Meat Goat Program
Click here for buck and ram test information, buck test winners, buck test reports and buck and ram test application forms.
The Kerr Center Meat Goat Program began in 2007 with the establishment of the Oklahoma Commercial Meat Goat Forage Performance Test, popularly known as the buck test. 2011 marked the fifth year of the test. In 2012 the center will establish a similar test for hair (meat) sheep rams.
On the Kerr Ranch near Poteau, project manager Mary Penick established a herd of Kiko and Kiko-cross meat goats on ten acres of native grass, and expanded to include a commercial doe herd later that year.
The Kerr Center is beginning to implement multispecies grazing, incorporating the goat herd into the larger rotational system with the cattle. Currently, the goat herd is being slowly rotated on approximately ten acres. The goal for the program is a lead/follow system with the goats and cattle throughout the entire 310 acres by 2012.
Commercial Doe Operation
The commercial doe operation is used to educate and inform producers of sustainable meat goat management. Penick uses FAMACHA testing and fecal egg counts to monitor parasite loads, while also demonstrating grazing techniques for goat management.
In summer 2008, the does were moved to an 8-acre plot named "Native Grass Plot" to monitor how forages change in response to the does' grazing behavior. Using transects and photo monitoring, we can see the plant species change over time and the effect this has on the goats.
Resources
For more information about meat goats we recommend these external links:
In addition, see the Kerr Center’s resources related to meat goats.
Kerr Center Workshop:
Healthy Soils, Healthy Livestock 2011
Over fifty people from Oklahoma, Texas, Arkansas, Louisiana, and Kansas attended the Kerr Center’s “Healthy Soils, Healthy Livestock” grazing workshop on Friday and Saturday, April 8-9, 2011. Complete presentations and materials are available online. Topics include soil health, animal health, grazing systems, and pasture management.
Kerr Center Field Day:
Multi-species Grazing (Cattle and Goat) Field Day 2010
Forty people from Oklahoma, Texas, Arkansas and Kansas attended the Kerr Center’s multi-species grazing field day, hosted by Dr. Dave Sparks and his wife Linda, on Saturday, May 8, 2010 at their farm near Porum, OK.
Information and resources »
Kerr Center Field Day: Meat Goats 2011
About 25 people from several states attended the Kerr Center's field day on commercial meat goats, capped with an awards ceremony for the 2011 Oklahoma Forage-Based Buck Test, on September 24.
Contacts
Mary Penick
Livestock Projects Manager
mpenick@kerrcenter.com
Andy Makovy
Ranch Herdsman & Technician
amakovy@kerrcenter.com
Erin Campbell-Craven
Livestock Program Assistant
ecampbell-craven@kerrcenter.com |
