Second Annual Western Maryland Goat Field Day and Sale

The Second Annual Western Maryland Goat Field Day and Sale will be held Saturday, October 3, 2009, at the Washington County Agricultural Education Center (fairgrounds) near Boonsboro, Maryland, and adjacent to the University of Maryland’s Western Maryland Research & Education Center.

Meat goat bucks from the Western Maryland pasture-based meat goat performance test that meet minimum standards for growth, parasite resistance, parasite resilience and reproductive and structural soundness will be offered for sale via public auction.  Last year, 10 out of 58 goats on test qualified for the sale. 

This year 60 goats are being tested.  You can follow the progress of the test and view the data of the bucks by visiting the test’s blog at http://mdgoattest.blogspot.com.  The sale, which will take the form of a silent auction, will also include an invitational doe sale.  Consigners to the buck test will nominate does to the sale.  Last year, most of the goats sold were Kiko or Kiko crossbreds.  This year’s sale will include some Boers.
The field day will be held from 9 a.m. to 12 noon, and bidding for the silent auction will run from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.  Dr. Richard Browning, a research animal scientist from Tennessee State University, will be the featured speaker.  Browning is in the midst of conducting a multi-year breed evaluation study, comparing Boer, Kiko and Spanish goats and their reciprocal crosses.

Running concurrent to the field day will be a goat “skillathon” for youth, ages 8 to 18.  Participants will be tested on their knowledge of meat, dairy and fiber goats.  Pre-registration for the skillathon is requested by September 26.

Contact Susan Schoenian at (301) 432-2767 x343 or sschoen@umd.edu for information about the field day and sale and to register youth for the skillathon. Sale information will be posted to the aforementioned blog.