Scrapie case confirmed in eastern Ontario

(4/30/2012)

By Ian Elliott

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) confirmed on April 27 that one animal in a quarantined flock of sheep in eastern Ontario had the fatal disease scrapie. The animal recently died on the farm. CFIA said the fatal disease of sheep and goats poses no risk to human health, but Canada aims to eradicate the disease, which poses a serious risk to sheep. "The farm was placed under quarantine because a sheep that originated from the farm had previously tested positive for scrapie," CFIA said in a press statement. "In early April, 31 sheep were removed from the farm in violation of the quarantine order. The Ontario Provincial Police is leading the investigation into the missing sheep." The federal agency warned that the missing sheep from the quarantined farm pose "a serious risk for scrapie and could spread the disease to other sheep and goats." Farms that receive the sheep will be subject to federal quarantine and regulatory action. "Quarantine breaches put the livestock industry and the economy at risk. Any person who breaches quarantine may be subject to criminal prosecution under the Health of Animals Act," CFIA warned.

Top buck brings $10,000 at Winning Tradition

The crowd was overflowing as the Winning Tradition Sale V kicked off Saturday, April 28 in Washington, Ind. The bidding never slowed as the 15 consignors led more than 100 head through the sale ring, which could just as well have served as a show ring for these groomed and trimmed animals.

The top-selling animals are pictured below. See the June issue of Goat Rancher for more details, which, by the way, is our 1st annual Sire Edition.

It was a packed house at the Daviess County Fairgrounds in

Washington, Ind., Saturday for the 5th annual Winning Tradition Sale.

The top-selling animal was Lot 37, BDK2 AABG Easy Upgrade,

a Maximum Impact son. This 230-lb., 11-month-old buck was

purchased for $10,000 by a partnership of Show Me Boers (Wes & Lori Peterson) 

of Missouri and Trevor Bjerke of North Dakota.

The high-selling doe was Lot 44, AABG 2DOX Glamnation,

a December 2010 daughter of Maximum Impact. She was purchased

via the Internet for $7,000 by Marge Newton of Newton Farms of Indiana.

2M Boer Goats Legally Blonde, Lot 50, was the high-selling

percentage doe, purchased for $6,250 via the Internet by

Shana May and Aryn Proctor of Texas.

Dept. of Labor withdraws youth farm labor rules

Kansas lawmakers are applauding a White House decision to withdraw controversial youth farm labor rules. Reporter: Melissa Brunner

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(WIBW) - The Obama administration withdrew a controversial new set of regulations for young people working in agriculture Thursday evening.
Critics said the rules would have stopped children from helping on the family farm and even from doing 4-H projects with most animals.

Instead of the rules, the Department of Labor says it will work with groups such as the Farm Bureau and FFA on educational programs to reduce farm accidents. The administration says the change in direction was the result of concerns raised by thousands of people across the country.


U.S. Sen. Jerry Moran called the move a victory for farmers and ranchers. He says the proposal would have further reduced the rural workforce, deprived young people of valuable career training and "a way of life would have begun to disappear."
U.S. Sen. Pat Roberts also applauded the decision, saying the administration listened to common sense.


Full statement from Sen. Jerry Moran, R-Kansas:
“American farmers and ranchers received welcome news this evening: the Department of Labor finally listened to them and withdrew its proposed youth farm labor rule, which would have fundamentally altered the future of agriculture in our country. If the Department would have moved forward with regulating the relationship between parents and children on their own farm, a dangerous precedent would have been set; virtually nothing would be off limits when it comes to government intrusion into our lives.


“Out of respect for the rural way of life, the Administration has agreed to not pursue this regulation further. Instead it will work with rural stakeholders – such as the American Farm Bureau Federation, the National Farmers Union, FFA, and 4-H – to promote safety among youth workers in agriculture. This is exactly what we have been asking for all along – those who know agriculture best should have been consulted from the start.


“For generations, the contributions of young people have helped family farm and ranch operations survive and prosper. If this proposal had gone into effect, not only would the shrinking rural workforce have been further reduced, and our nation’s youth deprived of valuable career training opportunities, but a way of life would have begun to disappear. This is a tremendous victory for farmers and ranchers across the country.”


Last year, DOL Secretary Hilda Solis proposed rules that would restrict family farm operations by prohibiting youth under the age of 16 from participating in common livestock practices such as vaccinating and hoof trimming, and handling most animals more than six months old, which would severely limit participation in 4-H and FFA activities and restrict their youth farm safety classes; operating farm machinery over 20 PTO horsepower; completing tasks at elevations over six feet high; and working at stockyards and grain and feed facilities. The language of the proposed rule is so specific it would even ban youth from operating a battery powered screwdriver or a pressurized garden hose.


Full statement from Sen. Pat Roberts, R-Kansas:
"I am pleased the Administration has listened to reason and has withdrawn a highly criticized proposed rule that would have fundamentally altered the rural way of life in America for generations to come," Roberts said. "Under the leadership of Kansas' Senator Jerry Moran, farm country united against this short-sided proposal and once again commonsense prevails. The Administration should apply these lessons to all of its burdensome regulations."

Three ABGA shows this weekend in Salina, Kan.

The Kansas Meat Goat Association plans a weekend of shows April 28 and 29 at the Tri-Rivers Fairgrounds in Kenwood Park in Salina

Two American Boer Goat Association open shows April 28 and one ABGA open show on April 29 are on the schedule. The events begin at 9 a.m. both days.

Following the April 28 ABGA show is an open youth meat goat show.

Proceeds from the weekend will help fund the 4-H/FFA Grand Drive Meat Goat Show at the Kansas State Fair in September in Hutchinson.

To learn more about fees and entering, go online to abga.com or kmgaonline.net, or call Carol A. Bachofer, president of the Kansas Meat Goat Association, at 826-7855. Her email address is mulberrymeadows@yahoo.com.

Goat Rancher Sire Edition Early Bird Discounts

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, International Boer Goat Association National Show, the Labor Day Weekend sales and at newsstands at more than 1,000 Tractor Supply Co. stores nationwide. 

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

To launch our First Annual Sire Edition, Goat Rancher is offering an early-bird discount. 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 5 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.

Spotlight Kiko Auction catalog available

      The National Kiko Registry will host the Ozark Empire Meat Goat Conference and Spotlight Auction May 18-19 in Springfield, Mo. Friday will be filled with educational seminars and hands-on activities while two major Kiko auctions are planned for Saturday.

Producers of all breeds of goats are invited to attend the conference, which is free and open to the public. Seminars will be geared to beginners as well as veteran goat producers.

The opening sale on Saturday will be the first-of-its-kind auction featuring only 10 Kiko bucks. This is being billed as the Elite Kiko Buck Sale and will feature a select group of the best representatives of the Kiko breed in a high-profile, highly promoted arena with top herdsires going to the highest bidder.

The buck sale will be followed by an offering of approximately 100 Kiko does, including New Zealands, purebreds and percentages. All bucks and does will be registered with the National Kiko Registry.

Click on this link to download a catalog:

http://www.nkrextension.com/uploads/2/8/7/8/2878869/ozark-online.pdf

Goat production plays part in Miss. economy

By Susan Collins-Smith

MSU Ag Communications

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Goats remain a niche segment of the state’s livestock production, but they have a strong fan base.

(top) Debbie Huff and her youngest son, John Mark, prepare goat cheese in their kitchen. The Huffs’ four sons show dairy goats in 4-H and also make and sell goats’ milk products.

(bottom) The Huff family get double duty out of their 4-H dairy show goats by using the goats’ milk to make lotion, soap and lip balm. The popular products are sold in several Jackson-area stores. (Photo by Scott Corey)

“Meat goats make up most of the goat herd in Mississippi and in the nation,” said Kipp Brown, area 4-H livestock agent and meat goat specialist with Mississippi State University Extension Service.

Bill Ryals and his son raise meat and dairy goats at the Rocking R Dairy in Tylertown.

“Goat meat is the most popular meat for consumption in the world,” Ryals said. “It is becoming more popular in the United States because of the increasing immigrant population. Goat meat is actually considered a gourmet product, and we sell a lot of it to restaurants in the New Orleans area,” he said.

Brown said all meat goats are eventually used for the meat, even if they are raised as show goats.

“Most people who have dairy goats use the milk, and some of the producers sell their goat milk products,” Brown said.

Mark and Debbie Huff of Brandon use the milk from their four sons’ show goats to make a variety of products they market locally, such as soap, lotion and lip balm.

“Goat’s milk soap is extremely moisturizing and doesn’t leave the film other soaps can,” Debbie Huff said. “People who use it for the first time tell me how clean their skin feels. I have even gotten feedback from a lot of people who have skin conditions, such as eczema and psoriasis, who say it has greatly reduced their symptoms.”

Debbie Huff said her soap, sold by several merchants in the Jackson area, is a steady seller. The Huffs make 140 to 160 bars of soap one to two times per week, depending on demand.

“We get really busy in the fall near Thanksgiving and Christmas and also around Valentine’s Day, but our soap is popular all year,” she said. “There is a growing segment of the population that is trying to get away from the additives and chemicals in all their products. Goat’s milk soap is naturally free of all those ingredients.”

Consumers seek out other goat milk products for the some of the same reasons.

The Ryals added dairy goats to their dairy cow operation four years ago and produce milk and cheese from both cows and goats. They use no hormones, steroids, antibiotics or growth enhancers on their animals.

Ryals said their goat milk and goat cheeses are extremely popular.

“We have trouble keeping up with the demand,” Ryals said. “We are producing about 75 to 80 gallons per day of goat milk. We can’t keep it in stock.”

The Ryals make fresh chevre, aged cheeses, aged raw milk cheese, fresh cheddar cheese curds, ricotta and yogurt from the goat milk. Ryals said he has seen no reduction in demand for any of his products, despite the recession. “Since we started offering goat products, the demand has been good,” he said. “I don’t see it slowing down anytime soon.”

According to the National Agricultural Statistics Service, Mississippi had 27,000 goats in the state as of Jan. 1. The state’s meat goats account for 1.1 percent of the nation’s meat goat herd. Dairy goats in Mississippi account for 0.8 percent of the nation’s dairy goats.