Weed management is one of the important aspects for maintaining healthy, productive pastures. Any plant that emerges at an unwanted spot is called a weed. Whether a plant is considered a weed may differ from one production system to another. For example, a weed in a cattle grazing system may not necessarily be a weed in a goat grazing system, such as briers. Although goats eat a wide variety of plants …
2nd in a Series of Goat Economic Fact Sheets: How to Create a Farm Resource Inventory
Marion Simon, Ph.D., State Specialist for Small Farm and Part-Time Farmers
Kentucky State University Cooperative Extension Program
Note: Under the U.S. National Animal Identification Program (NAIP), it is important for livestock producers to have a registered Premises Identification for their farm and point of origin identification for each goat marketed. These identifications should be used in your record-keeping and inventory lists.
Goat farmers use …
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by Marion Simon, Ph.D., State Specialist for Small Farm and Part-Time Farmers
Kentucky State University Cooperative Extension Program
The SWOT analysis identifies the farm’s internal strengths and weaknesses and examines the external opportunities …
Introduction, Rationale and Significance
Small ruminants such as sheep and goats have an advantage over bovines in terms of size and adaptability to foraging and browsing. It is this distinctiveness which allows them to be used as an alternative to the use of herbicides or prescribed burning for tree farm planting preparation, rangeland improvement, or enhancement of recreational area landscape. In most states, significant portions of land …
Youth programs with goats generally focus around 4-H and FFA projects. Often these programs involve selection of animals and production for showing the animals at fairs and other livestock shows. The most common goat project for youth is the market kid project. Another popular project is the dairy goat project. Breeding stock and showmanship are two types of show programs that youth also participate in. There are also special fiber goat shows. Fiber shows can include both live animal and …
Example Herd Data sheets:
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Kidding management
Identification
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Background
Interest in meat goats has grown rapidly over the past 10 years. Goat is the most frequently consumed meat in the world. In the United States, meat-goat production is increasing because of goats’ economic value as efficient converters of low-quality forages into quality meat, milk and hide products for many specialty markets. Preference for goats is growing in populations of health conscious, ethnic and faith-based consumers. National estimates indicate there is …
Parasitized animals can show many signs of infection depending on the parasites present. If the parasite is disrupting the digestive tract then common signs may include rough hair coat, diarrhea, depression, weight loss or reduced weight gain, anorexia, and/or being off-feed. If the parasite consumes blood, symptoms often include 1) anemia, as viewed by pale color to the gums, vulva and mucous membranes of the inner eyelideye membranes, and even 2) bottlejaws. Again symptoms may be …
Producers need to be aware that there is no one grazing plan that fits all situations, and many factors need to be considered. Factors such as soil types, topography, climatic conditions, type of livestock operation, labor resources, capital, available machinery and specific objectives will define the grazing system to be implemented. Other factors such as control of gastrointestinal parasites of goats will also influence the choice of some forages to incorporate into the grazing system. The seasonal …
