National Show Judges

2021 National Show Judges

Judges who were chosen for the 2020 ADGA National Show are judging the 2021 ADGA National Show. It is a credit to each judge for having developed the rapport among members of the dairy goat industry to be selected. Congratulations to the following judges who were chosen!

Robert Bartholomew Jr.

My journey with dairy goats began in 1972 with the purchase of an unregistered crossbred doe kid. Shortly after that I joined a 4-H livestock club, and I was hooked. As I learned more about dairy goats I decided on Nubians as the breed I wanted to raise.

My family did not own a farm, in fact we lived on just over one acre of land so dairy goats were a logical option. Over the years I have owned most breeds, but primarily bred Nubians with a few Toggenburgs under the B-Bar herd name.

I started judging in 4-H first with the county 4-H livestock judging team and then the dairy cattle judging team. I was a member of the collegiate dairy judging team at both SUNY Cobleskill, and then Virginia Tech. Shortly after graduation from Tech in 1987 I attended the ADGA Annual Convention in San Angelo, Texas where I earned my first judges license, and I earned tenure as an advanced judge in 2001.

Judging has allowed me the opportunity to travel to so many wonderful places around our country and to meet countless amazing people, many of whom I now call friends. It has also provided me the opportunity to travel outside of the US with wonderful trips to places like Brazil and New Zealand. I have tried to share my experiences and knowledge of judging and evaluating dairy goats by also becoming an ADGA Pre-TC instructor and an ADGA Linear Appraiser. I have been an active member of several ADGA committees over the years and currently serve on Judges Training Assessment & Licensing, Advanced Judges and Spotlight Sale.

Even though I did not grow up on a farm, my love of livestock and animal science lead me to pursue a degree in agriculture. I earned an AAS in Animal Husbandry from SUNY Cobleskill, a BS in Dairy Science from Virginia Tech and then my MS in Special Education from SUNY New Paltz. I spent 20 years as an educator teaching Biology/Special Education and Agriscience in public schools in both New York and Florida. One of the highlights of my years of being an educator was serving as an adjunct professor in the Animal Science Department at SUNY Cobleskill teaching their Introductory and Advanced level Livestock Selection and Evaluation classes.

I am truly excited and humbled to have been selected by the membership to serve as a judge once again for our National Show. Like so many, I was terribly disappointed when the pandemic forced the cancelation of our 2020 show. Now am so looking forward to seeing everyone and many beautiful animals in Louisville.

Todd Biddle

I have been a licensed dairy goat judge for close to thirty years. While I have judged youth events at three past ADGA National Shows, 2021 will be my second-year judging breed classes at the ADGA National Show. I have had the pleasure to judge many state fairs, club shows, and county fairs throughout the United States. This is my first year serving on the ADGA JTALC Committee. I have enjoyed serving on this committee and worked as a panel member at the most recent Judges Training Conference in Montpelier, Ohio. In the past, I have written articles for the Dairy Goat Journal on dairy goat evaluation.

On our family farm in Boalsburg (Central) Pennsylvania, we maintain a herd of thirty Saanen dairy goats, twenty Belgian Draft horses, and a hundred head of Dutch rabbits. The historic farm is the home of two goat herds, OHF (Oak Hall Farm) and Royal Colors. OHF is the original 4-H herd and Royal Colors is my personal herd. Both herds earned Herd of Distinction status in 2021.

My sister Jennifer and nieces have started their own 4-H herd in LaPorte, IN with goats from Uncle Todd. While the goats are not shown as much as they once were, we earned National Junior Champion Saanen in 2003, Reserve National Best Udder Saanen in 2002, and Reserve National Best Udder Saanen in 2016. We have participated in the Linear Appraisal program and have had many does score between 90 to 92 with one doe scoring 93 over the years.

Our family participates in the qualifying Classic Series six horse and cart horse shows with our Belgian mare hitch. In 2020 we had the eastern Classic Series cart champion with a homebred mare. We had national champion stallion and mare in 2008. We have bred and/or exhibited several stallions, mares, and geldings that have earned gold, silver, or bronze merit in the Belgian Merit program. My rabbit breeding program has earned best chocolate or best tortoise Dutch at three National Dutch Shows and three ARBA conventions since 2012. My chocolates or tortoises have also earned best display at five National Dutch shows and four ARBA conventions since 2012. In 2021, I was recognized by the American Dutch club with the Distinguished Service award for my dedication to supporting youth and my countless hours devoted to planning for and coordinating royalty events at the National Show.

Professionally speaking, I am currently an agriculture teacher in central Pennsylvania. This fall will start my twenty-seventh year in the profession as either a Biology, Middle School Science, or Agriculture teacher. I was nominated for Pennsylvania’s Outstanding Agriculture teacher in 2019 and the Golden Owl Award in 2020. The FFA chapter I advise, Bald Eagle, has earned National FFA national chapter recognition of two stars in 2015 thru 2019. Two of our chapters community service missions are to fight childhood hunger in our community and improve and increase pollinator friendly habitat on our school campus to help with the national challenge of pollinator decline. I write MANY grants to bring innovative and exciting opportunities to my students.

In 2021-2022 my classroom will be producing hydroponic crops to provide fresh produce for our school lunches. I assist any student who needs financial support to do a Supervised Agriculture experience with writing youth grants to secure the funds they need. My students compete in many Career and Leadership Development events with many wins in state proficiency recognition, horticulture, and public speaking. In the past, I have served as an educational consultant to biomedical research companies developing curriculum to educate others on ethics and the need for research.

Without a doubt, most of my life stories revolve around agriculture and educating others about different aspects of the agriculture way of life. I am excited to judge the respective breeds that were assigned to me at the National Show and celebrate the dairy goat industry in Louisville as some of the best dairy goats in the country are spotlighted at ADGA’s Premiere event. Best wishes to all the competitors.

Anne McKeever Clagett

Anne and her husband Ken live in Damascus, Maryland with their son Aaron. Daughter Rachel and her husband Jake live close by in Frederick, Maryland. Right around the corner is the family farm where she grew up and her love of goats began. Her mother Barbara and stepfather John still reside at the farm and are actively involved in the goats. Anne earned her pediatric medical assistant certification in 2000 and has been working with children in healthcare ever since.

In 1988, Anne started raising dairy goats under the herd name of Pocahontas Pride with a few Nubians. Most of the breeds were raised through the years but there is a special place in her heart for the Toggenburgs and Saanens. She owned and exhibited the 2001 Reserve National Champion Toggenburg. The current herd consists of LaManchas, Toggenburgs, Saanens and Recorded Grades.

A lifelong 4-Her, she participated from the age of 8, is a 4-H All Star Alumni and currently a 4-H leader for her local Dairy Goat Club as well as a Camp Director for the local 4-H County Extension camp program. She enjoys teaching and working with children and views them as one of the most important parts of ADGA. Supporting the youth means supporting a bright future for dairy goats!

She received her ADGA Judge’s license in 1999 and achieved an Advanced Judge’s license in 2017. She has been honored to travel across the country judging and admiring some of the best goats in the country and meeting the amazing people who own them.

She was honored in 2016 to judge the Youth Events at the National Show in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. Attending the National Show as an exhibitor or as a spectator is one of the biggest thrills as dairy goat enthusiast. Anne is honored and excited to be judging this year’s National Show, and truly, it is a dream come true for her.

Dan Laney

This will be the ninth time I have judged the ADGA National Show, and I am very honored to be selected by my peers once again! I actually attended my first National Show when it was held here in Louisville in 1983.

Even after so many fortunate opportunities of being in this National Show arena in the past, both as an exhibitor and a judge, I have never gotten over the incredible adrenaline rush that is the result of being surrounded by some of the best quality dairy animals in the country. Thank you all for giving me this opportunity in 2021! I know my highly qualified colleagues that I’ll be working with in the show arena this year share these same feelings.

As an ADGA Life Member I have been involved with dairy goats in one way or another for over more than 50 years. I have served as an ADGA Director from California, Past President, Secretary/Treasurer in Spindale, served on numerous committees and have been a licensed judge for over 35 years.

I acquired my first goat in 1969 to provide milk for my oldest son who was lactose intolerant. That was the beginning of a lifetime love affair with our wonderful dairy goats! From that Alpine/Nubian grade named “Tiger Lilly” I moved onto purebred Nubians, Alpines and LaManchas. My herd name was Slinker Ridge and I was fortunate enough to have raised a National Jr. Champion Nubian, Slinker Ridge Mo Bandi. A young LaMancha doe I purchased from one of my 4-Hers going to college, Mt. Shasta Avia, eventually went on to earn two National Championships. A real thrill for both me and her former owner, Tammy, who had just graduated the year Avia won in LA.

I have been an educator for over 50 years, raised three wonderful children, have eight amazing grandchildren, and two great-grandsons! While I am officially retired from the classroom I still am involved in teaching. However, now I spend a large part of each year in Nepal working with the rural goat farmers in the various mountain villages as well as volunteering in the area orphanages.

More recently I have teamed up with the Nepalese government to help improve the native goats of Nepal. We are working on a project to improve the milk production by crossing the local Khari goat of Nepal with our Saanens that were exported from here in the USA as part of a World Bank Project seven years ago. The same work is being conducted with Khari/Boer crosses to improve the meat production. I have just completed my 23rd trip to Nepal and plan on returning again in mid-November. With each visit my “work” expands into new villages and slowly I am beginning to see some real improvements in the herds I have worked with and that has made my life all that more fulfilled!

No question about it…I have great love and appreciation for our incredible dairy goats as they are truly amazing animals! They provide us with so much…all over the world. All the best to each and every one of our exhibitors who will attending this years’ 2021 ADGA National Show here in Louisville! Enjoy the week and may you all create your own fond memories that will last a lifetime!

Jennifer Lohman-Peterson

What a great opportunity to be judging this year’s ADGA National Show with an illustrious group of my peers. This year with so much excitement after our last year off from showing.

Louisville is the home to my very first National show when I was a teenager competing in showmanship and fitting team. Little did I know that it was the start to my lifelong passion with the Dairy Goat.

I have had most all of the breeds stay in my barn at one point. The herd, Elm Glen gained some notoriety for the LaManchas. Currently we have Nigerian Dwarfs, Saanens, and Alpines.

My husband, Dean, and son, John, play an active part of the herd these days from chores to building fences. I work full time for the Wisconsin Department of Corrections and have been able to continue my judging.

I am a senior judge, having judged in the United States and adjoining countries. It’s really neat to see the passion and commitment owners have for their livestock. Lots of talented people that I get to call my friends, have goats. I have a lot of gratitude for those that helped me along the way.

Looking forward to seeing you all, virtually or in person at the 2021 ADGA National Show!

Joe Pilotte

Joe Pilotte has been an ADGA licensed judge for eleven years and the 2021 National Show will be his first National Show assignment. Pilotte has 47 years of experience in Dairy Goats with a rich history of breeding Nubians, Saanens and Alpines under the “WEA” Herd Name.

Joe has spent a lifetime connected with agriculture having grown up in the State of Indiana on a family farm that produced hay, corn, soybeans and various species of livestock. As a youth, the American Dairy Goat Association was the first professional organization that Joe associated himself with, thus he is a Lifetime Member of ADGA.

Joe and his wife Lora maintain a regionally competitive herd of Nubians and Alpines and both have a keen passion in working with youth and mentoring them during their journey with Dairy Goats and with life in general. Joe is a 1988 graduate of Ball State University where he earned his Bachelor’s Degree in Criminology and Social Work. Currently, Joe is an Adult Probation Officer with Vigo County Adult Probation.

Joe enjoys gardening, fishing, and spending time with his wife Lora and his granddaughter Cora King.