18-Uncaatar Farming, Saturday, June 14, 1975 For Mrs. Roy Mentzer by: Sally Bair Farm Feature Writer During June the dairy cow and the nutritious product she supplies will receive a lot of publicity. But cows are not the only animal which should get credit during June for providing nature’s most nearly perfect food. The dairy goat makes a great contribution to the dairy industry; in fact, worldwide, there are more people using goat products than there are using products from the dairy cow. In more heavily populated areas of the world, the goat is better suited to conditions than the dairy cow. While goats are not the primary source of dairy products in this country, there are indeed many people in this county which use goat milk regularly. A real enthusiast of the diary goat is Mrs. Roy R. Mentzer, New Holland, R 2, who operates Spring Run Goat Dairy. Her herd currently numbers about 35, with about nine milking animals, but when she first started in the goat business three years ago, she quickly acquired a herd of 50 in the first year. LaVeme Mentzer says she’s in the goat business “because it’s healthy,” not because she makes much, money. She said she has a lot of babies who depend on her milk. She got interested in goats almost by accident through a hired man who bought two goats. “We liked them,” she says simply, and they began acquiring additional goats through newspaper ads. They bought many individually, but they also purchased one herd, which helped increase their own business quickly. She said one reason they decided to get into the dairy goat industry in a bigger way is that they had a farrowing bam which was not being used. With a little conversion they have constructed a very suitable goat bam and are making use of a farm building which otherwise would be idle. Country Corner Agriculture News and Notes Many people tend to think that agriculture stays pretty much the same from one week to the next without any major changes. However, continuing research in the field of agriculture offers many new and interesting ideas each week. Some particularly interesting notes on new aspects of agriculture reached my desk this week and seemed quite worthy of some attention. Mastitic Milk as Food Dairy research scientists at the USDA’s Agriculture Research Center in Beltsville, MD are now evaluating the effects of residual antibiotics in mastitic milk on the fermentation process used to store milk for future feeding to calves. The an tibiotics once thought to inhibit the fermentation process can now adequately allow the milk to be stored for future uses. Research is now under way to feed calves mastitic milk to determine its nutritional value If the fermented milk proves to be successful, for feeding, it would give a big boost to the dairy farmer as mastitic milk cannot now be marketed with the healthy milk. Chicks Help in Research Chick embryoes are being especially helpful in research being conducted at the University of Connecticut by Dr Paul Goetmck. Goetmck’s research is based on understanding the abnormal development of limbs in animals including humans. The animal geneticist recently stated that the limb research carried out with chickens in the early 1930's by Dr. Walter Landauer at the same University set the way-for his own interest in the subject. It is hoped that the research will help to explain the function of limb developments shed ding some light on why abnormalities occur 10 New Projects It was recently announced by James McHale, secretary of agriculture, that $297,698 had been approved by the Agriculture Research Committee for the fiscal year of 1975-76. Highlighting the research projects is a study to be conducted at Edmboro College on consumer cooperatives Funds for the agricultural research are derived from horse and harness racing proceeds. Goats Have Become Her Dairy Enterprise with: Melissa Piper ASSOCIATE EDITOR LaVerne Mentzer demonstr Her husband Roy has a herd of Ayrshires in partnership with his father, Ellis K., along with beef cattle and about 150 layers. However, it is the goat milk which is found on the Mentzer’s table and is used in all the cooking. But the goats are LaVeme’s responsibility, and she clearly enjoys working with them. She has four of the five goat breeds in her herd - Nubian, Toggenburg, Saanen and Alpine, and seven of them are registered with the American Dairy Goat Association. She said in her herd there is not a great advantage to having registered goats, and that, in fact, “the grades do better.” But she pointed out that she also does not have a market “around here” for the more expensive goats. When asked about which breed might be best, she said thoughtfully, “There are good goats in all four kinds. In my herd the Alpines seem to do best. The Nubians are the noisemakers and the cry babies and the Saanen are the most affectionate.” What makes goat milk so different from cow’s milk? It is more easily digested, according to LaVerne, and she quotes from some printed material which states that goat’s milk forms a “soft, small curd in the stomach which is easily digestible,” thereby making it very valuable for infants and for adults who may have stomach problems. Homestead Notes LaVerne describes goat milk as being like homogenized milk, with the fat particles already dispersed through the milk. Many doctors recommend that their patients use goat milk, and that is one way in which she acquires customers. But she added, “There are some people who just like it.” In addition to her business of selling goat’s milk, for which she is certified by the state, she also sells animals. In discussing a recent sale she said, “A family from the southern part of the county needed goat’s milk for their infant and it was too far to travel, so they bought a goat.” According to information from the Penn State Agricultural Extension Service in Lancaster County, there are 60 people on their mailing list for goat in formation. This, of course, includes many people with just one or two goats. With the big interest today in getting ■ back to the “natural” life there seems to be an upsurge in those purchasing goats for pets and for milking animals. How do you care for a goat? “Much like a cow,” is LaVeme’s answer. She says very emphatically, “You must feed goats properly ii you want them to produce.” She makes it clear that no goat will eat a tin can! She would like to clear up another misconception; “Goats are very particular. They are very clean and a goat does not stink.” It is the bucks which stink, she says, and they should always be given their own quarters. “A goat’s manure is very dry, not dirty,” she says, “and a goat will not eat food off the ground after it has been stepped on.” Her goats are fed a ration which is the same as their Ayrshire cows, but this ration does not contain urea. LaVerne says, “Never feed urea if you are going to !S her sitting - M technique for goat milking on Cocoa, a Toggenburg. consume the goat milk.” If you are feeding a few goats, she suggests getting a “bag of barley and corn and mix it evenly.” She says a goat won’t eat much feed but they do require a lot of hay. She says, “Goats need plenty of roughage and plenty of hay.” It takes a pound of roughage to produce a pound of mUk, so hay should be fed in quantity. And since goats won’t eat hay that falls to the floor, it is best to put the hay in racks for them so it won’t be wasted. Feeding them is not the only consideration, however. LaVerne advises, “You must trim hooves and keep them clipped just like cows. Their udders must be trimmed. Keeping goats on stones will help somewhat with the hooves.” LaVerne milks her cows by hand, but she has her own milking parlor to make the job easier. The parlor is designed for standing or sitting and the goats are trained to just jump up to their position for milking, without benefit of being fed while being milked. A great advantage a goat has over the dairy cow is that there are only two teats! LaVerne milks about 9 goats, and they average about 3 quarts daily. Goats must be milked at regular times morning and evening, of course. She said she prefers milking goats to Ayrshires because she never gets switched by a tail while milking! The Mentzers keep two bucks but Mr. Mentzer also breeds some of the goats artificially. I Continued on Page 39] Kids in the Mentzer barn show their interest and affection for a visitor. v i r v M S .I\« f* ' 1, ' t - ■» •> A \ f\ t f p- i, *a r> *l* ** f k 4 % /* * , ' Tk. 1 * # ,
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