Benny Cox, sheep and goat sale manager at Producers Livestock Auction in San Angelo, on Saturday said that for the most part sheep prices at the auction are good and, while slaughter kid goats are selling on the strong side, other goat prices are mixed. Cox was giving a market report to Texas Sheep and Goat Raisers Association members at their semi-annual meeting in Fort Stockton Feb. 16.

Shorn ewes are pushed down the alley at Producers Livestock Auction toward the sale floor, September 2007. Photo by Gary Cutrer.

Both slaughter and feeder lamb prices are very strong. However, slaughter ewes and slaughter nannies are selling on the weak side. The Mexican border was shut down for the slaughter ewe trade from August 18 through October 31 and the logjam hurt the price of ewes at Producers, selling point for the majority of slaughter ewes going to Mexico from Del Rio. Fortunately for the market, speculators kept buying and holding the ewes in hopes the border would open up, Cox said.

Also, there doesn’t seem to be as much demand for replacement females — both ewes and nannies — as there has been the past few years. As to why the many replacement ewes and nanny goats that have been offered have not found buyers, he had no explanation. “With all the rain during the growing season, and the relatively good lamb market, as well as kid goat market you’d think there’d be a good demand for these replacement ewes and nannies. That hasn’t happened,” he said.

Texas Agri-Life Research’s most recent batch of soremouth vaccine produced at the Sonora Experiment Station will not be released because it did not pass a safety test performed on guinea pigs, according to research director Dr. John Walker of the San Angelo Agri-Life facility. Dr. Walker made the announcement at the Texas Sheep and Goat Raisers Association’s semi-annual meeting Feb. 16 in Fort Stockton, Texas.
Walker recommended that sheep and goat ranchers needing vaccine use one of the commercially sold vaccines such as the one offered by Colorado Serum.

Update: February 22 @ 11:30 a.m.

Dr. Charles “Butch” Taylor with Texas AgriLife Extension and Research, Sonora Experiment Station, informed me that the ONLY other place to buy soremouth vaccine would be Colorado Serum (link above). He said the batch of serum in question was put on hold by the USDA after subcutaneous injections in guinea pigs to test the vaccine resulted in two of the rodents dying. But the vaccine passed lamb tests with flying colors, he said. And in treating lambs or goats the vaccine is applied though a scratch in the skin, not by injection. Dr. Taylor is hopeful that USDA will allow an exception in this case and let the Experiment Station go ahead and sell to sheep and goat producers.

Dr. Taylor added that a new batch of soremouth vaccine would not likely be available until the fall of this year, though if the current batch were allowed by the USDA, it could be sold right away.

Goats on pasture that once was a bauxite (aluminum ore) mine, part ot the Mocho Goat Development Project, the aim of which is recovery of mined-out bauxite lands for goat production.

Jamaica’s “Goat Revolving Scheme” is a project initiated in 2000 that was initially conceptualized to provide goat meat for local consumption and the tourism sector as well as to provide quality breeding stock for local farmers.

Yesterday Jamaica’s Ministry of Agriculture announced the awarding of $5 million to Jamaican 4-H clubs to fund more programs to encourage and financially help young people get involved in agriculture. The money was made available from the country’s Agricultural Credit Board.

The ultimate aim of the Goat Revolving Scheme is to increase local production of goats for consumption and cut the island’s reliance on imported meat.

Agriculture minister of Jamaica, Dr. Christopher Tufton, left, awards $5 million to Executive Director of Jamaica 4-H Clubs, Lenworth Fulton, right.

“Between 2003 and 2007 we imported somewhere in the region of $330 million of goat and sheep meat, and therefore this says to us that there is a market that we are currently not satisfying, and this is an opportunity that we must take advantage of,” Minister of Agriculture Dr. Christopher Tufton said.

The Goat Revolving Scheme’s first phase in 2000 was funded by the Jamaica Bauxite Institute (JBI) and the American Institute for Co-operation on Agriculture.

Answering critics who claimed that any money earmarked for agricultural production and promotion was wasted, the minister said:

“Every industrialized country that boasts the highest level of GDP are countries that have extended resources, energies and hard work in establishing and preserving an agricultural base and so I do not buy the argument that some people promote, that agriculture is a hopeless activity. I don’t support the idea that we should seek our fortunes elsewhere. It is important that we expand and preserve agriculture and it has to start with our young people,”

I received the photo below and letter to the editor nearly two years ago and fully intended to publish it in the February 2007 Meat Goat Monthly News and then once again fully intended to publish it in the February 2008 Meat Goat Monthly News. Well, I missed the boat again this year. I will try to get it into the March 2008 issue and am publishing it here, now, on Valentine’s Day.

The little Boer kid shown here was born on Valentine’s Day 2006 and came out of his mama with a heart shaped spot on his side. Here are the photo and letter I received from Don Richardson:

Editor,
We thoroughly enjoy your magazine (Meat Goat Monthly News) each month and appreciate your regular and featured articles. You perform a great service to our industry. We want to share with you a photograph of a Valentine’s Day surprise for us! This little guy was born early on Tuesday morning, February 14 (2006), and we could not believe the coincidence of the date and his unique almost perfect heart shaped spot on his left shoulder.

My wife, Sharion, and I live about 3 miles South of Big Spring and have about 50 nannies and three billies at our place. The goat business is new and exciting to us and we thoroughly enjoy raising them. We have been in the “Kid” business for a combined total of over 60 years through my work in Extension and hers in public schools. This relatively new phase in our lives provides us with a lot of fun and we really enjoy it when the 4-H and FFA members that select our goats as projects do well with them.

Sincerely yours,
Don Richardson
Big Spring, Texas

Sheep and goat (and deer and other game) losses due to predation continue to mount, and country long free of coyotes and other predators now hosts packs of hungry, indiscriminate killers. Meanwhile, urban and suburban residents happily go about their lives with harldly a thought about the desperate battle their country cousins must fight to continue to produce livestock and meat for their table.

The Catch-22 is that the environmental lobby and lawmakers back east care a bit more about the health of predator populations than they do about the plight of the rancher and farmer who must battle their ‘pets’ on a daily basis.

Wolf advocates and animal rights groups pass off the ranchers’ complaints, saying that predation claims a very small percentage of flocks and herds and the rancher should be compensated for kills proven to be done by protected species. They don’t mention predation by common killers like coyotes and hogs.

But the reality is that coyotes, wolves, feral hogs, cougars and bobcats–and even eagles–take a heavy toll on lamb and kid crops each year, causing a substantial economic loss for people trying to make a living raising small livestock. And ranchers are rarely, if ever, compensated. Cattle raisers are not immune either.

What can ranchers do? What can legislators do about the problem? What can envionmental groups and animal rights groups do about the ranchers’ plight?

This is a question I’m posing to legislators, individual ranchers and environmental groups. I hope they can provide some answers. I’ll let you know what they say.

Marvin Shurley, president of American Meat Goat Association and second vice president of Texas Sheep and Goat Raisers Association, writes in the coming, March 2008, issue of Ranch & Rural Living about efforts to create an all-encompassing national goat organization. While at the American Sheep Industry Association meeting in Las Vegas in late January, members of the ASI Goat Committee decided that in order for collaboration of efforts between ASI and the goat industry on various projects to occur, there needs to be a central entity, a national spokes-organization for all goat groups.

Kudos to Marvin and other goat industry leaders for recognizing the need, and good luck stitching all the diverse groups together. Of course, AMGA, under Marvin’s leadership, along with other goat organizations including the Dairy Goat Association and several breed registries, attempted the same thing a few years ago in creating the U.S. Goat Council. Marvin writes:

A name, The American Goat Federation (AGF) was chosen for this to-be-formed-entity, replacing the former, U.S. Goat Council, that was chosen back in 1993 when this effort first began.

Fifteen years is long enough for this initiative to have been stuck on high center and those of us present at the meeting feel the U.S. goat industry has matured enough at this time to where we can move forward with AGF formation. We are looking to finally having that “voice” we have been in need of. As current American Meat Goat Association president it is with pride that I say we, the AMGA have been involved with this effort since the concept originated back in 1993 . . .

Although Lady Macbeth was referring to blood and not wine–as in this case–she surely could have used this new technology that could make wool garments self cleaning and longer lasting, even through food and wine spills.

Researchers in Australia and China may have developed a somewhat self-cleaning fabric when wool or silk is coated with tiny “nano” particles of a type of titanium dioxide–the same substance that is used as pigment in white paint and the light reflecting ingredient in sunscreen.

According to an article in the UK’s Telegraph newspaper, Dr. Walid Daoud of Monash University, Victoria, Australia and others prepared fabrics with and without nanoparticle coating at 5 nanometers thick, 5 billionths of a meter, of anatase titanium dioxide.

“The self-cleaning technology in our work uses titanium dioxide photocatalyst that when triggered by light, it decomposes dirt, stains, harmful microorganisms and so on,” says Dr Daoud.

The researchers then stained the fabric samples with red wine. After 20 hours of exposure to simulated sunlight, the coated fabric showed almost no signs of the red stain, whereas the untreated fabric remained deeply stained.

The manager of the Australian Mohair Marketing Organisation, Craig Clancy, is encouraging producers in that country to enter the Angora goat/mohair industry or expand existing flocks, according to today’s North Queensland Register newspaper online.
Clancy said the recent drouth in Australia has forced ranchers to cut flocks to the minimum and keep only their best animals, as has been the case in Texas with the remaining mohair producers.

Australian mohair bales at AMMO.

Clancy said the global outlook for mohair markets is “bright.” He said the next AMMO auction of mohair was scheduled to take place in Sydney, Australia, in May of this year. At the last auction in November 2007 the National Mohair Pool sold 22,609 kilograms for an average price of AUS $8.34/kg greasy, which translates at today’s exchange rates to about US $7.50 per kilogram or US $3.41 per pound.

Clancy said the bulk of Australian production ranged from 29 to 32 micron fiber.
Despite the price going down due to the strengthening Aussie dollar against the U.S. dollar, he said there was still a need for the industry to grow because supply was the lowest its been in about 30 years. “There is no risk of oversupply,” he said.

AMMO is a grower controlled non-profit firm in Narrandera, N.S.W., Australia, and acts as a broker on behalf of mohair producers. Classed, baled fiber is offered to the trade at the completion of each pool. Proceeds are distributed to producers once overhead has been deducted.

Vistors view many varieties of hummingbirds at the Hummer House near Christoval.

Texas nature tourism operations will be tabulated to help market the venues to tourists and, according to a press notice sent by email by TAMU, to help develop assistance for owners and operators of said venues.
“This is being done in order to assess the growth and demand of the industry,” said Miles Phillips, Texas AgriLife Extension Service nature tourism leader. “It will also help the traveling public find nature tourism businesses to enjoy.” Plus, nature tourism businesses may be added and information updated.

An online form is available at http://naturetourism.tamu.edu to encourage all nature tourism business operators to get their companies listed.

Phillips said nature tourism businesses might include agricultural tours such as hayrides, pick-your-own produce farms, and adventure tours, including biking, paddling, canoeing and ATV trails, as well as lodging facilities that cater to these markets.
For more information, contact Phillips, This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it phone: 979-845-0872.

The Texas A&M University Research and Experiment Station, now called Texas AgriLife Research Center, issued a press release Feb. 1 stipulating that the annual Angora buck test would occur this year only if a minimum 50 entries were received. I think with the interest shown recently from existing Angora breeders they’ll make the minimum. Apparently the concern producers had back in November when they met with TAMU researchers was warranted. Following is the press release in full.

Feb. 1, 2008

Angora Goat Test Deadline Feb. 8

Writer: Steve Byrns, 325-653-4576, This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it
Contact: Dr. Dan Waldron, 325-653-4576, This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

SONORA — Plans are being finalized for the 2008 Angora Goat Performance Test at the Texas AgriLife Research Center at Sonora.
The center is 28 miles south of Sonora on U.S. Hwy. 55.
Dr. Dan Waldron, AgriLife Research geneticist at San Angelo and the test’s coordinator, said at least 10 different breeders must enter a minimum of 50 bucks altogether for the test to occur. Breeders should notify the center at Sonora of their intent to enter goats by Feb. 8 by calling 325-387-3168.
If the required number of animals are entered, then the test will start with the delivery of animals to the station on Feb. 25-26.
The cost for the producer to put bucks on this year’s test is $210 per head.
Waldron said the test lets breeders and prospective buyers look at the individual animal’s mohair quality, production and growth rate.
Individual breeders can enter no more than 12 animals, except by special permission. A minimum of four animals per owner and sire group is suggested but not required, according to Waldron.
Bucks are scheduled to be shorn March 4 and then weighed on March 5 to start the test. The goats will be weighed again on April 30, then weighed and sheared a final time on June 25-26. The annual field day and potential sale is set for July 24.
The $210 testing fee is due when the goats arrive at the station. The fee goes toward feed, shearing and laboratory work on the fleeces.
Test entry forms and other information can be found at http://sanangelo.tamu.edu.
For more information, contact Waldron or Drs. Frank Craddock or Chris Lupton
at 325-653-4576, or e-mail Waldron at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it .