Saline County Goat Makes Top Flight

Ty Murphy of Saline County and Rylee Anderson of Chillicothe stand together after their goats earned top honors at the 2022 Missouri State Fair Wether Goat show Aug. 10th. The two will have their exhibits auctioned at the Sale of Champions on Aug. 20th. (Photo by Kyle Hill, Alpha Ag Network)

A goat from Saline County earned grand champion honors at the 120th Missouri State Fair on Wednesday. The wether goat exhibited by Ty Murphy of the Kennedy 4-H Club edged out the competition in the final drive, earning Murphy a spot in the Sale of Champions. Murphy says he was feeling confident in his 85-pound goat which he named Rocky.

Central MO Info · 22 0811 Ty Murphy on his Grand Champion Wether Goat cut 1

This is Murphy’s third year competing in the wether goat competition. He says selecting the right goat to raise made a significant difference.

Central MO Info · 22 0811 Ty Murphy on his Grand Champion Wether Goat cut 2

Murphy credits advice from his older brother Cole, who had placed a steer in the 2017 Sale of Champions.

The exhibitor of last year’s Grand Champion Goat will make a return to the Sale of Champions with the Reserve Grand Champion. Rylee Anderson of Chillicothe led her 88-pound goat Peaches to top honors in the FFA Division. Reserve Grand Champion in the FFA Division was Tayton Dains of Rockville, while Bryce Leefers of Platte County was Reserve Grand Champion in the 4-H Division.