HOUSTON – The Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo is officially over, and students from the College of Agriculture and Human Sciences (CAHS) were able to showcase their demanding work throughout the year by participating in the rodeo’s student showing competition.

“The students show and exhibit the research herd at the International Goat and Research Center at Prairie View A&M University,” said Ashley Pellerin, the Extension Program Specialist for the Cooperative Extension Program. “In addition to showing the animals, they also demonstrate their showmanship skills, which is how well they can talk to the judges, the information they gain from working with their animal, and the time spent working with the researchers at the IGRC; as well.”

On March 5, 2022, CAHS students unveiled goats they raised in front of a state judge who analyzed the goats’ various qualities, such as height, the sheen of their hair, and the weight and quality of their udders.

“Each goat is in a certain class based on their age and progression throughout their lifetime,” said Jeremy Brent, IGRC Ag Research Worker. “Kids born a few months ago will be in a certain class based on their age group. And then we have our yearlings who are about one to two years old in that class. And then we have our senior milkers. Based on that, the judge will make his verdict on which goat looks best for her age.”

The CAHS students placed in several categories, including first in about five judging segments, the Alpine Kids 0-3 months, Alpine Kids 12-18 months, junior and senior Get of Sire and Daily Herd competition.

“During the day, we had to shear the goats, practice showing the animals, and get them used to wearing a collar, which is abnormal because there’s slight pressure there,” CAHS senior Faith Isabelle said.

The competition is another important avenue for students to train, especially those who haven’t had this opportunity before coming to college.

“We have a lot of freshmen on our team. Some have been showing since high school; some are very new, but they dug into this experience, and we are proud of everything they have done.”

On top of volunteering at the CAHS booth during the rodeo, students were also on hand to help with the Celebrity Goat Milking competition on Friday, March 4, 2002. CAHS Dean and Director of Land Grant Programs Gerard D’Souza, Ph.D., joined in the light-hearted event with other well-known local personalities to milk goats handled by CAHS students.

Here is a list of the students, volunteers, and staff advisors who participated in the rodeo!

Show Team
Ashauri Lewis
Faith Isabelle
Anastasia Towns
Samantha Anderson
Laila Manners
Sierra Williams
Zaki Cade
Staci Braddock
Jayden White
Adrienne Terry

HLSR Interns
Chanelle Long
Vinnie Sansom

Staff Advisors
Jeremy Brent
Carli Decker
Asim Davis
Scott Horner
Ashley Pellerin

PVAMU Student Goat Showmanship Results

Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo 2022

Class Class Name Places
1 Alpine Yearling Milkers 4th, 5th, and 6th
2 Alpine 2 Year Old Milkers 3rd, 4th, and 5th
3 Alpine 3-5 Year Old Milkers 7th and 8th
4 Alpine 5 Year and Older Milkers 2nd and 3rd
8 Alpine Kids 0-3 Months 1st and 3rd
10 Alpine Kids 6-12 Months 2nd, 5th, 6th,  and 7th
11 Alpine Kids 12-18 Months 1st, 2nd, 5th, and 6th
13 Junior Grand Champion Grand Champion (Winner Class 11)
16 Junior Get of Sire (3 kids, same sire) 1st and 2nd
17 Senior (Milking) Get of Sire 1st
18 Dairy Herd (4 Milking Does) 1st

Pascale Mondesir
Communication Specialist II
pamondesir@pvamu.edu
(936) 261-5155