been with Central Kentucky Ag Credit and your family as well.
[00:03:57.960] - Joe Goggin
Sure. I started with Central Kentucky Ag Credit in July 1992, so I've just passed the 30 year mark there.
[00:04:07.290] - Caleb Sadler
I won't tell you. I was born right around.
[00:04:16.450] - Joe Goggin
That's part of the reason. And you've mentioned you grew up with both of my kids. I got two kids, son and daughter. And you and my son Logan were in college together, and you all knew each other growing up, showing Angus cattle around the country and around Kentucky together. But at the time, I was working for the Kentucky Cattleman's Association, and I had started work with Cattleman's Association out of college in 84, and it was a great job. I was at that time called a field representative.
[00:04:52.490] - Caleb Sadler
Okay.
[00:04:52.790] - Joe Goggin
And at that time, Kentucky Cattlemen Association had three employees, myself, the executive director, and the office secretary.
[00:05:01.550] - Caleb Sadler
I had no idea when I started.
[00:05:04.040] - Joe Goggin
In 84, there were two employees. I was the first at that time, like I said, we called them a field representative in my job, and it had a grand total of, I think, 697 members statewide.
[00:05:14.010] - Caleb Sadler
Wow.
[00:05:14.660] - Joe Goggin
So, I mean, it was really in its infancy when you think about it. And my job was to go around the state, work with counties, get county organizations started. I started work with the Cattleman's Association the first week of August in 84, and I went to Louisville the next week or ten days later, and that's when the cookout tent was in its very first year. Well, we use volunteers to come in. Garland Basten was the Executive Director of the Cattlemens. He's the one who hired me. And wonderful I had retired from UK, specialist there in the AG College, and he was the announcer in Broadbent Arena for all the shows. So he takes me to Louisville, we go to the cookout tent. He said, okay, here's where you're going to be. We've got county organizations coming in. We work two shifts per day, and if you need anything, I'm going to be in Broadbent Arena there. Here's where your supplies are, over there. I knew nobody. I'm fresh out of college.
[00:06:20.510] - Caleb Sadler
Here's the key.
[00:06:21.270] - Joe Goggin
Here's the key.
[00:06:21.890] - Caleb Sadler
Yeah, there you go.
[00:06:23.000] - Joe Goggin
You talk about getting baptized by fire. I mean, I'm still wet behind the ears, knew nobody. But in hindsight, it was the best experience, because over the course of that ten or eleven days of that State Fair,
[00:06:37.820] - Caleb Sadler
you got to meet a lot of producers.
[00:06:39.350] - Joe Goggin
I met over 200 producers from around the state. And so then I kind of kick started and started going around the state, county meetings and seeing the same people. It was a large time. We had a fun, good time. But I learned real quick when counties came to the state fair to cook for the Cattlemens, they wanted to show up and immediately put burgers on the grill. At that time, we didn't do steaks, it was just the burgers. They wanted the grill to be ready to start cooking on. And that evening, when the last one went through the window, you turned around and they were heading to the cars and trucks, and I would turn back around and there'd be like 10-15 coolers I had to wash that night. So this stuff to put up.
[00:07:22.410] - Caleb Sadler
So what I'm taking away from this is every time when we get ready for the annual meeting, that's how you've gotten this job of getting the grill ready.
[00:07:30.950] - Joe Goggin
All of the grill experience came from was the years.
[00:07:34.360] - Caleb Sadler
It all comes back around full circle now.
[00:07:36.300] - Joe Goggin
So anyway, back to getting to add credit. By 92, my first child, Logan, was born. He was a year old and spending a lot of time, my wife Theresa was very understanding, especially in our early years, and she would go with me a lot. Going to cross the state. I might be in Murray one night at a Cattlemen meeting and then Morehead the next night because I was the only person going with three employees.
[00:08:06.940] - Caleb Sadler
Yeah, that's crazy.
[00:08:08.690] - Joe Goggin
And so then when you start having a family, I thought, okay, that was fun, it's time to slow down. And the opportunity came up for a position for a loan officer in our Danville office. And so I applied, and that's when I started work with Ag Credit, July of 92. And I think we affiliated with Ag First Farm Credit bank in Colombia in July of 94, just two years, two years after. So I've been here through that transition. Interesting. Today, starting in 2018, I actually moved from the Danville office to Lexington, and now I'm a Regional Lending Manager, which is basically I am headquartered in Lexington and our Lexington branch, but I also manage the Stanford and Richmond branches as well.
[00:09:03.380] - Caleb Sadler
Awesome. Now I know there was a stint there in between there and this is going back to my lifestyle days. Now you did move and go to Anderson Circle at one point in time in there and then came back.
[00:09:16.490] - Joe Goggin
I had gone, I think it was in '05, from Danville to our Stanford branch as Branch Manager and in '07 opportunity came up. Anderson Circle Farm in Mercer County was a very large cattle operation as well as crops. But Mr. Anderson, the owner, was wanting to get back heavy into the purebred Angus operation as well as maintaining the commercial herd. At that time they had, I think, 1200 cows, commercial cows, 12-1400. And the opportunity came up and actually Joe Myers and myself went in this kind of co-managers of Anderson Circle.
[00:09:59.610] - Caleb Sadler
I remember those days.
[00:10:01.140] - Joe Goggin
I was there a couple of years and then as that was getting kind of winding down and before it sold, I came back to Ag Credit then.
[00:10:09.600] - Caleb Sadler
got you, I understand completely.
[00:10:11.350] - Shelby Wade
So you've had obviously a long stint here with that credit. What has kept you here over the years and obviously brought you back after that stint? As far as an organization goes.
[00:10:20.780] - Joe Goggin
It's a great place to work. It's very satisfying. You get to do something where you can truly see that you're helping people. If you kind of have looked at your job as not so much as making loans, you're really working with people to kind of make their dreams become reality, whether it's buying a farm or getting in the cattle business or the sheep business or whatever. Sometimes it can be challenging. Sometimes you have to maybe tell somebody, maybe we can't do this, but maybe let's look at scaling back and do this type deal. And I think it's part of our job is to be sure we're not leading somebody down the path to get them in trouble. I tell newer loan officers, your job is really not making loans, it's assessing risk for both Ag Credit and the borrower. And you got to keep that in mind.
[00:11:20.180] - Caleb Sadler
Yeah, you bring up a good point there too. And I always look at it assessing risk side of things, but when you look at it, we're loan officers but we're also financial advisors at the end of the day as well. And we're advising people whether it's a right decision or wrong decision. So there's a whole different can of worms there that we play too.
[00:11:40.940] - Joe Goggin
That's the great thing about Ag Credit is. Like I said. The coworkers here. But they all pretty much farm and if they're not actively farming right now. They grew up in a farm.
[00:11:54.150] - Caleb Sadler
They had a hand in it.
[00:11:55.060] - Joe Goggin
They had a hand in it and they understand when somebody comes in and they start talking about whether it be a cattle operation or an equine we've got people that fully understand what they're talking about. Maybe some challenges they're going to potentially face and can help them guide through the path they need to go.
[00:12:15.660] - Caleb Sadler
Good. Awesome. The reason we have you on today really is our upcoming Kentucky State Fair, and you serve in a unique aspect, I guess you could say, from the association, as well as your own standpoint being on the State Fair Board. So tell us a little bit about your role there and the things that you do from a state level for the youth of central Kentucky or Kentucky in general.
[00:12:42.400] - Joe Goggin
Sure. So I was appointed to the Kentucky State Fair Board in May of 2016. And if we've got a minute, I'll tell you an interesting story about that. They changed, actually the legislation. They rewrote the legislation at the General Assembly during the session in the winter, spring of 2016. Well, I was somewhat oblivious of that. I hadn't really kept up with it. And prior to that, Kentucky State Fair Board members did not have term limits. There was a lot of at large appointees on there that really didn't represent any specific organization or segment of agriculture or any other business. And in 2016, the legislature put a bill through, and it really defined who sits on the Fair board. And in conjunction with that, put term limits. So you can serve a maximum of three, four year terms.
[00:13:36.510] - Caleb Sadler
Okay.
[00:13:36.810] - Joe Goggin
And then you have to rotate off. So now we have representatives. I represent animal agriculture.
[00:13:43.730] - Caleb Sadler
Okay.
[00:13:44.060] - Joe Goggin
So organizations such as Kentucky Cattlemen Association, kentucky pork producers, sheep and wool producers, and the dairy, they get together and they submit six names, and from that six names the appointee is made. At that time, the governor made all of the appointees. Now, some legislation was put through this past year that now split some of the appointees to the Commissioner of Agriculture, as well as the Governor maintaining appointees. But anyway, back to 2016, Warren Beeler was the Executive Director of the Governor's Office of Agriculture Policy. Governor Bevin was in office, and he calls me and he said, Goggin, I need a favor. I said, well, sure, Warren. I've known Warren for literally since 1980s, I guess. And I said what do you need? I've got to have ten names on the governor's desk by 10:00 in the morning of people I recommend to put on the Fairboard. I said, okay. He says, I won't put your name down. I said. Oh, whoa. Okay. What's that involved? He told me, I knew it was going to be a big time commitment. And I also knew Caleb and Shelby, that our CEO, Jim Caldwell at the time was on vacation, and he totally couldn't communicate with him where they were on vacation.
[00:15:04.650] - Joe Goggin
He said, I'm going to email you a form. I want you to fill it out and turn it right back around to me. It's a form you have to fill out in order to serve on any state board. I said, Warren, I don't have permission. I'm going to have to check on this. And he made the comment. He goes, ah, Goggin, don't worry about it. He said, These all come down to political appointees. Honestly, you've got a better chance of winning the lottery. Keep in mind, this was in March. And so I filled it out, turned it in, I kind of forgot about it. A month goes by, I really had forgotten about it. Friday of Derby weekend, he calves me. It was Oaks Day. He said, Goggin, and he was traveling to Ohio to judge a swine show, and so his cell service was breaking up. But in between clipped out words, I got the gist of his message was the governor was going to announce the Fair Board nominees on Monday and that I was in the final group. I said, oh, shoot. And so the first thing I did was called our CEO, Mr.
[00:16:09.770] - Joe Goggin
Jim Caldwell, at the time and said I kind of did the thing a month ago. And so he was fine. And Ag Credit been wonderful with it to represent in a way not directly, but as an employee of Ag Credit, you do kind of carry that name with you when you serve on boards like this, whether it's State Fair Board or your local cattlemens or Farm Bureau, whatever organization you're in. And Jim said, I just got one piece of advice. Joe said, don't do anything to embarrass yourself or the person who sent you there or Ag Credit. And said, Well, I don't plan to, but I would definitely. So anyway, that's how I never met the Governor. It's just that Warren called me back then and said he was shocked that the Governor at that time took all ten of the names he submitted and made the comment that he wasn't going to make political appointments. He wanted people on there that would do the job and work.
[00:17:09.440] - Caleb Sadler
At the time, that was a really good team that worked back and forth.
[00:17:13.050] - Joe Goggin
Exactly. Yeah, exactly. So that's kind of how I got on the board. I've served there now six years this past May, like I said, represent animal agriculture. And so we're excited about State Fair coming up here in just a couple of weeks. It's a huge undertaking. In the eleven days of the fair, we expect close to 600,000 people come through the gates that's in the fair. There's just so much that goes on when you deal. And like yourself and myself that grew up showing cattle, and my kids grew up showing cattle and market hogs, and you tend to get in the west wing where the livestock is, and you get isolated off and you don't really experience the rest of the fair. And it really is an eye opening experience to be on that board and see everything else that goes on, not only at the Fair, but all of the other events.
[00:18:03.480] - Caleb Sadler
Yeah, that's why I was just getting ready to hit on that. I used to show cattle growing up and whenever we go to the state fair, it was a week long trip. We always looked at it like a vacation.
[00:18:12.590] - Joe Goggin
Exactly.
[00:18:13.490] - Caleb Sadler
Either that or junior nationals we were going to that was our vacation for the year. And we go in and we'd stay in that west wing and we really wouldn't get out to experience the remainder of the fair. Shelby, I don't know where is it the same with you in the pig barn?
[00:18:26.030] - Shelby Wade
We did actually get out a lot. So like you guys, we were there, we camped out, took it as a vacation. My parents took off work and such, but we always took at least one or two days and went all the way around the fair. So my favorite part was going through and it's changed a little bit since I was there, but going through all the exhibit halls for whatever reason, the cake decorating was my favorite. Probably because they're like just crazy good. But, you know, all the tobacco that was in there, the hay, the corn, just photography, anything that you can imagine there is a category that you can compete in. So yeah, I actually really enjoyed doing that.
[00:19:09.050] - Caleb Sadler
There was one thing that I never really got to look at because I think it was after whenever the cattle moved out or whatnot, or it was at the end of the week was the pumpkin contest.
[00:19:16.920] - Shelby Wade
Yes.
[00:19:17.410] - Caleb Sadler
And when they bring those big things in there, I think that's pretty cool.
[00:19:22.530] - Joe Goggin
Interesting you brought that up the last three or four years, actually. And we started it somewhat as a joke. We had a couple of our board members that just kind of they're very outgoing and they said, hey, we're going to emcee this and just kind of make it a production. And we call it the Pumpkin and Melon Show now. And it's at the way in. Well, because last year, the way the schedules are, there's nothing going on in the west hall that first weekend and where it had always been held outside and it was hot and everything. We've moved the entries the weighing in of the giant pumpkins and watermelons into the west hall, put bleachers up. We had a huge crowd. It was actually the most viewed live stream of the state fair the last two years. It's phenomenal the number of people that tune in and watch that and then pick it up throughout the next ten days.
[00:20:15.800] - Caleb Sadler
Well, you bring that. I mean, we talk about that and we get on the topic of pumpkins and we're ag lenders at the same time, but I judged the cattle show at the Big E one year, and I think it's Connecticut, if I remember right. But it's a big deal up there for them. They'll have like 15 people or maybe more than that, and they'll bring these pumpkins in. And these people, I mean, it's like their baby. They've baby all year.
[00:20:39.250] - Joe Goggin
This year, for the first time, we're actually sanctioned with the national organization, on these giant pumpkins and watermelons. We actually had a state fair record last year on the size of the pumpkin. And this guy literally when that weight came up on the scales, they take such care of these pumpkins that when they're growing them, they actually roll them onto these pads so then they don't have to move them. They just go on underneath a pallet that this pad is on and pick it up. So when they're entered in their way, they're inspected. If you have any crack or blemish in it, then it's disqualified.
[00:21:17.910] - Caleb Sadler
Oh, no joke.
[00:21:18.890] - Joe Goggin
This guy, a year before his was disqualified, it had this slight and underneath it, it was starting to crack.
[00:21:25.910] - Caleb Sadler
Oh, man.
[00:21:26.680] - Joe Goggin
And this year it was exciting because he was down, everybody was inspecting. Then it got the go ahead to be put on the scales. And then when it won, the guy literally was sheding tears. He spent so much time and everything on it. It's like Caleb. One of us going to junior nationals.
[00:21:43.310] - Caleb Sadler
That's exactly right. Or winning or something.
[00:21:45.360] - Joe Goggin
Yeah.
[00:21:46.130] - Ben Robin
I was going to say for the listeners that don't know what is the size of that, how big is it?
[00:21:51.430] - Joe Goggin
Ben,I don't remember. I want to say 1700 and change.
[00:21:57.450] - Caleb Sadler
When you think about that in the size of a pumpkin.
[00:21:59.930] - Joe Goggin
Yes. What they go through, watering every hay and the fertilizer and fusing in with the water. They've got it down to a science.
[00:22:09.120] - Caleb Sadler
I always heard that they could infuse milk into the vein of the pumpkin and it would make it grow bigger. I don't know. I don't know the truth of that either. I talk like I like I am an expert.
[00:22:19.030] - Joe Goggin
But they're very open sharing. This guy will provide seeds for anybody that wants to get into it and grow giant pumpkins. He'll provide you pumpkin seeds to do that. So it's really a neat group, but it's become a very popular event at the state fair. That first Saturday, we weigh in the pumpkins and watermelons.
[00:22:39.690] - Caleb Sadler
Yeah. Do you ever cut the watermelon after they weigh them in?
[00:22:42.070] - Joe Goggin
I haven't, no.
[00:22:42.730] - Caleb Sadler
I was going to say I probably wouldn't want to eat that. It might be too sweet or might be a little bitter.
[00:22:49.950] - Shelby Wade
Like some of the things we've mentioned here for the listeners who maybe haven't been to the State fair as not as familiar with it as we are. The things that we're mentioning, a lot of these different categories of things that people enter into are youth for each FFA members. So usually age nine through 21, usually. And then we also have some adult entries, adult classes as well. So it's really all categories and all ages. And everybody is involved in these types of things as well. And even in of course, we're talking about livestock. We're livestock people, but even younger get to be involved in that with novice classes and things like that. So just kind of give a background on ages.
[00:23:30.490] - Caleb Sadler
No, that's awesome. I appreciate that. So I will bring up one thing because I think you played a vital role in this when they did it, and that was the conversion of the Sale of Champions over to a Championship Drive.
[00:23:43.900] - Joe Goggin
Yes.
[00:23:44.410] - Caleb Sadler
Which, if I could go back and look at my showing career, I wish this thing was in existence. And I think Shelby would agree. I wish this was in existence when I was showing because it recognizes so many people and it puts so many people and so many youth under the spotlight. So tell us a little bit about that side of it. And Shelby and I both know a little bit, so we might even be able to feed off each other here. But tell us a little bit about that transition and what made you all go to that route.
[00:24:11.740] - Joe Goggin
Of course, the Sale of Champion started, I guess it was in the late 1970s, and started out it was the Champion and Reserve market steer, market lamb and market hog. And then obviously, when the market goes up, came into competitive, being shown at the State Fair level, then that was added as the four species. So at the Sale of Champions in it, it was very successful in its goals of promoting the youth livestock showing and highlighting. But really, the one drawback to it was it only emphasized and promoted the four youth who had the champion and reserves of each species. Well, 8, 4Champions and four reserves for the four species. And so a group of State Fair board members, we went to Indiana, they had started theirs up there a few years ago, and we watched their Championship Drive and came back and said, this is what we really have to do. And I will give really most of the credit to Warren Beeler again as well as Dr. Richard Coffey who was head of the Animal Science Department at University of Kentucky recently. Now at Oklahoma State University.
[00:25:35.080] - Caleb Sadler
Yes.
[00:25:35.880] - Joe Goggin
Both of them really pushed for many years to go from a Sale of Champions platform to the Championship Drive. So what we do now is each of the four market animal species, we pick all of the whether it be class Champions, divisional Champions, or breed champions, depending on the species, which is, by the way, one thing we also changed in the steer market animal class. It was always just yeah, it's always shown by weight, and now we show by breeds. And so that has really picked up and helped our numbers. We knew that there were already some purebred registered steers in the state because they were going to the respective breed Junior Nationals. You had registered Angus Steers, you had registered Hereford Steers and other breeds. And so we decided, well, okay, we're going to have this Championship Drive let's also migrate the steers to show by breed and we pick a top five. It's a Championship Drive. So on each of the days during the show, say for the Market Steer, Market Hog, Market Lamb, Market Goat, we pick the class winners or the Divisional Champions or the Breed Champions, but then they all come back on Thursday night, that second Thursday night at 06:00 for the Championship Drive and it is really quite a production.
[00:27:01.650] - Joe Goggin
We pick all of our Market Animal Champions and Reserves and Top Five in each species all at the same night, back to back. It's a huge event. We've had 3000 or 4000 people in Broadbent Arena attending that and that is another one Ag Credit always from the very first Championship Drive stepped up and said we're going to help sponsor this and we're going to help underwrite the cost of live streaming. And that has been huge. Yeah, we get people tuning in from all across the country to this Championship Drive and watching it and really thanks to a lot to Ag Credit for helping underwrite the cost of live streaming that event.
[00:27:47.140] - Caleb Sadler
And I think not only this is going off of memory too, but not only does it recognize those four species that night, but the Dairy show is the prior week. So they actually recognize the Champions, I think from that show too.
[00:28:01.490] - Joe Goggin
We do. And actually we started last year with the Dairy having their own Championship Drive because we had all of the light rigging and all of the facilities were set up in Broadbent Arena to do it. And so they kind of got a taste by coming to the Market Animal Championship Drive. Really liked it. They had not had an opportunity to really have their own and showcase the Youth Show of the Dairy. And so now we do have a Championship Drive for the Dairy the week before.
[00:28:34.800] - Shelby Wade
Yeah, it definitely brought like fresh, you know, just a whole new perspective into the livestock shows. Like Caleb and I mentioned, we've done this for numerous years, I think I showed for 15 years and while I loved it, it's the same thing every year. Like you said, the few times we got to our Champion Drive of the hogs or of the cattle, it's just the hog people watching or just the cattle people. So like having this fresh new light and something that those kids can look forward to having three, four, 5000 people viewing, it's definitely exciting.
[00:29:08.400] - Joe Goggin
Yeah, you talk to people, that when those spotlights come on and it's really an exciting event. But now we see it filter back. If you talk to people who sell Market Lambs, market Hogs, market goats or show steers, when kids come to their place looking at those, they talk about wanting to get one to make the drive. And in the past you only had, like I said, in each species you're only picking two champion and the reserve. You only had two for each species. Now we've got 80 kids that go through that drive, through the four species. And so when they're looking to buy market lamb, hey, do you think it's good enough to make the drive?
[00:29:51.950] - Caleb Sadler
Exactly.
[00:29:52.480] - Joe Goggin
Just excited to make the drive then. Now we've added not only selecting a champion and reserve, but we go down five places. So we do a top five overall, which adds another level of excitement.
[00:30:04.000] - Caleb Sadler
That's exactly right. And when you look at it, when you look at it from a competitive standpoint, it certainly added a whole new dynamic. Even I used to show steers at that point. And we brought up the fact that when I was showing it was done by weight. I really wish, looking back now, we should have transitioned to a breeding show a long time ago because the competition level for those other breeds, for instance, in the steer classes is certainly picked up.
[00:30:34.700] - Joe Goggin
Absolutely.
[00:30:35.790] - Caleb Sadler
So I know one thing that you all have incorporated this year. And I know that Central Kentucky Ag Credit really prides itself on too. We sponsor a Sunshine class through the Fayette county Bluegrass Fair. And I know that you all have incorporated one this year for the Kentucky State Fair. So tell us a little bit about why you all did that and your thought process there.
[00:30:57.360] - Joe Goggin
Well, we did, and this is the first year we're going to have a Sunshine Class, and it's going to be the second Wednesday of the fair on the 24th 06:00. It'll be about 30 minutes after the market lamb show ends. And that's something that I brought up as a board member after seeing the one at the Bluegrass Fair that Ag Credit sponsors here locally. And for those who don't know, a Sunshine Class. It's a class where we offer for special needs kids who probably would never have an opportunity to be around an animal like a lamb, a show lamb, and actually have a chance to take that lamb, lead that lamb in the ring in the show. And we're really excited about this. We've seen it at the Bluegrass fair. I've heard about it at some other shows around the country. And it's really a moving experience because it's not only good for that special needs kid to get this opportunity, but you use the 4-H and FFA kids to pair them with a special needs kid, to work with them, to go in the ring with them. What a great opportunity for that 4-H or FFA member to get the chance and the experience of working with the special needs child who never gets this opportunity and actually go in the ring with them.
[00:32:16.700] - Joe Goggin
So it's just really a win win situation. It's something we wanted to do on the State Fair level, and I think it's going to be really big. We started actually in the past year a foundation, the Kentucky Exposition Foundation, that is separate from the Fair board to help raise funds for our championship drive and then also for events like this. The foundation is going to underwrite the Sunshine Class at the State Fair. And I think it's just going to be a really exciting event. And I hope the kids in the barn that have animals there get as much out of it as the kids participating themselves.
[00:32:56.710] - Caleb Sadler
I think they will. If I look back at my show career, and I think Shelby would say the same thing, that's just phenomenal. I wish that that was something that was in existence when we were showing from a youth standpoint. And what we do today, we try to give our expertise and our guidance onto people, and what better way to do that to a special needs individual? Makes you feel a lot better.
[00:33:23.860] - Shelby Wade
How do people register for this?
[00:33:27.210] - Joe Goggin
Actually, the staff at the fairgrounds is working on that and getting people to participate. But I know they're going to be working with some schools in the area and they're going to be working with some organizations. When you think of special needs, kids, can be a broad spectrum of different groups that they can work with. And we really hope to if we have 25, maybe even do two rounds of 25, it would just be phenomenal.
[00:33:58.960] - Shelby Wade
So if anybody interested, reach out to you or any other fair board members, go to the website.
[00:34:04.790] - Joe Goggin
Yes, the State Fair website, the expositions department.
[00:34:08.820] - Caleb Sadler
And you said that was the second Wednesday.
[00:34:11.380] - Joe Goggin
Wednesday the 24th. And really something interesting that morning, that's our Sensory Awareness Day at the fair. And so that morning, our Kissel Entertainment, who has the midway rides at the fair, and they are huge supporters of the livestock shows, by the way. They're very large contributors to the championship drive and just a great family organization to work with. But Kissel Entertainment is going to open up the midway that morning for sensory awareness. And the rides will be available for these kids without any lights, without any sound, and so they can come and still
[00:34:54.990] - Caleb Sadler
That will be neat.
[00:34:55.790] - Joe Goggin
Take part in the midway rides where they may have some sensory issues. There will not be any lights on, no sound, no loud noises, and they can take part in riding the rides on the midway that morning. And that's another reason we wanted this.
[00:35:12.190] - Caleb Sadler
Class to back off that evening.
[00:35:13.930] - Joe Goggin
And so it just kind of dovetails the two together.
[00:35:18.400] - Caleb Sadler
So anything new that's going to be coming up at the fair besides the Sunshine Class this year, or any, I guess you could say, particular exciting activities that will happen?
[00:35:27.440] - Joe Goggin
Well, we're just thrilled to after coming out of COVID in 2020, we had to have a scale back fair where we were one of the few fairs, though we did have our livestock shows and our World Championship Horse show. But that's all we were able to have we came back last year in 2021 with the full fair, but it's still kind of during the COVID, people were still apprehensive and it was very hot. If you remember back to August of 2021, it's kind of like what we've just come through in June and July here this year. But now we've got, like I said, the Sunshine class over in the south wing. Of course, we have Agland. Agland is where a lot of the commodity organizations come together. We have a very large display over there where they all have exhibits as well as the Department of Agriculture, UK College of Agriculture, Murray State, different organizations. And it's an area where people, whether you're involved in agriculture, and especially if you're not, you can come and learn about agriculture. And we have some equipment. We've got a couple of dealerships that are very good about bringing in some large pieces, piece of equipment, and it's really interesting to go over there and watch people.
[00:36:46.290] - Joe Goggin
Of course, we're so heavily involved in agriculture, we take that for granted sometimes. But when you go to a place, even Louisville, and people are so far removed and they look at a piece of equipment and absolutely have no idea what it's for or where food comes from other than the grocery.
[00:37:06.040] - Caleb Sadler
Well and that's exactly I mean, you brought up a good point there. I mean, all we're trying to do is educate the people at that point. They got to know where their food comes from and how things work and how the world goes around, essentially.
[00:37:17.730] - Shelby Wade
For those wondering, what are the dates of the Kentucky State Fair? So we'll get out the calendar here. First day, really action packed here August 18, that's a Thursday, and as Joe mentioned, goes eleven days and ends Sunday, August 28. And pull up a calendar on your phone, go on the website. There's all kinds of events every single day, livestock related, ag related, and of course, things that aren't even ag related, too. So definitely get out to the State Fair. It's an experience that everybody needs to take on at least once in their life. So we make it every year tradition, but definitely get out there and experience it.
[00:37:59.540] - Caleb Sadler
Absolutely, yeah. Tickets are cheap, too.
[00:38:01.310] - Joe Goggin
Yeah.
[00:38:02.310] - Shelby Wade
And a lot of free concerts and things of an evening that go along with your ticket purchased. So definitely a fairly inexpensive family event and very family friendly for everybody.
[00:38:15.810] - Joe Goggin
Yeah, and we've got special days at the fair, so reduced ticket prices on certain days. I would encourage everybody to go to the website, Kystatefair.org, and look up and see. We have a military day for any veterans can get in. And we have different special days like that. I know here the first week of August. If you buy tickets online, it's free parking, so that's a big saving.
[00:38:45.970] - Shelby Wade
Perfect.
[00:38:46.400] - Joe Goggin
So I just encourage everybody to go to the website, check out the schedule and there's something there for everybody. If you get outside of the livestock or the agriculture side, just go outside and it's just amazing to watch, as you can see, truly across section of society at a Kentucky State Fair. And one thing really that is extremely unique to Kentucky. We're the only state fair in America that has a saddlebred horse show and we have the World's Championship Horse show that is held during the state fair and it is a huge event. And people think of Kentucky a lot of times, they think of thoroughbreds and thoroughbred racing. But really saddlebread the show horses are a huge component as well and it is a very big event.
[00:39:39.440] - Caleb Sadler
Well, if you think about it, too, I mean, just looking at the Kentucky Horse park, I mean, there's a lot more to equine or horses than just your thoroughbreds coming out of Kentucky.
[00:39:49.950] - Shelby Wade
You mentioned the whole aspects of society that you get to see. I've got to tell this story, and I love to tell any time we talk about the state fair. So I grew up in the hog barn, of course, and those of you who've been around hogs, you understand, they have a smell, they have a very strong smell. But watching these kids from inner city schools coming in, holding their noses, dodging, you know, piles of poop and such, they do. And we try to clean up as best as we can, but I always love talking with those kids, though, and their teachers and just kind of like introducing them a little bit to what we got going on. And it's not just like a stinky animal, but I always did enjoy those interactions with those people that I wouldn't necessarily get to have at the farm or, even here where we work. Ag Credit.
[00:40:43.990] - Joe Goggin
Absolutely. It's like Caleb said, it's a great educational opportunity, people in agriculture to educate our urban cousins.
[00:40:53.070] - Caleb Sadler
That's exactly right. Yeah. I don't even know that we brought this up, but the Kentucky State Fair, if you're listening, is located in Louisville at the Kentucky Fair and Expo Center there off of Waterson Expressway there.
[00:41:06.840] - Shelby Wade
Very easy access.
[00:41:07.880] - Caleb Sadler
Yes, very easy. Lots of parking. So make sure you get out and.
[00:41:10.960] - Joe Goggin
Visit and concerts most every night. And they're all free. Yeah.
[00:41:15.130] - Caleb Sadler
Awesome. Well, Joe, we really appreciate having you on to Beyond Agriculture. Maybe we look forward to having you back on at some point in time as we may put out another episode for the podcast. But to our listeners, we thank you for tuning in again and be sure to go out and like, subscribe and share our podcast.
[00:41:34.720]
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