BY KRISTI HINE AND RILEY RODUNER
With a family history rooted in agriculture, Abigail (Abby) Kolousek made the decision at a young age to pave her own path in the agriculture industry. And it paid off, as she qualified as one of the four FFA Star Agribusiness finalists in South Dakota earlier this year.
With the help of her family, alongside FFA advisors Craig Shryock and Brady Duxbury, Abby started her goat operation in 7th grade and continued to build on it as she went through high school.
“I started out with only one Nigerian dwarf buck goat. I chose this breed because many around this area have Boer goats and I wanted to be different. Boer goats are a meat goat and used for showing and Nigerian dwarf goat is a dairy breed,” explained Kolousek, who as an 8th grader, purchased nanny goats in order to expand her herd. “I stopped at 20 because I didn’t want to be a huge operation and I like to focus on the animals I have.”
She has found much success by selling them through e-commerce on her Facebook page and on the family’s website (KolousekFarms.com), sharing her posts on livestock groups and marketing her goats as companion animals.
Duxbury said the way she approached marketing and selling her goats is what makes her operation notable.
By running a smaller operation, Duxbury added that Kolousek is at more of an advantage because she is able to personalize each kid.
“Abby is raising a registered breed of goat for a companion animal. She is able to sell over production price because of this. Abby is not running a production operation, she is running a business. Her way of nontraditional production puts her in the agribusiness category.”
Judged on an in-depth series of interviews, FFA record books and detailed information about the Supervised Agricultural Experience (SAE) activities performed outside of scheduled classroom time, the Wessington Springs High School (WSHS) senior was selected as a Star Finalist alongside Elden Blume, Redfield; Ryan Blagg, McCook Central; and Cash Lehrman, Bridgewater Emery. Although she didn’t win the State Star in Agribusiness, she has much to be proud of.
“I am very proud of Abby. She’s taken on the e-commerce role compared to the other projects that are very traditional. She is selling in a unique way. She focuses more on selling her goats as companion animals rather than livestock,” said Duxbury.
Her first year, she was able to sell five to ten kids each breeding cycle, or about 20 per year. Now she sells 20-25 kids each cycle, or 45 each year.
Kolousek credits learning from her dad and local veterinarians at Prairie View and Rolling Hills.
'On the breeding and health side of it, Prairie View has helped with c-sections. Rolling Hills helped with overall health and the best way to ensure healthy kids. Kelli Tobin explained that goats are like smaller cattle in that they are very similar when it comes to their health,” she shared. “On the grain side of feeding, my dad and the farm has helped. He helps me get access to hay through a labor exchange process. I help my dad with haying in the summer in return for alfalfa and grass hay.”
Kolousek also credits local veterinarians for helping her maintain a healthy herd.
“I had one case of Coccidiosis and a case of pneumonia. Now I use a prevention pellet for Coccidiosis and make sure I have a bleach and cleaning protocol. When it comes to vaccinating the goats, they get vaccinated twice a year during each breeding cycle for adults. The kids get one before they leave and I deworm twice a year and deworm babies before they go,” explained Kolousek.
When it comes to kidding, Kolousek points to her dad, Scott, as her mentor.
“The goats are pretty good kidding on their own. If they do need help, my dad has experience with cattle so with his guidance and my knowledge of goats — plus my small hands — we have been able to pull kids that need help on our own,” laughed Kolousek, as she held up her petite hands.
Kolousek said that her biggest points of growth were the size of her goat herd and the increase in sales she has seen.
“In 7th grade my first kids were out of five unregistered nannys. I sold them for $75-$100 each. As I’ve grown, I sell more kids out of registered nannys. They can range anywhere from $150- $300 each,” said Kolousek After graduation, Kolousek plans on attending Northern State University to major in digital marketing and minor in ag business. Before she heads off to college, however, Kolousek has made plans to keep her herd in the family.
“I started selling some of my goats to my sister Ella.
She currently owns five of the 19 nannies and once the next kidding season is over, she is going to buy the rest of them. She is a freshman this year so this will be her FFA project for the next few years,” explained Kolousek.
When it comes to being a Star Finalist, she is grateful for the experience.
“After all the hard work was completed, I still had to face the judges. It was exciting having the chance to explain to them what I’ve done and prove to them that through FFA, both my project and I have continued to grow,” she explained.
