Sheep shearers needed in Hawaii

The Hawaii Sheep and Goat Association presents a Sheep Shearing Clinic to be held on Jan. 11 and 12, 2012.  This is a rare opportunity to learn Sheep Shearing here on the islands.  

If you own sheep, you may know that there is a shortage of Sheep Shearers.   If you are interested in learning this trade or just want to be able to shear your own sheep, this workshop is for you!

When:   Jan. 11 (Wednesday) , Noon – 5pm

             Jan. 12 (Thursday), 8:30am – 4pm

Who:  Jim Bristol, Certified Instructor and Expert Shearer from Michigan

Where:  Kahua Ranch (Kohala Mountain Road)

Cost:   $50

Contact:   Jan Dean at 775-0401 or email maluhia.farm@mac.com to reserve your space  (space is limited!)

Eating goat meat in mid-America

Cookbook cues: Goat: Meat · Milk · Cheese by Bruce Weinstein and Mark Scarbrough
Ruth Young on Wednesday 12/07/2011 2:00 pm 
The Daily Page.com
Madison, Wisconsin

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When deciding what to cook for dinner on any given night, "goat," for most of us, is likely the one of the last ideas to come to mind. Goat meat is on the rise in Madison restaurants, but it's still largely absent from home kitchens. Bruce Weinstein and Mark Scarbrough, authors of a plethora of cookbooks and the blog Real Food Has Curves, are out to change that in their recent cookbook,Goat: Meat · Milk · Cheese (Stewart, Tabori & Chang, $30).
In the preface, Weinstein and Scarbrough explain how goat meat hasn't yet fallen into the "tastes like chicken" category because "nobody has morphed the DNA of goats so that they have breasts so big they can't walk (hello, chickens), or hooves so weak they are prone to rot (hello, cows)." In fact, no hormones and only a few antibiotics have been approved for goat production in the Unites States. In other words, this stuff is pure and deeply flavorful. What's more, upwards of 70% of the red meat eaten globally is goat. All said, we are only left to wonder why the heck we hadn't thought to cook with goat meat and dairy until now.
The authors effectively deconstruct the illusive goat into three easy-to-grasp sections: meat, milk and yogurt, and cheese. Those sections are broken down further into familiar categories like "hunks," "chunks," "moles," and "curries" in the meat section. The recipes are interlaced with anecdotes that add a level of fun to what is some pretty serious cooking, and give valuable insight to everything from goat farming to the intricate art of goat cheese-making.
The "meat" recipes range from simple (chili) to complex (the seven-hour leg), and from familiar (burgers) to foreign (dopiaza -- think of really fancy French onion soup). The first recipe I tried, however, was from the "cheese and yogurt" section. The directions for corn pudding were easy to follow, and in no time I had myself a rich, cheesy corn casserole made with goat milk, soft goat cheese and hard goat cheese. The tanginess of the goat products added an enjoyable dimension to what would otherwise have been a pretty ordinary dish. The goat cheese cheesecake recipe was also easy to follow; however, those who consumed it didn't realize it was made with goat cheese until they were told.
Overall, this is a great guide for those who are ready to embrace these up-and-coming ingredients. If you're low on time, money or sense of adventure, though, you may be best off simply finding a fresh baguette and giving it a generous smear of soft chevre. Perfection.
Don't know where to get your goat meat? Weinstein and Scarbrough provide a list of US farms. The most local they list,Shepard Song Farm , is in Downing, Wisconsin. Other local purveyors include Black Earth Meats in Black Earth, Greek Acres Farm in Cambria and Ruegsegger Farms in Blanchardville.

Elite Kiko buck sale May 19 in Missouri

The National Kiko Registry continues “thinking outside the fence” while developing 

plans for its 2012 Spotlight Auction, scheduled for May 19 in Springfield, Mo. The sale is part of the NKR-sponsored Ozark Empire Goat Conference that will be held May 18-19, 2012, at the Ozark Empire Fairgrounds. 

First off, the bucks will have their own sale to be held at 1 p.m. The sale will be limited to 10 head with a maximum age of two-years-old by sale day. Billed as the NKR Elite Kiko Buck Sale, this sale will be the first auction of its kind in the history of the U.S. meat goat industry. Producers will have the opportunity to offer 10 of the best representatives of the Kiko breed in a high-profile, highly promoted arena with these top herdsires going to the highest bidders. Nominees must be of the highest quality, free of defects and health issues. Photos of the 10 nominees, their pedigrees, accomplishments and owners will be featured on the NKR website as well as in other national advertising. These bucks will be DNA-tested and NKR-registered. 

Immediately following the buck sale will be the Spotlight Auction, a doe-only sale that will feature approximatey 110 NKR-registered New Zealand, purebred and 

percentage/GeneMasterTM does. Buyers can purchase the buck they want then put together the does of their choice for a perfect foundation herd or addition to their current breeding program.  

Here is the link for sale information and rules:


http://www.nkrextension.com/uploads/2/8/7/8/2878869/spotlight_sale_rules-final2.pdf


Here is the link for more information on the conference:


http://www.nkrextension.com/conf--auction.html


To learn more about the National Kiko Registry, visit www.nationalkikoregistry.com.

For more information, contact Ron Polette at 314-808-7664 or mrbuff@centurytel.net.

W. Va. small ruminant course Dec. 10

The 2011 West Virginia Small Ruminant Short Course will be held from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Saturday in Room 1001 in the West Virginia University Agriculture Science Building in Morgantown.

Sponsored by the West Virginia Extension Service, the educational program for sheep and goat producers is open to the public and will include information on feed, nutrition, and economics.

An update will be presented on the National Animal Identification System, Scrapie Program, American Sheep Industry programs and the West Virginia Fiber Festival. Furthermore, a summary of current WVU research projects on Multi Species Grazing, Synchronization,Out-of Season Breeding and Weaning trials will be available.

An informational farm tour is scheduled in the afternoon by charter bus to visit the George Wherry Farm. Wherry manages a large commercial sheep operation located in Scenery Hill, Pa, consisting of 500 Dorset and Texel crossed ewes. The farm tour will focus on effective sheep management, pasture based production systems, rotational grazing management to utilize warm season grasses and Wherry's progressive direct marketing strategies

Box lunches will be offered on the charter bus on the way to visit the Wherry farm. The annual meeting of the West Virginia Shepherd's Federation will be conducted on the charter bus on the way back to Morgantown. Registration is required for lunches and transportation as soon as possible.

The cost for the workshop is $15 to cover the charter bus and box lunch costs. The registration fee will be payable on Dec. 10. To register for the workshop contact the Grant County WVU Extension office at 1-304-257-4688 by email at Brad.Smith@mail.wvu.edu or call J.J. Barrett, Wood County WVU Extension agent for Agriculture, at 1-304-424-1960.

Illinois sheep & goat workshop Jan. 28

The 2012 Sheep & Goat Workshop will be held Saturday, January 28, from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. at the University of Illinois Extension Kankakee County Office,

1650 Commerce Drive, Bourbonnais, IL 60914

The annual Kankakee County Sheep & Goat Workshop will have information for veteran producers as well as those new to the industry. The goal is to educate sheep and goat producers on current industry practices and trends, and to provide an introduction for producers who are new to the respective industries.

Topics will include:

* Latest in Disease and Pest Issues

* Best Way to Establish Pastures

* Breeds to Raise

* Appropriate Fencing & Housing Facilities

* Calculating Profits

Speakers will include veterinarians, University of Illinois Extension educators, Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS) staff, and a Producer Panel.

A pre-registration fee of $20 ($15 for additional person from same homestead) which includes lunch for the workshop is required by January 25, 2012. Please call Kankakee County Extension Office at 815-933-8337 for more information or check our website at http://web.extension.illinois.edu/gkw.

                    

Urban farmers try goats

From USAToday

SEATTLE – Snowflake the goat has cornered me, nuzzling my hand as she nibbles on my jacket's zipper.

• 
  Elaine Thompson, AP
  Jennie Grant scratches the neck of Eloise in the backyard of her home in Seattle.

Enlarge

Elaine Thompson, AP

Jennie Grant scratches the neck of Eloise in the backyard of her home in Seattle.

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"They're very affectionate," says urban goat pioneer Jennie Grant, who owns the 99-pound, white miniature LaMancha.

Distracted by Snowflake, I hardly notice a smaller black goat closing in on me until she takes a bite out of my notebook. Behind the roughhewn milking platform, the view stretches out past pavement, streetlights and cars. This is the city, and these are city goats.

Urban goat farming is part of a nationwide movement to eat food produced locally — sometimes as locally as our backyards. Successful efforts to legalize chickens in cities such as Chicago and New York paved the way, with ducks and bees gaining ground in many places too.

But goats? It's been two hooves forward, one hoof back as the idea has spread to more cities. For every pro-goat Portland, Ore., or Oakland, Calif., there's been a Kansas City, Mo., or Minneapolis shutting the barn door on backyard ruminants.

To read more, click here.

4-H workshop Saturday in Springfield, Mo.

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. -- The annual “Bright and Bold” 4-H workshop will be held from 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m., Saturday, Dec. 3 at Lay Hall on the campus of Drury University in Springfield.

Velynda Cameron, 4-H specialist in Greene County, is coordinating this year’s workshop which is expected to draw about 300 adult volunteers and 4-H youth members.

“The regional Bright and Bold workshop is designed to be an interactive training for 4-H members, clover kids, leaders and parents,” said Cameron.
 
Workshop topics include shooting sports safety training and Clover Kids training as well as workshops on robotics, public speaking, 4-H camp, photography and more.

David Burton, civic communication specialist in Greene County, will be teaching students how to tell a story with photos. The topic is relevant because with end-of-the-year reports, 4-H members are asked to detail their 4-H project with five photos.

“Even an elementary school student should be able to tell you that a story has a setting, characters, and a plot. Photography gives you the opportunity to tell a story in a unique, powerful way – without the written or spoken word,” said Burton.

Missouri 4-H, University of Missouri Extension's youth development program, helps to create opportunities for young people to be valued, contributing members of their community. To learn more about 4-H -- the world’s largest youth-serving organization -- and how to get involved locally go online to http://mo4h.missouri.edu or visit the nearest University of Missouri Extension Center.