Sarah Atkins
mnjreporter@gmail.com
Sixteen-year-old Cadee Boone has been honing her livestock-raising and -showing skills for nearly four years.
Boone began her farming journey with her grandfather, Wade Fortner, when she was just 12 years old. They began by hatching baby chicks and selling eggs. A year later, Boone had set her sights on showing goats.
Although Fortner passed away in 2020, Boone and her family continue to live out what they started with him.
Boone said she was inspired to start showing goats by the 1970s show “Little House on the Prairie.” The characters on the show had cows, but Boone said since she didn’t have enough land to keep cows, she decided to buy goats.
Her focus has since shifted from her chicken farm and selling eggs to breeding goats and preparing them for showmanship competitions.
Boone goes to around 13 shows a year, primarily between August and October. She is a member of the Catawba Valley Showmanship Circuit and was awarded as one of the top showmen in the circuit.
Boone has acquired many awards including Open Wether Dam Class Reserve Grand Champion in 2023. She also won first place in the Salesmanship competition at the NC Sheep and Goat Roundup this past June.
Boone currently has eight goats, four of which are only three months old. This has been her first year raising her own baby goats. These four goats are North Carolina born and bred, meaning that they are eligible to compete in a special show at the NC State Fair this fall.
Boone’s long-term goals include possibly being a livestock agent and running a large-scale farm with goats and cattle.
Boone and her mother, Catherine Boone, hope to educate other kids in Mitchell County about the opportunities they have with livestock showmanship. Showmanship provides kids with an opportunity to compete and exposes them to a career field while giving them hands-on skills.
They also hope that spreading the word about showmanship could lead to a 4-H program in Mitchell County for those interested in agriculture and lower the costs for families.
Cadee Boone is largely self-taught but did attend a few showmanship camps last year, such as Leggett’s You Gotta Believe Livestock Camp in Tennessee.
Catherine Boone said of her daughter, “While most teen girls are shopping and buying makeup, Cadee is very driven and tight with her money, she knows the responsibilities she has.” If Cadee spends too much of her money shopping, she won’t be able to take care of her goats.
Boone named her farm “Sunshine Farms” after the nickname her pastor at Mount Calvary Church has for her.
Sunshine Farms is sponsored by AgSouth Farm Credit, Haldex, and Grassy Creek Mini Storage. Boone wanted to give these sponsors a public “thank you” for their generosity and support.
Outside of working with her goats, Boone enjoys hunting and fishing and is a FFA officer at Mitchell High School.
Despite her many accomplishments, there are hours of work behind them that go into preparing a goat for a show.
“Champions aren’t made in the ring, they’re made at home,” Catherine Boone said.