Early arrivals

Several consignments of goats have been delivered to the test site early. The majority of goats will arrive on Saturday, June 2. Forty-nine bucks are expected for the pasture test.  An additional thirty will be part of the pen vs. pasture study.

From Indiana

From Virginia

Recently planted pasture coming up

This is the 7th year of the Western Maryland Pasture-Based Meat Goat Performance Test. The test is sponsored by University of Maryland Extension and is conducted at the University's Western Maryland Research & Education Center in Keedysville. The goat test team consists of small ruminant specialists and extension agents from three states and four land grant universities.

Pasture preview

Approximately 12.5 acres will be used for the Western Maryland Pasture-Based Meat Goat Performance Test.  The pasture is divided into six paddocks which are planted in a variety of cool and warm season grasses. The goats will always have access to the central laneway which contains the treatment pen, handling system, several port-a-hut shelters, water, and minerals.

In preparation for the goats' arrival next weekend:

Five acres of the cool season grasses were mowed for hay.

A mixture of pearl millet and rape was planted in two paddocks.

3.5 acres, including the silvopasture, was left unmowed.

This was constructed to provide
"environmental enrichment" for the goats.

Fifty-four goats nominated

Fifty-four (54) bucks were nominated to the 2012 Western Maryland Pasture-Based Meat Goat Performance Test.  The nomination deadline was May 15.

State - # consigners (# bucks)
Delaware - 1 (5)
Indiana - 2 (7)
Kentucky - 4 (18)
Maryland -3 (10)
Pennsylvania - 1 (1)
Tennessee - 1 (3)
Vermont - 1 (2)
Virginia - 2 (8)

There are five new consigners to the test.  Several consigners from previous years opted not to participate this year.

As stated in previous blog entries, most of the bucks are Kiko or Kiko-influenced.  There is one Boer, one Spanish, two Myotonics, and various crosses with Boer, Kiko, Spanish, and dairy breeds.

The fifty-four goats in test will be joined by fifteen goats from the pen vs. pasture study, resulting in 69 bucks being grazed on the pasture.  Last, 81 goats were grazed. 

Pasture update
The pasture resource consists of 12.5 acres.  Five acres of cool season grasses (MaxQ tall fescue and orchardgrass) were mowed this week for hay. Five inches of growth was left to encourage regrowth. Some of the hay that was harvested will be fed to the 15 goats in the pen.

Four acres is being planted in a summer mixture of forages. Due to drought conditions in the West, we were unable to get any crab grass or dwarf millet seed. Our original plans had been to plant two acres of dwarf pearl millet and two acres of crab grass. 

The balance of the pasture resource is a one acre paddock of mixed grass and forbs and 2.5 acres of woodland pasture.  Neither of these paddocks will be mowed (at least until the goats have a chance to graze them).

Minimal changes for 2012

While various changes were discussed for 2012, this year's test will be largely the same as last year.

Parasite challenge
Some consigners expressed concern about artificially challenging the goats with worms. Upon arrival, the goats will be dewormed with moxidectin, albendazole, and levamisole. Hopefully, this triple-treatment will reduce the worm load to near zero. This is important so that the goats can start the test equally with regards to parasite infection.

Then, on June 21, the goats will be dosed with 1,000 third stage larvae (L3) of Haemonchus contortus (barber pole worm). This very low dose is not enough to cause clinical parasitism. In fact, 10,000 L3 failed to cause clinical parasitism in lambs at Virginia Tech.

We're hoping to "seed" the pastures
with anthelmintic-susceptible worms!

The purpose of giving the goats a small dose of infective larvae is to "seed" the pastures with anthelmintic-susceptible worms. In order to separate the resistant and susceptible bucks, a significant parasite challenge is necessary. In recent years, the parasite challenge has been lacking, though last year's goats experienced some high egg counts at the end of the test.

The larvae are being provided by Dr. Anne Zajac's lab at the VA-MD Regional College of Veterinary Medicine. According to Dr. Zajac, the larvae are susceptible to common anthelmintics. 

No anonymous consignments
At one point, it was suggested that consignments be anonymous.  While this change offered some potential advantages, it did not have widespread support.  Thus, all goats in the test will be identified with their consigners. In contrast, the goats in the pen vs. pasture study will be anonymous. Knowing the consigner is irrelevant to the study. The purpose of the study is to compare the two groups of goats to each other.

Repeat weighings
Consistent with other performance tests, we will weigh the goats twice at the beginning and end of the test. Starting weights will be determined June 14-15.  Ending weights will be determined two days the week of September 6-7. The weights will be averaged to determine starting and ending weights.

Sale
On Saturday, September 15, we will have a sale of the top-performing bucks. The sale will be held at the same location as the test:  the Western Maryland Research & Education Center.  A field day will not be held in conjunction with this year's sale, as last year's field day was very poorly attended.

Hooves
In this year's test, we'd like to pay more attention to hoof growth and health.  We feel that this is an important "fitness" trait. Please make sure your bucks have properly trimmed hooves before they arrive on June 2.

Special thanks to Jeanne Dietz-Band for
her many years of service to the test.

We have a new person who will be taking care of the goats on a daily basis. Jeanne Dietz-Band stepped down after six years.

The input from consigners and the purchasers of the bucks is valued.  Please feel free to contact a member of the goat test team with your ideas or concerns.

Nomination deadline approaching

The deadline for nominating goats to the 2012 Western Maryland Pasture-Based Meat Goat Performance Test is next Tuesday, May 15. Nominations must be postmarked by May 15.

As of today, twelve producers from six states have nominated 45 goats to the test and committed to providing 14 bucks for the pen vs. pasture study. Among the twelve consigners, four are new to the test.

State - number of goats consigned (goats for study)
Delaware - 5 (2)
Indiana - 7 (2)
Kentucky - 13 (4)
Maryland - 10 (2)
Vermont - 2 (0)
Virginia - 8 (4)

Most of the goats are Kiko or Kiko-influenced. There is one Spanish, a few Spanish crosses, Boer crosses, a dairy cross, and a few Myotonics (fainting goats).

Kiko buck from last year's test

Upon delivery to the test site on June 2, the goats should weigh between 35 and 70 lbs. Their hooves should be trimmed (if necessary) so that they can stand in a foot bath (of zinc sulfate). The goats should have been weaned for at least two weeks prior to the start of the test and be adjusted to a pasture diet.

Every year brings a different set of circumstances to the test.  The past winter was mild, which could result in a greater parasite challenge (Susan hopes!).  Plants grew early, but have been stunted by the unusually dry spring.

Forages for this year will include cool season grasses (MaxQ tall fescue and orchardgrass) and warm season grasses (Dwarf Pearl Millet and crab grass), along with an assortment of forbs. Supplemental feed (hay) will only be provided, if extreme drought conditions are experienced. The goats always have access to a mineral mix.

2011 carcass comparision: pen vs. pasture

As part of last year's preliminary study comparing carcasses from pen-fed goats to carcasses from pasture-raised goats, a portion of the longissimus dorsi (rib eye) muscle from each carcass was submitted to Dr. Henry Zerby's meat lab at Ohio State University for further analysis. The analyses took several months. The results are presented here.

Results
There was no difference in the percentage of protein or intramuscular fat in the samples from the pen vs. pasture-fed goats. The samples contained an average of 23.3 percent protein and 1.03 percent intramuscular fat.

The fatty acid data is much more complex and harder to interpret, as the percentages of 28 different fatty acids were compared. Statistical differences were detected in 8 of the 28 fatty acids that were measured.

The following table gives the number of grams of each fatty acid per 100 g of fat. The final column in the table indicates whether or not the differences measured were statistically significant. The meat from the pen-fed goats had a higher portion of mono-unsaturated fat (MUFA), whereas the meat from the pasture-raised goats had more poly-unsaturated (PUFA) and saturated fat (SFA). It is not known if any of these differences are relevant to human health.

Fatty acid nomenclature
A fatty acid is a carboxylic acid with an even number of carbon chains. Short-chained fatty acids have fewer than six carbons. Medium chained fatty acids have 6-12 carbons. Long-chained fatty acids have more than 12 carbons. Very long chained fatty acids have more than 22 carbons.

Fatty acids without double bonds between the carbon atoms (e.g. 14:0) are saturated fatty acids (SFA). Fatty acids with double bonds (e.g. 18:1) are unsaturated fatty acids. Monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFA) have one double bond (e.g. 18:1).  Polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) have more than one double bond (e.g. 22:3) and can occur in either a cis or trans configuration.  

A cis configuration (e.g. 18:1 cis 11) means that adjacent hydrogen atoms are on the same side of the double bond. A trans configuration (e.g. 18:1 trans-11), by contrast, means that the next two hydrogen atoms are bound to opposite sides of the double bond. As a result, they do not cause the chain to bend much, and their shape is similar to straight saturated fatty acids.  These are trans fats.

2012
A similar analysis will be done with the carcasses from this year's pen vs. pasture study.

Thanks to Dr. Dahlia J. O'Brien at Delaware State University for conducting the statistical analysis of the data. Thanks to Dr. Ken Turner from USDA-ARS for covering the cost of the meat analysis.

Half way there

So far, we've got about half the number of goats needed for the goat test and half the number of goats needed for the pen vs. pasture study. 

As of today, eight producers from five states have consigned 35 goats to the test and committed 14 bucks to the pen vs. pasture study.  Most of the goats are Kiko or Kiko-influenced. There is one consignment of Myotonics and one Spanish buck consigned.

Delaware - 5 (2)
Indiana - 5 (2)
Kentucky - 10 (4)
Maryland - 7 (2)
Virginia - 8 (4)

Upon delivery to the test site on June 2, all goats must have intra- or interstate health papers issued by an accredited veterinarian.

The nomination deadline is May 15.  Please contact Susan at (301) 432-2767 x343 or sschoen@umd.edu if you have any questions about the nomination process, the test, or the study.