A32-Lancaster Farming, Saturday, July 19, 2003 Pa. Meat Goat Test Starts STATE COLLEGE (Centre Co.) The Pennsylvania Live stock Evaluation Center wishes to announce the start of the first Pennsylvania Performance Test ing Program for meat goats. The goat test is running in con cordance with the annual per formance ram test at the Live stock Evaluation Center in State College. The purpose of this Meat Goat test is to identify bucks that excel in growth and meat production characteristics. The Pennsylvania Livestock Evaluation Center provides stan dardized testing for evaluating rate of gain, structural sound ness, and estimated carcass merit in meat goat sires. There are 24 recorded Boer bucks on test (12 full bloods, 10 V% bloods and two half-blood Boers), that are consigned by producers from Pennsylvania, New York, Maryland, and West Virginia. The bucks will be on a 63-day test periodically being weighed to evaluate average daily gain and weight per day of age. Following the test the goats will be ultrasonically scanned for fat thickness and muscling and have a breeding soundness exam to ensure the buck is a capable sire. Approximately the top 75 per cent of the prospective sires will be sold on August 2, at the Penn sylvania Performance Tested Stud Ram and Goat Sale. Winner Selected EPHRATA (Lancaster Co.) —Lancaster Fanning conducted a drawing for a free one-year subscription during the American Farm Ag Day in Maryland last week. Selected was John Agnew, Parsonsburg, Md. Congratulations! This sale and field day is the first planned activity in Pennsyl vania’s brand new Livestock Evaluation Center. This sale provides an opportu nity for purebred breeders and commercial producers to pur chase performance tested Rams and goats, which have been eval uated in part under similar, unbi ased, management and environ mental conditions. In addition to the stud sale on August 2, is an invitational ewe sale for producers participating in the test, as well as Pennsylva nia’s annual Sheep Producers Field Day. In the past few years, demand for meat goats has risen dramati cally in the Mid-Atlantic region. The meat goat test was requested by Pennsylvania’s livestock pro ducers in an effort to better the genetic base and further the in dustry, while at the same time making these tested goats avail able to goat producers. This performance goat test will be the first in the eastern United States and one of three in the na tion. The Pennsylvania Livestock Evaluation Center hopes to ac commodate improvement of the Meat Animal Industries through genetic testing. This new meat goat test adds to the current test ing of bulls, rams and boars that the Livestock Evaluation Center facilitates. The goat performance test also begins as the Pennsylvania De partment of Agriculture is unveil ing a new state of the art testing station, which will house these animals for future tests. The Pennsylvania Livestock Evaluation Center is the only livestock testing station in the United States that tests these four species. The Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture con ducts the performance testing programs as a service to Pennsyl vania’s livestock producers. Approximately the top 75 percent of the prospective sires will be sold on August 2, at the Pennsylvania Performance Tested Stud Ram and Goat Sale. The purpose of this Meat Goat test is to identify bucks that excel in growth and meat production characteristics. Pennsylvania Nut Growers Annual Picnic At Nolt’s Orchard MANHEIM (Lancaster Co.) Nolt’s Orchard find Farm at Sporting Hill will be the site of the Pennsylvania Nut Growers Association (PNGA) 47th Annual Picnic Saturday, Aug. 2, begin ning at 9:30 a.m., rain or shine. Clair E. Nolt and his family re side on the farm located at 1126 Mill Road, Sporting Hill, which is a small village southwest of Man heim. His parents. Miles and Irene Nolt, now live in Manheim. Miles Nolt is well known as a consistent winner at the Pennsyl vania Farm show for his entries of black walnuts, English wal nuts, butternuts, hickories and pecans. In the afternoon, he will conduct a tour of the farm which has over 100 mature persimmon and nut trees. In addition to the PNGA busi Perennial ribbon-winning nut grower Miles Nolt of Manheim, left, and his wife Irene are shown trimming a persimmon tree at the Landis Homes retirement community. ness meeting and the orchard tour, the day’s program includes a talk by Ray Curanzy on his re search on how Mycorrhizae can aid in transplanting young trees; Lois Davie sharing her years of joy growing nut trees; a presenta tion on new products by Tucker Hill; a grafting demonstration by Jay Book; and the annual auc tion to benefit the organization’s general fund. Attendees are requested to bring their own lawn chairs, sil verware and plates and two homemade dishes (with nuts) to share. Drinks will be provided. Directions to the farm; From the Pennsylvania Turnpike: Exit 20, Lebanon-Lancaster; take Route 72 South into Manheim; at second light, turn right onto Route 772; stay on 772 to Sport ing Hill (about 1.5 miles) to Cole brook Road; turn left onto Cole brook Road and watch for school on left; after school, turn left onto Mill Road; first farm is Nolt’s at number 1126. Directions from Route 283 (four-lane highway between Harrisburg and Lancaster): At Manheim t.Joy exit, take Route 772 North to Colebrook Road; turn right onto Colebrook Road and watch for school on left; after school, turn left onto Mill Road; first farm is Nolt’s at number 1126. Those wishing to make motel reservations in advance and/or wanting information on local at tractions, should contact Miles Nolt, 564 W. High Street, Man heim, PA 16545; phone (717) 665-5760. 1, » ¥ '-‘ > ' ' >» ► J *, » ‘
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