Megan McGinley of Meg's Blessings Farm

Page made June 2024

 

Ever since I had begun going to the zoo when I was young, I had wanted goats. I fell in love with something about them. Anytime we went, I would spend hours with them! And how could you not love them?!?!

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Both my mom and dad grew up on farms with animals of various species, while I was in a sub-division when I was younger. We had cows back at my dad's parents when I was younger so even when I was really little, I was around animals and was the "official record keeper" every year when we would do herd checks. We didn't yet have the space nor our house built yet on the land we had just been working to acquire, it was the 55 acres behind the original farm where my dad grew up!

After finally having our house built on the land and moved in, we had been in the house a month before we went to go see goats with interest to start my herd!

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In September of 2017 when I was 7 years old, we visited Hilemon Hills Nigerian Dwarf Goats and ended up purchasing 2 goats by the names of Hilemon Hills Dawn & Hilemon Hills Cierra, both little babies that were yet to be weaned so we waited a few more weeks and brought them home on October 11, 2017! Dr. Pam at Hilemon Hills has been such a blessing. And we still talk to her today and she has visited, seeing the herd, including the first two goats!

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We had originally thought "oh, we will just show through 4-H" but come to find out that TN 4-H does not have a dairy goat program! So, through Dr. Pam we were connected to Ms. Lisa at Fields of Grace who fueled my quickly growing love of goats! We were fortunate enough to be able to breed to her handsome bucks the first three years before we brought in some smelly guys of our own! She has become a fantastic family friend and gave us the extra push and resources to get started in showing through the American Dairy Goat Association where our goats are registered through!

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In 2019 We had our first baby goats born, sweet Mercury and Jupiter out of Dawn and Fields of Grace CB Charleston! They taught us so much and were the sweetest boys. What a fun year with them!

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In 2020, we had Dawn kidding again, and she had twin bucklings sired by Fields of Grace American Made. American Made gave us truly beautiful kids! Hilemon Hills Cierra also kidded with quads that year, 3 bucks and 1 doe! We had prayed hard for a sweet little girl and Abby truly is special. She was the first girl born on the farm and spoiled and loved she is!

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In 2021, Dawn kidded with beautiful triplet girls sired by Fields of Grace American Made. Meg's Blessings American Hope, American Grace & American Glory.

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We attended our first show, the TN State Fair/Wilson County Fair. It was an absolute crazy joyful weekend! Our very first girl, Hilemon Hills Cierra went Grand Champion, Best of Breed, Best Udder of Breed and if that wasn't enough, Honorable Mention Best In Show! I will never forget that day and how it sparked my desire to want to show so much more!

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2022 was a huge pivotal year! We had just brought in Fields of Grace Fancy Schmancy and Fields of Grace CB Princess from Ms. Lisa the winter before and then in January got to go pick up two beautiful twin sisters from Jennifer Bowman at Primrose Hill, Primrose Hill Immort-Elle & Primrose Hill Everlasting Joy! Jennifer has done so much for us and is such a blessing to know! I am so grateful to have met her and she is also such a wonderful family friend!

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We also went to Gilman, Wisconsin to bring home 3 pretty baby girls from Lauren Schifsky of Aubreys Acres, Aubreys Acres Bread Puddin, Aubreys Acres Jingle Belle & Aubreys Acres Phall Phyre. Phyre and Belle have since then won their dry legs and what pretty girls they are!

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We also retained 3 does that year from Dawn, Cierra, and Abby! Meg's Blessings Evening Prayer, Meg's Blessings Walk By Faith (who has since then found a new home) and Meg's Blessings Mercy Set Free 1*M

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We also had the absolutely incredible opportunity to bring in our 2 handsome herdsires from Primrose Hill. Primrose Hill U Soldier *B is son of ELITE SG Farm Oldesouth LMT Unlimited ++*B who in the same year was sire to the National Jr Reserve Champion and National Premier Sire! Soldier's dam is GCH (pend) Primrose Hill EV Miss Saigon 7*M. Primrose Hill M Iceman is son of Unlimited out of his gorgeous son CH (pend) Primrose Hill U Maverick *B and GCH Gillispie's IB Lana 5*M! Soldier and Iceman have done so well for our herd and I am forever grateful to Mrs. Jennifer for allowing me to bring them into my herd and all that she has done!

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The 2022 show season was a year I will never forget. Our young herd accomplished so much! At our first show of 2022, Meg's Blessings American Glory (a homebred daughter of Dawn and Fields of Grace American Made) won Grand Champion Jr Doe and Best In Show under judge Jean Lucas! One of her two other littermate sisters, Meg's Blessings American Grace won a Reserve Grand Champion! A show that was absolutely memorable and I am so humbled by the success of our first two goats and their offspring!

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Cierra also won her 2nd leg and several Reserves, leaving her only needing one more Grand Champion leg to finish, our first goat! Meg's Blessings American Grace and Meg's Blessings American Hope also won their Grand Champion Jr leg and Fields of Grace Fancy Schmancy and Primrose Hill Immort-Elle earned their dry legs! A spectacular show season for our first full year showing!

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We also participated in LA in 2022, with Cierra scoring VEEV 89 and Meg's Blessings Abigail (our first girl born on the farm and Cierra's daughter) scoring +VE+ 84 (which would now be GVEG on the new scale!)

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2023 was perhaps our biggest year yet and our favorite and the most fun! Not only did we participate in shows again, we also went on milk test, with our 3 does (Fields of Grace Fancy Schmancy 1*M, Meg's Blessings American Glory 1*M and Primrose Hill Immort-Elle 6*M) and they all earned their *M AR star in all 3 categories!

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At our 2nd show of 2023, Meg's Blessings Mercy Set Free (Abigail's daughter sired by Primrose Hill EVL Aquaman *B owned by Fields of Grace) won Best In Show being our 2nd homebred doe to win BIS! That same show (Alabama Classic) Aubreys Acres Phall Phyre and Aubreys Acres Jingle Belle won their dry leg!

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Then we were blessed with Fields of Grace Fancy Schmancy winning her 2nd leg as a FF along with her retained 2023 daughter sired by Primrose Hill U Soldier *B, Meg's Blessings Forever Fancy winning her dry leg at 14 weeks old!

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Our LA went fantastic with Elle scoring VVVG 85 as a yearling FF, Glory scoring GVVV 85 as a FF and Fancy scoring VVVG 86 as a FF as well. Hottie scored VEEV 89 at 4 years old!

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We were also able to bring in SGCH Sunnydale Farm ZM Faith 4*M and Primrose Hill Fifty Shades Hot 4*M "Hottie" from Primrose Hill in the fall of 2023! What blessings they have been and how I could talk/type about those girls all day!

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And then 2024 came! 2024 we had the most does kid and a fantastic year so far!! Elle has won her 2nd leg, one of her milking legs, so she only needs one more to finish! Elle has blossomed into a truly beautiful doe! And not only does she excel in her own age classes, but ever since she was younger, has been my trustworthy right hand in showmanship, completely bombproof as judges have said. Together we have won numerous showmanships and 3 belt buckles! I couldn't imagine doing my showmanships with any other! I am so excited for Nationals showmanship with her in July 2024!

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Fields of Grace CB Princess has won 2 legs so far, including a Best in Show! She joined the group of 4 needing one more leg (Cierra, Fancy, Elle, Princess)

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2 more Primrose Hill U Soldier *B Daughters have earned their dry leg (Meg's Blessings Live By Faith and Meg's Blessings LetUrLiteShine in addition to Meg's Blessings Forever Fancy)

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I was also able to be donating our milk to the Appalachian Bear Rescue in Townsend, TN this year! I was also was able to do a presentation for them for their membership education series!

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I am now almost 15 years old and my passion for goats has only grown. 

So grateful and blessed to be on such a journey and cannot wait to see what God has in store for me next!

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I am so grateful to my family for being constant supporters and doing so much daily for me and my passion. I will never have the words to tell just how much yall are appreciated!

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I am also so grateful for my amazing mentors!

For Dr. Pam Gross of Hilemon Hills for giving me my start in goats and trusting in me since I was 7 and keeping up with us!

For Ms. Lisa LoCurto of Fields of Grace for helping me so much starting my herd by allowing us to breed to her bucks and pushing us to get started in the show ring and also believing in me since we met, allowing us to bring Fancy and Princess into my herd and for being such a great friend.

For Mrs. Jennifer Bowman of Primrose Hill for all she has done for me allowing us to bring in goats that have been pivotal for my herd, including my first two bucks of my own (Iceman and Soldier ) and our very first goats from her, and Elle being my showmanship goat (Elle and Joy) and for Hottie and Faith who have been such a blessing. I am also very grateful for her friendship and kindness since we met!