GREELEY, Colo.—Taylor Starks will always remember Valentine’s Day 2012 as one of a broken heart.
But the heartache the 12-year-old suffered that afternoon—when her parents picked her up from school and told her that a barn fire had claimed the lives of all six of her goats, animals with whom she had spent more time than with friends and family, grooming and training for shows—is now being mended by a community that’s wasted no time showing her how much they care.
While Taylor’s goat herd was diminished to nothing during a Feb. 14 blaze that destroyed a 100-year-old barn next to her family’s Galeton-area home, it has nearly doubled in the short time since that fire, all thanks to donations from her church, neighbors, local breeders and strangers who want the show to go on for the Eaton Elementary School sixth-grader.
“I’ve been so surprised, and am so thankful,” said Taylor, referring to the 11 goats she’s received during the past two months.
The family estimates the donations add up to about $2,000 in value, and they came just in time for Taylor—who’s in her fifth year of showing goats, a hobby she picked up from her father—to be ready for the Weld County Goat Extravaganza at the end of this month.
“It means a lot to me,” she said.
Taylor’s mother, Shannon Starks, said the family attended a service at the Northern Colorado Cowboy Church in Lucerne on the evening of the fire. Normal worship services take place on Tuesdays at the church. Members of the congregation either already knew about the Starks’ loss, or soon found out.
With word spreading quickly, it was only about a week later, Taylor said, that the first donated goat arrived, and they kept on coming.
“It’s just humbling,” Shannon Starks said. “You don’t expect so many people to help you out, but they have. It’s tough to find enough words to describe what it means to us.”
One of the goat donations came from Clarence and Teresa Mercer, who own Boot Hill Boers near Kersey. Teresa said Taylor and her daughter have shown goats in 4-H together during the years, and, back in 2007, the Mercer family suffered a barn fire of their own that killed 22 head of livestock.
“We’ve been there before … and know how hard it is,” Teresa Mercer said. “We knew we wanted to do something for them as soon as we found out about it.”
Mercer said it’s all part of a close bond that exists among the 4-H and agriculture communities in Weld County, a statement echoed by Weld County Extension Director Keith Maxey.
“There’s definitely a spirit of helping your neighbor … and a lot of that is fostered in the 4-H pledge,” said Maxey, referring to the “hands-to-a-larger-service” portion of the 4-H pledge.
Taylor doesn’t hesitate to express her gratitude for what the community has done for her, but she’s also been in showmanship long enough to know that new goats means more work.
Taylor said it can take anywhere from a couple weeks to a year—depending on the animal—to get a goat to look and walk and stand in a way that meets the standards of county fair livestock judge.
“I know it will be a lot of work,” said Taylor, who said she also has to start all over on the goat-breeding program she had in place before the fire. “But I’m looking forward to it. I enjoy being around them.”
