816-Lancaster Farming, Saturday, January 23, 1993
National Goat Representative Promotes Industry
LOU ANN GOOD
Lancaster Farming Staff
CHALFONT (Bucks Co.)
Seventeen-year-old Paul Plummer
is the National Goat Representa
tive. Paul considers himself a
natural spokesperson for the indus
try because he grew up with goats.
He said, “My family has raised
them for 23 years. When I was 8
years old, 1 started showing goats,
and by the time I was 11,1 was
showing semiprofessionally.”
Paul and his parents. Dr. John
and Maxine Plummer, and his sis
ter, Amy, have 25 to 30 Toggen
burg goats that they show across
the U.S.
“Mom, Amy, and I leave the day
school is over and return about two
days before it begins again,” Paul
said. His dad, who teaches at Dela
ware Valley College, remains at
home to feed the remaining goat
herd and Jersey calves, but will
often join the family for weekend
shows.
According to Paul, the Toggen
burg breed are medium-sized and
docile tempered. The breed origi
nated in the Swiss Alps in an area
called Toggenbuig. The markings
of purebred Toggenburgs may be
any shade of brown with white on
the face, around the legs, and in the
diaper area. Toggenburgs have
erect ears and look similar to deer.
Paul’s parents became inter
ested in raising goats in a round
about way. When they first pur
chased their Chalfont farm, it was
zoned agriculture. The real estate
agent suggested that the Plummers
immediately buy at least one farm
animal to insure that the property
remain zoned for agriculture.
“I wanted to buy a horse,” Mrs.
Plummer said, “but we didn’t have
much time, so we quickly pur
chased a goat.”
The Plummers planned to sell
the goat as soon as they purchased
a horse.
Instead, they fell in love with the
playful antics of the goat and con
tinued bo purchase more. “We
never did buy a horse,” Mrs. Plum
mer said.
The Plummers also raise Jersey
calves, which are bottle-fed goat’s
milk.
“We think calves do better on
goat’s milk,” Paul said. “They are
As both Pennsylvania and National Goat Representative,
Paul Plummer wants to do his part in clearing up many mis
conceptions that people have about goats. Representative
duties require Paul to attend numerous public functions as
the spokesperson for the industry and to attend as many
goat shows as possible across the U.S.
larger and tend to have healthier
hair coats than calves fed in other
ways.”
Before Paul took over national
responsibilities for the goat indus
try, he was named Pennsylvania
Goat Representative. During the
American Goat Association
pageant held in Massachuttes, he
competed with representatives
from other states to achieve the
national title. The competition
included a 15-minute oral speech,
an impromtu questioning session,
and a personal interview with
judges.
“I want to do my part to repre
sent the goat industry. The public
has many misconceptions about
goats that I want to correct,” Paul
said.
One particular pet peeve of his is
the commonly held belief that
goats eat tin cans.
“They don’t,” he said,
Paul plans a career in vet
research. Already he has gained
experience in scientific research.
For the past five years, his continu
ation of a science fair project has
dealt with goat colostrum and a
virus often transmitted to the
offspring. Currently, heat treament
will kill the virus, but it also kills
the antibodies in the colostrum.
Paul's project examines other
methods of solving the problem.
His project has enabled him to
advance to the International Sci
ence and Engineering Fair. Three
years ago, Paul placed third in
medicine and health, and for the
past two years, in the zoology
division.
Paul claims that he has no other
choice than to become a scientist
“I always tell people that both
my mother and father are scientists
so I was bred to be a scientist” he
joked. -
Paul, his sister, and mother
show mostly in a tri-state area, but
they travel to many other states.
Sometimes this means shipping
the goats by air.
“In the eastern U.S., there may
be more goats, but the ratio of peo
ple to goats, I would say, is similar
throughout the area," Paul said.
In the East, competitive breeds
include Nubian, Alpine, and Tog
genburg. Nubians are more popu
lar in the West
The Plummer family raise about 30 Toggenburg goats that they show across the
U.S. In front are Amy and Paul with their parents, Dr. John and Maxine Plummer.
When choosing a breed, Paul
said, a person should be within
driving distance of a buck.
The Plummers breed goats
about SO percent of the time with
AI services and the other times
with their own bucks.
Each year the ADGA indexes all
animals, appraises and classifies
milk records. In choosing the stud,
the Plummers analyze their herd
for what they believe is the biggest
concern and look for that trait in a
buck.
“At shows, we search for bucks
with genetics that we would like to
have in our own herd,” he said.
The Plummers market their own
goats.
Feeding Minds For Tomorrow
HARRISBUR'G (Dauphin Co.)
Margaret A. Wolff, wife of the
Pennsylvania Secretary of Agri
culture Boyd Wolff, accepted the
first contribution to the Pennsyl
vania Foundation for Better Liv
ing’s 1993 fund-raising drive. PA
FBL works to educate the general
public about the importance of the
food and fiber system and the role
of agriculture in their daily lives.
At a press conference held dur
ing Farm Show week, the Pen
nsylvania Dairymen’s Association
At left, Beth Heath Moore, executive director for the Pennsylvania Foundation for
Better Living, and Christine Jacobs, teacher, encourage creative, hands-on activities
that teach children about the value of agriculture. Both women spoke at the press con
ference held at the Pennsylvania Farm Show Complex.
In showing, Paul shows the herd
classified as American Toggen
burgs and his sister shows the
purebreds.
Generally, the two herds appear
similar. The difference, according
to Paul, is that purebreds have
records that may be traced to the
Swiss Alps. The American herd
that Paul raises can be traced for at
least 24 generations but not to the
Swiss Alps.
‘There is a push within the
Dairy Goat Association to convert
American Toggenburgs after five
generations to Purebred Toggen
burgs,” Paul said.
While the brother and sister
compete against each other in the
presented a check for $2,500 to
Mrs. Wolff supporting the mission
of the foundation.
In 1992 the foundation hosted a
four-day teachers’ workshop for
45 teachers to increase the under
standing of the relationship
between agriculture and the con
sumer and the economy. This
summer two workshops are
planned to accommodate 100
elementary teachers.
Christine Jacobs, a kindergarten
teacher and a graduate of last sum-
show ring, Paul said, “We function
as a herd group. Amy tends to be a
better showman and I, a better fit
ter. The premium money goes
back into the show circuit.”
Paul is a senior at Central Bucks
West High School. After high
school graduation, Paul plans to
obtain an official goat judging
license. Three tiers of license are
available according to how applic
ants score on written and oral
exams. The first level is appren
tice, the second is senior, and the
third advanced.
After he becomes a vet scientist,
Paul expects to stay affiliated with
the industry by judging show
animals.
mer’s workshop explained how
she incorporates the information
she learned into her regular curri
culum. She also has shared her
knowledge and teaching materials
with other teachers in her school.
Following the press conference
Mrs. Jacobs and her students
toured the Farm Show.
Besides the teachers’ work
shop, PA FBL is establishing a
speakers’ bureau and provides
teaching materials and follow-up
support for teachers.