The Pueblo Chieftain
The ruling to disqualify the grand champion goat at the Colorado State Fair was upheld this week.
The Weinroth family of Sedalia presented its case to the Fair's Board of Authority on Tuesday. They said their goats grew sick after their feed had been tampered with, which they reported to the on-duty veterinarian.
"The board took all that into account. We decided to stand by the drug test and we did not change the ruling," General Manager Chris Wiseman said.
Margaret "Maggie" Weinroth took grand champion honors with her 83-pound goat named Theodore. The goat sold for $5,500 at the Junior Livestock Sale.
In October, after drug tests found a banned substance, ractopamine, in the animal's system, Weinroth was disqualified.
Her younger brother, Benjamin, also was disqualified after his goat also tested positive for ractopamine.
His goat sold for $1,300.
"Now it's up to me to decide whether the young boy can compete here again, and I should notify the family in December with a note," Wiseman said.
In a phone interview Thursday, mother Susan Weinroth said she hadn't heard about the board's decision.
"We presented our case. Mr. Wiseman talked to the same people we did and he agreed with the timetable of events," Susan Weinroth said.
The family also was able to obtain vet records documenting their animals sudden illness from eating foreign food.
"It says on the vet sheet ‘novel feed’ and they were treated for that," Susan Weinroth said.
The Weinroths will not be awarded their money from the sale, Wiseman said
The money will either be refunded to the buyer, credited to next year's sale or donated to the Fair's foundation.
The reserve grand champion hog also was disqualified this year before the sale due to a controversy over its ownership. That animal also failed a drug test, according to Fair officials.
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