Oklahoma Meat Goat Conference Nov. 2-3 in Ada

The conference will take place at the Ada Agriplex, 1700 N. Broadway, located north of town on the Broadway and Richardson loop. Sessions will begin at 11 a.m. and conclude at 8 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 2, and run from 8 a.m. until mid-afternoon on Saturday, Nov. 3.

“Last year’s conference exceeded all expectations, with participants from coast-to-coast gathering to learn from nationally known goat experts,” said Dave Sparks, Oklahoma Cooperative Extension Service animal health specialist. “The conference is on track to be even bigger and better this year.”

Cost is $20 per participant if pre-registering before Oct. 26 and $30 thereafter. Registration forms are available at http://www.oklagoats.com on the Internet.

“We’re asking people to pre-register if possible to help us in providing conference materials and meal preparation for the catered goat dinner on Nov. 3,” said Justin McDaniel, Pontotoc County Extension agricultural educator.

Friday sessions will focus on meat goat carcass evaluation, multi-species grazing, Oklahoma Forage-Based Buck Test, forage production economics, birthing and neonatal care, fencing, reproduction and pregnancy testing.

Saturday sessions will focus on nutrition and body condition, on-farm performance testing, improving doe herd performance, goat foraging behavior and health programs for goats.

“This year’s keynote speaker is Dr. Ann Wells, a graduate of the OSU College of Veterinary Medicine who works as a small ruminant health consultant in Arkansas,” Sparks said. “We’re also pleased to have Richard Browning of Tennessee State University back to lead several sessions.”

Browning proved to be one of the more popular session leaders at last year’s conference, with participants communicating they wanted to hear more about his research relative to on-farm performance testing and doe herd performance.

Also leading sessions will be livestock and forage experts from Oklahoma State University’s Division of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources, the Kerr Center for Sustainable Agriculture and the Oklahoma Department of Agriculture, Food and Forestry.

“The goat industry is really growing in Oklahoma and surrounding states,” McDaniel said. “It’s attracting the attention of livestock producers across the nation and is a particularly good option for many producers who operate small acreages.”

McDaniel said a goat industry trade show will feature new and unique products offered by vendors from across the nation.

The conference is sponsored by the Oklahoma Cooperative Extension Service with assistance from the Kerr Center, Duravet Inc. and Farm Credit.

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REPORTER/MEDIA CONTACT:
Donald Stotts
News and Media Relations Manager
Agricultural Communications Services
143 Agriculture North
Oklahoma State University
Stillwater, OK 74078
Phone: 405-744-4079
Fax: 405-744-5739
E-Mail: donald.stotts@okstate.edu

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