Goat Rancher Sire Edition coming in June

The cover of our 2012 Sire Edition

EARLY BIRD SPECIAL

The June issue of Goat Rancher will feature special articles targeting buck health, management and promotion - plus advertising opportunities for well-known and up-and-coming herdsires.

In addition to being mailed to our thousands of subscribers, the Goat Rancher Sire Edition will be available at the American Boer Goat Association National Show and other goat events around the nation, the Labor Day Weekend sales and at newsstands at more than 1,100 Tractor Supply Co. stores and 140 Orscheln Farm & Home stores nationwide.

If you want national exposure for your sire, here it is!

Goat Rancher is offering an early-bird discount for our advertisers. Book your half-page or larger color ad by 5 p.m. May 1 and get a 5% discount.

Submit your print-ready ad* by 5 p.m. May 6 and get an extra 5% off. That's a total of up to 10% off your Sire Edition ad.

To learn more about our advertising rates and specifications, click here

http://goatrancher.com/pdf/AdvertisingInformation.pdf

To learn more about Goat Rancher magazine, click here

www.goatrancher.com

To book your ad or for more information, call 888-562-9529 or e-mail goatrancher@hughes.net

*Print-ready ads must be a correctly sized, high-resolution PDF or JPEG.

Langston (Okla.) University goat field day April 27

Get the facts on goat cheese production

The 28^th annual Goat Field Day will be held on Saturday, April 27 at the Langston University Goat Farm in Langston, Okla., with registration beginning at 8:00 a.m. This year's theme will be Enhancing Goat Products. This year, featured speakers will be Mr. Patrick Anglade and Drs. Ken McMillin and Frank Pinkerton.

Mr. Patrick Anglade is the owner/operator of Consultant of Formation en Fromagerie based in Pyrenees, France.  Patrick holds a Master of Cheese Technology at the Milk Industry and Economy University of Rennes. Patrick is author of the reference book “La fromagerie à la ferme” (farmstead cheesemaking) and conducts workshops and training sessions on establishing an on-farm dairy processing facility that will comply with local and federal health guidelines. Patrick effectively guides producers through a maze of topics, including business plans, cheese ripening, production hazard analysis, troubleshooting manufacturing defects, and all other issues dealing with  milk, yoghurt, lactic, soft and hard cow’s, goat’s, and sheep’s milk cheeses, and raw and pasteurized milk cheeses. Patrick has lead training sessions and/or consultations for organizations in France, Canada, Ireland, Italy, Spain, and the United States.

Dr. Ken McMillin is a Professor of Animal Sciences and Food Science at Louisiana State University.  Ken has more than 35 years of experience working in and with the meat and poultry industries. In 2009, Ken was awarded the distinguished American Meat Science Association Signal Service Award. This award recognizes members for devoted service and lasting contributions to the meat industry. Ken holds degrees from Purdue University and Iowa State University and is a former Fulbright Senior Specialist to Stellenbosch University, Western Cape, South Africa. Ken is known for developing a live animal selection classification system and carcass evaluation guides for the meat goat industry. Ken led the development of the Institutional Meat Purchase Specifications for fresh goat in conjunction with the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Agricultural Marketing Service and Southern University.

Dr. Frank Pinkerton, aka The Goat Man, started his goat career at the International Dairy Goat Research Center of Prairie View A&M University in 1978. In 1983, Frank relocated to Langston University to conduct extension work in dairy, Angora, and meat goats. Frank retired in 1993 to raise meat goats in East Texas and do consulting work in goat management and marketing. During his 40+ year career, Frank has published numerous scientific articles and technical bulletins on dairy, Angora and meat goats. Frank also conducted 13 international consultancies on livestock and goat nutrition and 16 domestic consultancies on goat management and marketing, not to mention conducting five large-scale goat-grazing demonstrations for vegetative control in public forests and grasslands. Since March of 2005, Frank has written a monthly question-and-answer column for the Goat Rancher and also to share occasional articles on various facets of the industry.

In the afternoon session, participants will break into small-group workshops. There will be a total of 12 workshops; however, participants will only have time enough to attend three.

The afternoon workshops include:

• French Goat Cheeses  —  an overview of French cheesemaking with Mr. Patrick Anglade.

·  • Carcass Improvement  —  what every producer should know about carcass quality, consumer preferences, and tips to improve this valuable trait with  Drs. Ken McMillin and Frank Pinkerton.

·    • Internal Parasite Control  —  sustainable internal parasite control program with Dr. Dave Sparks.

·   • Basic Herd Health  —  herd health program including vaccinations, injection sites, and approved drugs with Dr. Lionel Dawson.

·    • The Art of Drawing and Illustrating  —  basics of how to draw any type of goat with Mr. Ken Williams.

·    • Nutrition for Health and Production  —  calculations of feed intake and of energy and  protein requirements with Dr. Steve Hart.

·   • Goat Reproduction  —  basics of goat reproduction and techniques and equipment for artificial insemination in goats with Dr. Erick Loetz.

·  • DHI Training  —  supervisor/tester training for dairy goat producers including scale certification with Ms. Eva Vasquez.

·   • Body Condition Scoring  —  practical application of body condition scoring and its use in herd management with Mr. Jerry Hayes.

·   • USDA Government Programs  —  overview of USDA Natural Resource Conservation Service's work with goats and its cost-sharing program with Mr. Dwight Guy.

·    • Mortality Composting  —  basic composting techniques and equipment for disposing of goat mortalities with Dr. Roger Merkel.

·   • Fitting and Showing for Youth and Adults  —  tips and pointers on fitting and show ring etiquette with Ms. Kay Garrett (this is a half-day afternoon workshop).

Various youth activities are also planned so that parents and older teens can enjoy the Field Day activities knowing that their little ones are having fun in a safe environment. Registration for the Goat Field Day is free but there is a $10 per person charge for the optional lunch of barbecued goat and goat milk ice cream. You can bring your own lunch, if you desire. Regardless of lunch preferences, everyone is requested to pre-register. Online registration for the 2013 Goat Field Day can be found at 

http://www2.luresext.edu/goats/library/fd2013.html

Eastern Okla. State College plans buck test

Goat producers seeking ways to better manage their operations in ever more challenging production conditions should consider enrolling their genetics in the forage-based meat goat buck test to be held this summer at the Eastern Oklahoma State College Farm in Wilburton, Okla. The 2013 test is limited to 42 head of goats with a maximum of 3 head enrolled from any one ranch or producer. If fewer than 42 head are enrolled then more animals will be allowed from producers wanting to enroll more than 3 head.

            • Nominations due: Friday, June 14, 2013 


            • Check-in: Thursday, June 27, 2013 from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. 


            • Warm-up: June 27- July 8, 2013 


            • Test Period: July 8, 2013 - September 26, 2013 


            • Field Day and Awards: September 27, 2013

An enrollment form, entry requirements, test protocol and other information is available at www.eosc.edu/goatbucktest or by calling Barney Howard at 918-448-2191. The registration deadline is June 14. There is a $25 non-refundable fee required for each goat nominated. An additional $100 per goal will be due at the animal check in on June 27.

Checks should be made payable to Eastern Oklahoma State College. A buck information sheet must be filled out for each buck consigned to the test and provide with the enrollment form. Health papers and a signed copy of the self-certification of animal health must also accompany the goats on June 27.

Tuskegee University Goat Day on April 20

The Tuskegee University Annual Goat Day will be held on Saturday, April 20, from 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. in Tuskegee, Ala. Participants will take part in activities that provide updates in goat industry. Speakers and topics will include: breeding and genetics (Dr. Chuck Okere, Tuskegee University); insights into the dairy goat industry (Dr. Steve Zeng, Langston University); and Ms. Carol Delaney (Small Ruminant Specialist). Also Dr. Cynthia Brasfield from USDA-APHIS will give critical updates on the scrapie regulations for goats in Alabama. Hands-on activities will include milking demonstration, cheese making and goat product tasting. Goat products will also be available for purchase. Registration materials may be obtained at http://tuskegee.edu/about_us/outreach/cooperative_extension/goat_day.aspx. For additional program information, contact Dr. Nar Gurung at 334-727-8457 or email at ngurung@mytu.tuskegee.edu. Goat products vendors are welcome and should contact Mr. Danny Williams at 334-401-9472.

SW Missouri sheep & goat conference March 23

The Southwest Missouri Sheep and Goat Conference will be held from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., Saturday, March 23, at the McDonald County Fairgrounds, 100 Mustang Lane (near intersection of Hwy 76 and 71B and adjacent to the high school), Anderson. 

"If you want to raise sheep or goats for meat or milk, you can learn how to raise them successfully at this conference," Dr. Jodie Pennington, small ruminant educator with Lincoln University Extension, who is located at the Newton County Extension Center in Neosho.

According to Pennington, the conference will provide basic information that participants need to work with sheep and goats, including a panel discussion by producers on how to maximize profits with sheep and goats.

PROGRAM SPEAKERS

Speakers at the conference include:

• Mark Kennedy, Missouri grasslands specialist with NRCS and a long-time goat producer, who will talk about profits with sheep and goats and fencing and facilities.

• Dr. Charlotte Clifford-Rathert, sheep and goat specialist with Lincoln University, who will talk about sheep and goat diseases and proper techniques for diagnosing worms, including a fecal egg count demonstration in the afternoon.

• Dr. Jodie Pennington, small ruminant educator with Lincoln University Extension, will conduct an interactive session where attendees answer questions on their management and then get feed-back for the answers from all in the audience

• Pennington will also discuss the increase of hair sheep in the industry and the proper management for them.

After lunch -- which is provided in the registration fee -- the conference will include an information-exchange panel of sheep and goat producers who will discuss how they maximize profits with sheep and goats and then answer questions from the audience.

FECAL EGG COUNTS

Producers may bring a fecal sample for the fecal egg count demonstration if they want their animal or animals checked for worms.

Dr. Clifford-Rathert will explain how to conduct fecal egg counts and how to check for FAMACHA scores. Worms are the primary internal parasite of small ruminants and remain one of the biggest problems of meat and dairy goats.

“Internal parasites can also be a problem in sheep but not to the same extent as goats,” said Clifford-Rathert. “In order to control worms, you must set up a deworming and sanitation program and stick to it.”

Worms not only kill both young and old goats, they contribute to poor growth rates, an unthrifty appearance, coughing, diarrhea, and, in severe cases, bottle jaw.

REGISTRATION

John Hobbs, county program director for McDonald County Extension, says “there should be something for everyone who has in interest in sheep and goats, whether hair or wooled sheep and dairy or meat goats.”

For those who pre-register before March 19, the cost is $10 per person for the conference with lunch. Registration can be done by mailing registration information to the Newton County Extension Center, Smith Hall (Crowder College), 601 Laclede Avenue, Neosho, Mo. 64850.

Registration is $15 at the door on the day of the event.

Contact the Newton County Extension Center at 417-455-9500 or email simkinsv@missouri.edu to register or for more information. 

Ark. workshop targets bermudagrass recovery

Fast facts

·       -- Arkansas Bermuda Breakout set for March 2 at Benton Co. Fairgrounds

·       -- Conference will include Bermuda stand recovery, weed control

·       -- For more info, call Benton Co. Extension Office, 479-271-1060 or rseay@uaex.edu

·       -- Register by Feb. 28

BENTONVILLE, Ark. – Bermudagrass, even with its drought-tolerant reputation, took a hit across Arkansas last year, struggling to grow weak stands and provide low yields, while suffering more weed encroachment than ranchers find to be healthy.

It’s a hard fall for a crop that has provided national championships to Arkansas growers in 12 straight years and on which ranchers depend for the cattle that are their livelihood.

“Last year’s drought came on the heels of the 2011 drought and the abnormally dry spring in 2012 prevented bermuda from starting, much less finishing the year,” said Robert Seay, Benton County Extension Agent, for the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture. “As a result, hay producers couldn’t fill orders, grazers sold animals and more out-of-state hay was brought into NW Arkansas than most old-timers can remember.

 “An unfortunate start to the 2013 season is that producers are dealing with multiple uncertainties in regards to soil moisture, fertilizer and fuel costs, weed control and an unpredictable hay market,” he said.

The good news is that “bermudagrass is the king of recovery,” Seay said.

Capitalizing on bermudagrass’ ability to bounce back is the focus of a program set for Saturday, March 2, at the Benton County Fairgrounds Auditorium located on Hwy. 12 at Vaughn, Ark. The program opens at 9:30 a.m. with registration and ends at 2:30 p.m.

The program covers:

·       Timely and targeted weed control;

·       Nitrogen and Potassium requirements and applications;

·       Establishing seeded Bermuda varieties, and;

·       Seasonal practices necessary to achieve stand recovery, yield and quality of hay or pasture.  

A sponsor-supported program and noon meal will be offered at no cost to producers who register by Feb. 28 by calling 479-271-1060, or via email at Rseay@uaex.edu.  

For more information about forage production, visit www.uaex.edu or arkansaslivestock.com, or contact your county extension office.