Boergoats.com and the International Boer Goat Association, Inc. offer Youth Program members an opportunity to earn more Junior Herdsman hours.

Youth Program members who are attending events such as shows, sales, seminars, field days etc. and would like to write a report on the days events contact Mr. Keith Smith and let him know that you would like to cover the event.
The hours that you spend on this can be recorded through your Jr. Herdsman worksheet so you can earn points while learning some journalistic traits and helping to promote the Boer Goat industry.

Criteria
This is strictly on a voluntary basis but once committed to a particular event it becomes a "gotta do". That way Mr. Smith doesn’t tell one person that they can do it, turn down later requests based on that, then have the first volunteer not do it. Of course we all know emergencies come up and things happen but you need to be sure to let Mr. Smith know if you won’t be attending an event you committed to.
Assignment of events will be on a "first come, first served" basis.
As long as the reports are readable and accurate Mr. Smith will endeavor to publish them. A professional product is not expected. Some of the best reports will probably have a few errors in grammar and some "down home" content - this is not a bad thing, it indicates a degree of "style" on the reporter's part.
Mr. Smith will do whatever editing is necessary to fit reports to the style of boergoats.com.

If there are two reports on one event he may also intertwine the reports and give dual credit if there is unique info in each. Some events, due to their complexity, may justify more than one reporter or report.

Report submission
Reports must be submitted by email to Mr. Smith through .
Reports must be submitted in specific formats which will be provided when you "sign up" to report that event.
Deadline - Material should be submitted within 10 days of the conclusion of the event. If it is ready before then, fine... the sooner the better. 10 days will provide time for the reporter to "wrap up" the report and still be soon enough so that the information isn't "old news". Please contact Mr. Smith if you are including photos taken with a film camera... more time may be required for photo processing.

Unsolicited reports - Two cases...
1. Unsolicited reports will be accepted only if no Youth Program member has been assigned to that event.
2. If Mr. Smith is attending the event he'll appreciate any info the Juniors want to share and might ask for volunteers to give him a break in recording info or taking photos but he probably wouldn't recruit help in advance.

What to include

1. Optional but preferred for all events - a paragraph or two about the "look and feel" of the event including a quote or two from attendees, event host, and/or judge(s)/officers. Special presentations such as awards or recognitions are also of interest to the readers.
   
2. Shows:
   (A format will be provided by Mr. Smith which will indicate what information is required.)
   Basic show reports will include:
   Class Name, Place, Goat's ID/name, Goat's owner
   This information will be needed for the all of the class 1st, 2nd, & 3rd place finishers and for all Grand & Reserve Champions.
   
3. Meetings, including those in conjunction with shows
   The reason for the meeting, Major topics discussed, Decisions made.
   
4. Seminars
   Topics covered and who presented them, Presentation type (lecture, discussion, overheads, PowerPoint, etc.)
   
5. Photos
   any news of an event is more interesting and personal to the reader if there are photos included.
   For shows it is preferable to have photos of the Grands & Reserves plus one or two "public interest" shots. Several photos may be submitted with each report in which case Mr. Smith will select which ones to include with the report.

Compensation You will not be paid for your contributing article, however, Mr. Smith will make a contribution to the Jr. Herdsman Scholarship Fund. You will also receive the "by line" on your article, just like mine at the top of this page.
You can record your hours that you spend on the report within the guidelines of the Herdsman Program. Please be sure to put in the description - "Report for boergoats.com" and when completed, please attach a copy of the report that you sent to boergoats.com. This may be an article that we would also place in the Boer Breeder.

So... when do you start? If you know of an upcoming show that you will be attending and know that you will have some time to gather and write up information contact Mr. Smith at . In the subject line - please put : JR ARTICLE REQUEST.

This is a wonderful opportunity! Not only will you be earning Jr. Herdsman hours and experience you will be helping to advance the Boer goat industry by generating interest in the breed through your reports.