Tara Hicks has been selected as one of three 2023 ABGA and JABGA National Show Superintendents. This is not Tara’s first rodeo when it comes to the National Show Superintendent role. She was a 2022 National Show Superintendent and has previously hosted ABGA sanctioned shows.
An ABGA member since 2014 and with over a decade of county fair superintendent experience, the driving force behind Tara’s agricultural involvement is youth exhibitors.
“I love working with the youth and helping them develop skills they will use later in life. My absolute favorite thing at any show is Showmanship! I love watching the kids give it their all."
Part of what makes Tara’s involvement with the ABGA and JABGA National Show so natural is the event’s evolution and focus to directly benefit JABGA youth exhibitors. Of course, the chance to network with other Boer goat breeders is a big bonus too. "Meeting producers from across the country is awesome also...because I don't make it to enough shows during the year to mingle much.”
Tara doesn't only stick to Boer goats. She has a ton of show experience with 4-H, Brown Swiss cattle, registered Polled Hereford cattle, steers, commercial heifers, and market lambs. She owns Rock’N Heart Farms, a 30-acre spread in northwest Arkansas. She calls Rock'N Heart Farms “a little bit of a funny farm.” Rock'N Heart Farms runs around 40 head of goats, several breeds of cattle, and plenty of dogs, horses, and cats.
Tara earned a bachelor’s degree in animal science from Missouri State University and currently works as a breeder supervisor for Simmons Foods, a poultry company that has branched into the pet food sector.
