106 Bucks Nominated

The nomination period for the 2013 Western Maryland Pasture-Based Meat Goat Performance Test ended today (May 15).

One hundred and six goats (106) were consigned by 26 breeders from 12 states. Illinois and Kentucky are the states with the most nominations (4 consigners, 18 goats).  Maryland and Virginia each have three consigners and twelve bucks.

There are eleven new consigners. Six consigners are returning to the test after a 1 to 2 year absence.

The majority of the bucks consigned are Kiko or Kilo-influenced. There are a few Boers, Spanish, and miscellaneous crosses.

State	No. consigners	No. goats
Alabama	1	4
Delaware	1	5
Illinois	4	18
Indiana	2	8
Kansas	1	5
Kentucky	4	18
Maryland	3	12
New Jersey	2	10
North Carolina	2	6
Pennsyvlania	2	4
Virginia	3	12
West Virginia	1	4
TOTAL	26	106

It will be necessary to reduce consignments in order to have ample forage for the bucks. All nominations received by today's deadline will be treated equally.

Nomination Deadline Nearing

The nomination deadline for the 2013 Western Maryland Pasture-Based Meat Goat Performance Test is next Wednesday, May 15. All nominations received by the deadline will be treated equally. If the test capacity is exceeded, preference will be given to previous consigners and Maryland residents.

As of today (May 8), seventy-eight bucks have been nominated. Nominations have been received from 19 consigners from ten states. Nine of the consigners are new. Four are returning to the test after a 1 or 2 year absence.

State	No. consigners	No goats
Delaware	1	5
Illinois	4	18
Indiana	1	5
Kansas	1	5
Kentucky	4	18
Maryland	2	7
New Jersey	2	10
North Carolina	2	6
Pennsylvania	1	2
Virginia	1	2
Total	19	78

Most of the nominated bucks are Kiko.

The bucks for the 2013 pen vs. pasture study will be coming from a single farm. This is ideal for the research project, as the bucks in each treatment group will have common genetics and have been managed the same prior to the study. This will be the final year of the pen vs. pasture evaluation of meat goats. This year's study is being funded by the Maryland Grain Producers Utilization Board.

Sheep grazing at test site

A flock of sixty ewes and two rams has been grazing the goat test site since last Friday. The sheep have two jobs:  keep the grass from getting overgrown and depositing worm eggs onto the pasture.

Instead of giving the bucks an artificial dose of worm larvae, as was done last year, untreated sheep are being used to "seed" the pastures with infective worm larvae. Instead of removing a hay crop from the pastures, sheep are being used to control the early spring growth.

Last year, at the end of the goat test, sheep were brought in to remove the remaining forage. Later this month, four acres of the test site will be planted in a summer annuals.  Fencing renovations are still underway.

Sheep grazing at goat test site.

As of today (April 30), fifty-nine bucks have been nominated to the 2013 Western Maryland Pasture-Based Meat Goat Performance Test.

Fourteen consigners from nine states (DE, KS, KY, IL, IN, MD, NC, NJ, and VA) have consigned two or more bucks to the test.  Six consigners are new to the test. Four are returning to the test after a one year absence.

Of the 59 bucks consigned, 47 are Kiko (or Kiko-influenced), 2 are Boer (or Boer-influenced), and the breeding of 10 is unknown at this time.

The nomination deadline is May 15.

Fifty Bucks Consigned

As of Friday, April 19, fifty bucks have been nominated to the 2013 Western Maryland Pasture-Based Meat Goat Performance Test.

Twelve consigners from nine states (DE, KS, KY, IL, IN, MD, NC, NJ, and VA) have consigned two or more bucks to the test.  Five consigners are new to the test. Four are returning to the test after a one year absence.

Of the 50 bucks consigned, 43 are Kiko (or Kiko-influenced) , 2 are Boer (or Boer-influenced), and 5 are unknown.

Newly arrived bucks from the 2008 test

The nomination period will not close until May 15. All nominations received by the deadline will be treated equally.

Mid-Atlantic Small Ruminant Extravaganza

The 1st Annual Mid-Atlantic Small Ruminant Extravaganza will be held September 19-21, 2013, at the Olde Dominion Agricultural Complex in Chatham, Virginia. There will be seminars with expert speakers, including a two-day Master Meat Goat Producers Certification Program. A sale of bucks and does will be held on Saturday, starting as 12 p.m.

The sale will include an “Elite Buck Sale” consisting of the Gold, Silver, and Bronze-performing bucks from the Western Maryland Pasture-Based Meat Goat Performance Test.

Top-performing Kiko buck from 2012 test
(consigned by Sam Burke)

One hundred does from top herds across the country will also be sold, regardless of breed or registry affiliation. The doe sale will be comprised primarily of animals from herds that have participated in the Western Maryland Pasture-Based Meat Goat Performance Test.

The sponsor of the event is the Performance Management Group (PMG), which was established to promote breed improvement in the meat goat industry, via performance testing.

For more information about the Mid-Atlantic Small Ruminant Extravaganza, contact  John Smith at  jstrider01@netscape.com or visit the event’s web site at http://pmg-epd.com.

So far, 29 bucks nominated to test

So far, 29 bucks have been nominated to the 2013 Western Maryland Pasture-Based Meat Goat Performance Test. Eight consigners from eight different states (DE, KS, KY, IL, IN, MD, NC, and VA) have nominated from 2 to 5 bucks each.  Four are first time consigners. Of the 29 nominated bucks, 22 are Kiko, 2 are Boer, and 5 are unknown.

The nomination period will extend through May 15. All nominations received by the deadline will be treated equally.  If nominations exceed the carrying capacity of the test, preference will be given to previous consigners and Maryland residents.

New fencing in laneway

It is not necessary to identify specific bucks at the time of nomination. Upon delivery to the test site, a buck information sheet will be required for each buck, along with appropriate health documents.

Prior to delivery to the test site, bucks should be weaned, vaccinated (for CD-T), acclimated to pasture, and exposed to worm larvae. It is not recommended that bucks be fed for high rates-of-gain prior to the test.  A pasture test does not usually support high rates of gain.

Woodland pasture, April 12, 2013

A cool spring
Similar to many parts of the country, Western Maryland has experienced a cool spring. The grass has been slow to grow. Once the pastures get further along, sheep will be brought in to contaminate the pastures with infective worm larvae and graze the excess growth of grass.

Work is underway to replace all of the interior fences. the laneway fence will be woven wire. The cross fences will be high-tensile, electric. In addition, all of the gates are being replaced.

New gates

We still have hopes of putting a building over the handling system. Unfortunately, the funding for the building was lost.  Free free to make a tax-deductible donation to the building fund!

Nomination period open

The nomination period for the 2013 Western Maryland Pasture-Based Meat Goat Performance Test opened on April 1. The deadline for nominations is May 15. All nominations received by the deadline will be treated equally.

If nominations exceed the carrying capacity of the test, preference will be given to previous consigners and Maryland residents. This has only happened once in the past.

In 2013, we will be officially adding 2.5 acres of silvopasture to the test site. Fifteen of the test slots will be needed for the pen vs. pasture study.

Bucks from last year's test.

So far, 17 bucks have been nominated to the 2013 test.