Goat Gossip

So many events, too little time (& column space!)

Its summer time and everyone is scheduling events like they are cheaper by the dozen! This week the ABGA National Shows and Meetings are in the spotlight for the caprine industry. Next week is the Freestone County Fair and Youth Livestock Shows. This is a big event for the Freestone Co, Goat Breeders Assn. what with all of the goats that were bred by members being shown.

It is with great interest that we are waiting to find out who bred the best in-county market wether. We are going to have a pretty nice jackpot to award to the winner of that fancy buckle!

The smaller fairs are more fun to attend because the youngsters work so hard to be there and they seem to put just a little more effort into their projects. It seems that the bigger shows have a lot more experienced participants that have the show thing down and are a lot smoother and sure of the preparations that they make.

It’s kind of enjoyable to see a young boy or girl making their goat look the best they can while Mom and Dad are frettin’ and fussin’ and Grandma and Grandpa are giving their best advice! And they are all so full of pride with their participation that they all are about fit to burst!

The Agrilife Extension Services of Nacogdoches & Angelina Co. is having a Field Day at Great Entertainment Farms in Douglass on July 18th (Saturday). The agenda is “Making Small Acreage Profitable in East Texas”.

Topics will include Livestock Species for Small Acreage, Fencing and Facilities for Small Acreage, Marketing Livestock on Small Acreage, and Forages for Small Acreage. To register or for more information contact the Angelina County Extension Office at (936) 632-8239.

Cherokee County CEAAgriculture & Natural Resources Rene McCracken would like to welcome Goat Enthusiasts to the Multi- County educational program “Managing the Production Goat Herd” on Saturday, July 11, 2009, beginning at 10 am at the Tommy McDaniel Ag- Expo Center in Henderson, TX . Guest speakers include meat and dairy goat specialists Scott Horner and Dr. Lou Nuti. There are no registration fees but a BBQ plate lunch will be provided for purchase at the door. There will be a silent auction benefiting the ETGRA general fund.

The North East Texas Goat Raisers Association’s next scheduled event will be the General Membership meeting and ice cream social on June 20th beginning at 10 a.m. at the North East Texas Farmers Co-op. The program topic will be pasture management and is presented by the North East Texas Farmers Co-op.

The 5th Annual Sizzlin’ Summer Boer Goat Show is on July 25th and 26th at the Hunt Co. Fairgrounds in Greenville, Texas. Well, that’s enough of the area events; let’s move on to bigger stuff! The International Boer Goat Association will be holding their national shows, meetings, and grand festivities at the Stephens County Fair & Expo Center in beautiful Duncan, Oklahoma from July 7th to 11th. It all begins on the 7th with the start of check-in for the National and Junior National Shows and continues till the 11th with many exciting shows and events, culminating with the Full Blood Buck Show and the presentation of Platinum & Ennobled Animal Awards, Dam Cup, Sire Cup, Premium Breeder Award, and Showmanship Award. There are sponsorship opportunities available for Breeders, Organizations, and Businesses and you can get the word out to attendees by advertising in the National Show Program. Vendor spaces are also available for very reasonable rates. For more info go to www.intlboergoat. org.

Gwen and I are gonna be there to visit and enjoy the fellowship of our fellow IBGA breeders. Maybe Ms. Cathie will be there, I sure like visiting with her! I have been saving my goat buying money for a sale in October, so I ain’t gonna take the goat box.

I hope we get to see Ms. Betty and Mr. Gerald Peterson there also because I need to personally thank Gerald for giving Gwen a hand with our goats at the Goldthwaite show. It’s a comfort to know that our fellow goat breeders are willing to lend a hand when you need them. Come on out to the programs being offered, I hope to meet you there. Call 903-388-8528 or e-mail clwyer@gmail.com if you have any gossip. Bye, for now.