Monday, April 15, 2013

Langston (Okla.) University goat field day April 27



Get the facts on goat cheese production

The 28th 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 ProductsThis 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 

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