'Baby' and Humphreys win Best in Show

MOSES LAKE — The Grant County Fair had a large variety of animals on display from FFA students around the basin. One student, incoming Moses Lake High School junior Sarah Humphreys, earned a prize ribbon for Best In Show with her goose named Baby. 

“We’ve had her for maybe eight years,” said Humphreys. “She’s very much a family pet.” 

Humphreys said she has been showing animals for years, starting out with goats in her early years. After making the move into Moses Lake, she and her family took a break from showing animals, but she got back involved at the beginning of middle school. 

Right before starting high school, she joined the FFA which is where she decided to start showing her goose, Baby. 

“That’s been really great so far,” she said. 

Baby had been raised from an egg, and Humphreys said one of her older brothers had assumed that the young hatchling was a duck. 

“He was like, ‘Oh we’ve got a duck egg’ and then it grew up to be a goose, so that was interesting,” said Humphreys. 

Luckily for Humphreys the process for raising a duck and a goose are very similar, so she proceeded with raising the gosling into the bird it is today. 

One of the biggest challenges for any student showing animals at the fair is keeping them properly cared for in the summer heat. In the poultry house, many of the students showing birds had frozen water bottles and fans to keep their pets comfortable. 

This was especially important for waterfowl such as ducks and geese who naturally spend most of their time near a large water source. Humphreys said this mindset has gone into every aspect of raising Baby. 

“We definitely have to give it lots of water because they love the water, and make sure (the water) is clean,” she said. “Giving it places to nest when it’s laying eggs and then we let our goose roam around and eat grass, give it some freedom.” 

On the first day of the 2026 Grant County Fair, Humphreys and Baby won Best In Show for FFA waterfowl. This prize is typically based on the quality of eggs produced and the physical condition of the bird. 

Humphreys also is involved in FFA contests outside of showing animals as she also participates in horse judging. Being part of the FFA has been a rewarding experience for her as Humphreys has grown to love the environment it brings, she said. 

“There’s a lot of community in our FFA group and that’s been great,” said Humphreys. “Our advisors are great and just being able to work with these animals builds a lot of character and I really love that.” 

Raising her goose has been a great experience as she said it has allowed her to really understand an animal and how it works. With this she has also learned a lot of patience for raising Baby. 

“It’s really hard sometimes to catch her and keep holding her because she likes to flap a lot,” she said. 

With her growth in the program and her success with Baby this year, Humphreys is excited to continue her journey in FFA through her junior and senior years. 

“I’m definitely going to show again next year and the year after,” said Humphreys.