4-H project launches goat dairy

BIRNAMWOOD, Wis. — As a young 4-H member, Ava Medo discovered she had a passion for dairy goats. Her enthusiasm for goats has grown with her and provided opportunities her third-grade self could have never imagined.

Medo’s parents, Matt and Angela, have dairy farm backgrounds. When Medo expressed interest in delving into the dairy goat project in 4-H, her family recognized the value agricultural involvement held in their family.

“When I started in 4-H, I looked up to the other kids involved in livestock projects,” Medo said. “I wanted to get into livestock, but I didn’t necessarily know which animal. I decided to try dairy goats because they are a super unique part of the dairy industry, and it was a way to keep to my family’s roots but try something new.”

From that beginning in the 4-H project, the family has entered the world of commercial dairy goat farming. They milk 350 does and raise a total of 750 on their Marathon County farm near Birnamwood. The herd is comprised of a variety of milking breeds and crosses — LaManchas, Saanen, Alpines and Nubians — while Medo and her mother keep a small herd of American Dairy Goat Association-registered Alpines and Nubians for show purposes. The Medos ship their milk to Saputo Inc. In the future, Medo said she would like to experiment with making soap from their milk for revenue and industry promotion.

“It just started from my crazy idea,” Medo said. “It started growing and we realized this was something we wanted to do, to expand on. We started building different barns and buildings, adding on and breeding our herd to what it is today.”

As the family’s dairy goat herd developed from Medo’s first two goats, her own experience grew alongside it. It developed from a 4-H project into what would become her Supervised Agricultural Experience for FFA.

Medo, a recent graduate of Wittenberg-Birnamwood High School, has served her FFA chapter as president, vice-president and parliamentarian, and has spearheaded five blood drives. Besides her 4-H and FFA activities, she is part of the Shawano County Ag Ambassadors.

This fall Medo will attend the University of Wisconsin-River Falls, pursuing a double major in agricultural education and agribusiness.

Medo won the Wisconsin FFA goat proficiency at the Wisconsin FFA Convention in June. This was the third time she submitted an application, after being encouraged by her FFA advisor, Matthew Christian. Medo also placed fourth in 2024.

“Mr. Christian told me it was an opportunity to share my passion with other people,” Medo said. “It’s a pretty intense application, very long. The first year I really was just working on my record keeping, understanding the application better. My second and third years, I started expanding on the details, showing all the growth my project has had.”

Medo and her family are focused on improving the genetics in their herd and growing their production. She sees showing as a way to compare the results of her breeding program with others and hopes to expand her showing efforts in the future.

“We have only shown at the Wisconsin Valley Fair in Wausau,” Medo said. “My biggest goal right now is to get our animals out to the Wisconsin State Fair. The junior show is always the same time as our fair here, but I’m hoping to show down there next year, just to try it once. My ultimate goal is to make it to the ADGA National Show with my goats.”

Medo counts several farms and families among her mentors.

“There are a bunch of breeders I work with, and I think it would be great to get on that same level with them, to show off what I’ve been working on,” Medo said.

When sourcing bucks to use for breeding, the Medos look for high-quality genetics and milk production.

“We’ve raised our does and we’re trying to find bucks to keep improving on those genetics,” Medo said. “We have purchased bucks from some great breeders around the Midwest.”

Along with improving herd genetics, Medo said she has learned the more time she invests in working with the herd daily, the greater the rewards.

“Being in the barn every day —working with the animals, making connections with them — that really pays off,” Medo said. “I know them so well. I am better able to present them the best I can in the show ring.”

As her days competing in the youth show wind down, Medo is looking forward to continuing to breed and show her goats, and mentoring other young people.

“It has been so rewarding helping my sister, who is in fifth grade, learn about the goats and how to do well in showing,” Medo said. “I was so proud of her; she won her showmanship class. That is a huge accomplishment for her. I was excited to help her and to work with other young showmen in our 4-H club.”

Medo’s efforts go beyond sharing her showmanship knowledge. She hosts clinics at her family’s farm for aspiring goat enthusiasts, sharing what she has learned.

“Goats are really such a special and unique sector of the dairy industry, with so much potential,” Medo said. “Consistency is so important. The more you put into your goats, the more you’ll get out of them, your herd and the industry in the long run.”