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OSU Meat Goat Education Programs

James Jones

Summary

The Oklahoma Cooperative Extension Service has developed three educational programs for producers interested in meat goat production. These programs are Oklahoma Basic Meat Goat Manual, Basic Meat Goat Production Workshop and Oklahoma Meat Goat Boot Camp.

The Oklahoma Basic Meat Goat manual is a comprehensive basic meat goat production manual. This manual covers basic production, management and marketing skills needed to operate a successful meat goat operation. Fifteen chapters cover topics such as breeds of meat goats, fencing, housing, corrals, meat goat selection, bucks and breeding, kidding, nutrition, forages, herd health, marketing, predator control, general herd management, and record keeping.

The Basic Meat Goat Production workshops are a multi-session workshop that teaches basic production, management and marketing skills using the Oklahoma Basic Meat Goat Manual as the core curriculum. Each chapter of the manual is presented as a power point presentation and participants are encouraged to ask questions and participate in the discussion.

The Oklahoma Meat Goat Boot Camp is a three day program that uses a mixture of hands-on activities with classroom exercises. Participants are taught how to do essential herd management techniques and then allowed to perform those techniques on live goats. Techniques include ear tagging, tattooing, castration, aging, hoof trimming, health management, pregnancy testing, fecal egg counts, FAMACHA, forage testing, fencing, and neonatal care. Classroom exercises are used to show producers how to develop business plans, forage plans and balance a feed ration.

For more information about any of these educational programs contact an Oklahoma Cooperative Extension office or visit http://oces.okstate.edu/meatgoat

Details

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