Tuesday, May 20, 2014

79 bucks going to Western Maryland buck test

Seventy-nine bucks have been accepted into the 2014 Western Maryland Pasture-Based Meat Goat Performance Test.  Originally, 101 bucks had been nominated, but the number was reduced to 79 in order to reduce pasture stocking rate and parasite burdens.

The 79 bucks were consigned by 23 producers from 13 states. There are nine new consignors and thirteen returning consignors.  The 79 bucks will share the pasture resource with 15 bucks from the pen vs. pasture study.

State# consignors# goats
Delaware14
Georgia13
Illinios28
Indiana26
Kansas14
Kentucky415
Maryland49
New Jersey14
North Carolina28
Pennsylvania13
Texas14
Virginia28
West Virginia13
Totals (13)23 79

The bucks will start arriving to the test site next week.  The official delivery date is Friday, May 30. This year's adjustment period will be short. Starting weights will be determined on June 5-6.

For the first 42 days of the test, the bucks will graze cool season grass paddocks, pre-contaminated with worm larvae by grazing sheep. For the second 42 days of the test, the bucks will graze annual pastures (yet to be planted). Final weights will be determined on August 28-29.

Gold, Silver, and Bronze performing bucks will be sold at the Bluegrass Performance Invitational in Frankfort, Kentucky on September 6. Consignors to the buck test may consign does to the sale.  For more information about the sale, contact Jarred Dennison at (502) 875-8857 or jarred@jdranchkikos.com.

Bucks that do not qualify for the Kentucky sale may be purchased via private treaty.


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Posted By Susan Schoenian to Western Maryland Pasture-Based Meat Goat Performance Test at 5/20/2014 10:52:00 AM

Monday, May 12, 2014

Southeast Kiko group's annual field day and sale June 6-7

The Southeast Kiko Goat Association will have its 5th annual Field Day and Kiko Roundup Sale on June 6-7 at the National Fairgrounds in Perry, Ga. There will be free seminars with expert speakers, kids’ Skill-a-thon Saturday morning, a 100% NZ Kiko buck raffle, farm and live animal displays and vendors with goat-related items. The Kiko sale begins at noon Saturday.
  
“We are still an independent, regional Kiko goat association,” said Jay Barfield, SEKGA president. “We have Kiko goat producers that will have registered AKGA and NKR Kiko goats for sale at Perry again this year. We welcome all associations and all Kiko goat producers from all over the country. How you manage your goats is your business whether you are buying or selling.”

According to the sale catalog, there are 96 NKR-registered does and 10 NKR-registered bucks in the sale. There are 4 AKGA-registered does consigned.

According to Barfield:

If you have not attended a SEKGA Roundup and Sale. Some of the frequent comments we hear are:
What you see is what you get. All Kiko goats are registered and all the purebreds and 100%NZ Kiko goats are DNA tested.
• All of the goats bought are transferred to the new owners in days.  We have never had a complaint from a customer about transferring of registration.
• Best barbecue goat I have ever had. We offer a free barbecue goat meal on Friday night right after our business meeting. All are welcome.
• This group takes care of business. Since all workers are volunteers, all of the money made is placed back on promoting the Kiko goat breed.
• Friendliest people in the Kiko goat business. You cannot beat Southern hospitality.

The SEKGA Roundup Sale Catalog is available for download at


Friday, May 9, 2014

Clemson Beef and Forage Field Day June 10

Beef Cattle/Forage

Field Day

This field day is free and open to the public.  To register, please go to: http://www.tfaforms.com/329864
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June 10, 2014 9am
Clemson University - Edisto REC
Blackville, SC

 
Clemson University Extension will host the annual Beef and Forage Field Day at the Edisto Research and Education Center on June 10. Registration will begin at 9 AM.
     The keynote speaker for 2014 will be Dr. Dennis Hancock from the University of Georgia. Dr. Hancock will update producers on the latest research findings related to the biology and control of a new and rapidly spreading pest that has serious impacts on the yields of bermudagrass hayfields and pastures.        Additional speakers will highlight upcoming research on animal identification technology, the latest information on forage varieties and species selection, and an update on beef cattle research underway at the station.
     The field day will conclude with an update on the Edisto Forage Bull Test program.  To register, please go to:http://www.tfaforms.com/329864
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Thursday, May 8, 2014

Sign-up for livestock disaster aid now under way

Disaster payments for grazing livestock producers are on the way.  Farmers, with weather losses back to 2011 can sign up at USDA Farm Service Agency (FSA) offices now. 

Congressional passage of the 2014 farm bill reinstates disaster assistance and makes them permanent.   They are also retroactive, so farmers with weather related losses of forage or animals any time after Oct 1, 2011 may be eligible for payments. 

Under the Livestock Forage Disaster Program (LFP), farmers can be partially paid for feed cost during the drought.  The number of monthly payments a county can receive depends on the intensity of weather as recorded on the U.S. drought monitor.  A tool to determine FSA eligibility is available online at http://droughtmonitor.unl.edu/fsa/FsaEligibilityCounty2014.aspx.  FSA staff will figure the loss value based on head of livestock and pasture acres they have on file for the farm unit.
A second program, Livestock Indemnity Program (LIP), covers farms with livestock deaths in excess of normal due to an adverse weather event. Eligible livestock include beef and dairy cattle, bison, poultry, sheep, goats, swine, horses, and others.

Farmers are encouraged to contact their local FSA office about these programs and begin compiling their records.  More information on disaster assistance is available at www.fsa.usda.gov  or your local FSA office. 

"We implemented these programs in record time," said Agriculture Secretary Vilsack. "To ensure enrollment goes as smoothly as possible, dedicated staff in over 2,000 Farm Service Agency offices across the country are doing everything necessary to help producers that have suffered through two and a half difficult years with no assistance because these programs were awaiting Congressional action."

Depending on the size and type of farm or ranch operation, eligible producers can enroll in one of four programs administered by the Farm Service Agency. The Livestock Forage Disaster Program (LFP), and the Livestock Indemnity Program (LIP) will provide payments to eligible producers for livestock deaths and grazing losses that have occurred since the expiration of the livestock disaster assistance programs in 2011, and including calendar years 2012, 2013, and 2014. The Emergency Assistance for Livestock, Honeybees, and Farm-Raised Fish Program (ELAP) provides emergency assistance to eligible producers of livestock, honeybees and farm-raised fish that have suffered losses because of disease, severe weather, blizzards and wildfires.

Producers signing up for these programs are encouraged to contact their local FSA office for information on the types of records needed and to schedule an appointment. Taking these steps in advance will help producers ensure their application moves through the process as quickly as possible.

 Supporting documents may include livestock birth records, purchase and transportation receipts, photos and ownership records showing the number and type of livestock lost, documents listing the gallons of water transported to livestock during drought, and more. Crop records may include purchase receipts for eligible trees, bushes, or vines, seed and fertilizer purchases, planting and production records, and documentation of labor and equipment used to plant or remove eligible trees, bushes, or vines.

 Producers have three to nine months to apply depending on the program and year of the loss. Details are available from any local FSA office.

For more information, producers may review the 2014 Farm Bill Fact Sheet, and the LIP, LFP, ELAP and TAP fact sheets online, or visit any local FSA office or USDA Service Center.

Wednesday, May 7, 2014

Learn about Goat Herd Improvement Program on Thursday

By Kraig Stemme, DVM

Dr. Ken Andries, PhD, an Animal Science Specialist at Kentucky State University, is leading a webinar on Thursday, May 8 at 8 p.m. Eastern time entitled “How the Goat Industry Can Benefit from the National Sheep Improvement Program (NSIP).” 
In case you are scratching your head wondering, “Why should goat producers be involved with the NSIP?” let me explain that Dr. Andries leads the Goat Herd Improvement Program.  This program at Kentucky State University is an on-farm performance testing program that is available to any goat producer as long as the producer is willing to allow Dr. Andries to use their data for his research. 
If you wish to participate in the webinar or want more information, please contact Susan Schoenian at sschoen@umd.edu or call 301-432-2767. Anyone with a connection to the Internet may participate. High-speed access is recommended. The webinars use Adobe Connect software. Smart phones and tablet computes require mobile versions of the software. To register, send an e-mail message to pthomas@umd.edu. Registrants will receive log-in information via e-mail.
One of the things that the GHIP data allows is the calculation of averages that help producers determine where they stand and what is average or expected production from their herds. This data analysis requires large data sets, which are not generally available for meat goats. The information presented below is from the complete combined data set as of October, 2013.
For example, the adjusted weaning weight is adjusted for age at weaning, type of birth and rearing, age of dam, and sex of the kid. This helps standardize the data for better comparison. In the Dam summary the birth and weaning weights are the total weight born or weaned for each dam
As of October 2013, the data set has 8,652 kids, 4,502 dams and 436 sires represented. The data was provided by a total of 63 herds, some with up to eight years of data provided. The program has continued to grow and there are herds requesting information all the time. While not all producers provide all the requested data, it is important to remember that any data is better than no data. However the more data (and more compete the data), the better the analysis.
If you are not a participant in the GHIP program and are interested, please contact Dr. Andries at Kenneth.andries@kysu.edu or by phone at 502-597-5094. Take a look at the charts below, and analyze your herd information with these below:

Kid Data Summary as of October, 2013:
Variable
Observations
Mean
Std Deviation
Birth Weight
7791
7.55
1.73
Weaning Age
7041
89.31
20.13
Weaning Weight
7022
37.47
11.68
Average Daily Gain
6910
0.42
0.11
Weight per day of age
7022
0.52
0.12
90 day Weight
7023
38.23
10.55
Adjusted Weaning Weight
6986
43.41
12.65

Doe Data Summary:
Variable
Observations
Mean
Std Deviation
Age of Dam
3865
3.2
1.9
Number Born
4501
1.84
0.65
Total Birth Weight
4167
13.64
5.12
Number Weaned
4376
1.59
0.69
Total Weaning Weight
4056
62.22
27.08
Total 90 Day Weight
4054
62.93
25.57
Adjusted Weaning Weight
4056
7143
33.45
Doe Weight at weaning
2566
101.3
25.4
Efficiency Ratio
2494
61.28
24.09