marketing meat goats
Meat goat production is gain
ing popularity in many areas of
Pennsylvania. Goats are gentle,
easy to control, and adapt well
in situations of limited
resources. The demand for goat
meat by the East Coast ethnic
population makes goat meat
very marketable.
Goat kids are usually mar
keted at four to five months of
age or before weaning. Some
marketing options may consist
of direct marketing off the farm,
supplying goat meat to a special
ty market such as a holiday or
ethnic group, or producing kids
for a commercial marketing
firm. Success is often a reflec
tion on how well a producer
tends to all aspects of breeding,
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MANOR MOTORS
On Rte. 553
Penn Run, Pa.
724-254-4753
B.H.M. FARM
HERNLEY’S FARM EQUIP. INC.
EQUIP., INC. Annville, Pa.
Elizabethtown, Pa. 717-867-2211
717-367-8867
health, management, and mar
keting. All these factors have
their respective role in produc
ing and marketing a quality
product.
In addition to direct market
ing to ethnic groups, there are
two other potential niche mar
kets for goat meat: target mar
kets serving health-conscience
consumers wanting low-fat diets
and the restaurant trade serv
ing ethnic or gourmet foods fea
turing goat meat. These mar
kets are largely untapped and
can provide some real opportu
nities, especially for producers
within the immediate radius of
these markets.
Like goat’s milk and cheese,
the meat is unique in flavor and
palatability. It is leaner than
NICHOLS GRUMELLI HOLTRY’S
FARM EQUIP. FARM SERVICE EQUIPMENT
Bloomsburg, Pa. Quarryville, Pa. Roxbury, Pa.
570-784-7731 717-786-7318 717-532-7261
B. EQUIP., INC.
Waynesboro, Pa.
717-762-3193
many other red meats and usu
ally less tender. However, its
leanness has a place in today’s
demand for meats with less fat.
Goat meat is termed either
cabrito or chevon, depending on
the age of the goat at slaughter
Cabrito (Spanish for “little
goat”) is from kids slaughtered
within the first week after birth.
Its main use if for barbecue
meat, and is highly sought after
by certain ethnic groups
Chevon, on the other hand, is
from older goats, vet kids
slaughtered near to or after
weaning. Of these two meat
types cabrito is the more tender
Older (mature) goat meat is
used primarily in processed
meats such as goat sausage,
frankfurters, bologna, and chili
concarne.
Following are ideas that
every shepherd should consider
this spring.
• Fertilize your pastures
Pasture is crop just like corn or
soybeans. In order to remain
productive a pasture must be
fertilized every year, preferably
twice a year. Without fertilizer
to keep pasture grasses strong,
weeds and grazing will eventu
ally degrade the pasture until it
• Spacious, wide-view cab with convenient right
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• Closed-center hydraulic system with four remote
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• Electronic 3-pomt hitch with high lift capacity
WERTZ
FARM & POWER
EQUIPMENT, INC.
PARt. 516,
Glen Rock, Pa.
717-235-0111
Spring Chores
For Shepherds
4 I* i 7
C.J. WONSIDLER
BROS.
Quakertown, Pa.
215-536-7523
New Tripoli, Pa.
215-767-7611
Oley, Pa.
215-987-6257
is no longer productive. In the
absence of a soil test, a good rule
of thumb is to fertilize with 500
pounds per acre of a 10-10-10
fertilizer in the spring and again
in the fall.
• Deworm the flock. Internal
parasites are the number one
health problem in sheep You
should be on a regular deworm
mg schedule of 4-5 times per
year. We like to worm sheep just
prior to putting them on new
pasture. This helps control the
spread of these parasites
Remember to rotate worm med
ications. Don’t just change the
name of the wormer but make
sure it is a different family of
medication. If in doubt, check
with your veterinarian
• Call your shearer. Don’t
wait until the last minute to
have your sheep shorn. If the
weather turns very cold and wet
immediately after shearing, pro
vide shelter for a couple of days.
After that, there is enough wool
growth to protect them. Sheep in
this area should be sheared by
ipid-May.
Rodent Control
In Swine Facilities
Rats and mice can be a major
economic threat around swine
facilities. They consume and
contaminate feed and cause feed
losses through the gnawing of
holes in feed sacks and wooden
bins. They may also be responsi
ble for maintaining or spreading
swine diseases.
House mice, Norway rats,
and roof rats as a group are con
sidered the most troublesome
and economically important
rodents in the United States.
Norway rats will undermine the
building foundations and con
crete slabs. Roof rats and house
mice, in addition to Norway
rats, are particularly destruc
tive to building insulation.
Most common types of insula
tion including rigid foam and
fiberglass are susceptible to
rodent damage. A rodent infesta
tion can damage structures by
thousands of dollars in a matter
of months. Additionally, rodents
may gnaw on electrical wiring
causing equipment to malfunc
tion, power outages, and poten
tially dangerous short circuits.
Droppings, tracks, burrows,
pathways, and fresh gnawings,
including rodent-damaged feed
sacks, indicate areas where
rodents are active. Around
swine facilities, insulated walls
and ceilings are common nesting
locations for rodents, especially
mice.
Effective control involves
sanitation, rodent-proof con
struction and population reduc
tion. Reduction techniques
include trapping, poisoning, and
fumigation.
Effective Fence Tips
For effective animal control,
wire spacing is more important
than fence height. More animals
go through and under fences
than over them. Proper wire
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spacing makes your fences more
effective.
Regardless of how many
wires your fence has, always
position one wire at the should
height of the animal to be con
trolled. This is the “nose wire
that your animals see and touch
when they approach the fence
Other fence wires should be
spaced according to the type of
ammah 10-12 inches apart for
cattle and horses, 6-8 inches for
sheep and goats. The bottom
wires should be closer together
than the top wires
Fences taller than 48 inches
aren’t really necessary In many
countries, livestock fences are
seldom more than 42 inches tall
Electric fences can be even lower
36 inches for cattle and hors
es and 30 inches for sheep and
goats. Shorter fences also allow
closer wire spacing.
The weed multiflora rose is
an increasing problem in
Pennsylvania pastures and non
cropland. It thrives on idle land,
fencerows, and low maintained,
hilly pastures Originally intro
duced from Asia and promoted
as a “living fence” to control ero
sion and provide food and cover
for wildlife, multiflora rose
quickly spreads and is consid
ered a noxious weed in
Pennsylvania and surrounding
states.
Once multiflora rose is intro
duced, its aggressive growth can
rapidly overtake desirable land,
forming a dense, thorny thicket
within a few years. Although the
weed spreads mainly through
seed dispersal by birds and
other animals, it also spreads by
layering. Layering occurs when
the tip of the cane, or woody
stem, touches the ground, forms
a shallow root system, and gen
erates a new shoot. Mature
shrubs can grow 9 to 12 feet
wide and 6 to 10 feet tall, pro
ducing many arching, thorny
canes. Generally, the large com
pound leaves are each composed
of seven to nine leaflets.
Multiflora rose blooms during
late May or June, producing up
to several hundred white or
pinkish flowers in clusters
throughout the bush. Each
flower yields a small, round fruit
(hip) that changes from green to
bright red upon maturity and
contains seeds that can remain
viable in soil for 10 to 20 years
Noxious weed laws in
Pennsylvania and other states
require landowners to manage
problem weeds, including multi
flora rose. One-time control tac
tics are generally inadequate.
Combinations of preventive, cul
tural, mechanical, biological,
and chemical methods must be
utilized to eliminate multiflora
rose.
For information on multiflora
rose control practices, contact
your local county extension
office and ask for “Penn State
Agronomy Fact #46.”
Multiflora Rose