World Goat News:

[mikey]

2008/04/17

Hard work pays off for Jamnapuri goat breeders


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Mohd Rezal Ayub with a full-grown Jamnapuri goat at the farm in Yangon, Myanmar.


KUALA LUMPUR: After nine years and a lot of hard work, three brothers will soon be importing 50,000 goats from Myanmar for sale to agencies and individuals here.

Mohd Rezal, Mohd Zabri and Mohd Hashim Ayub have also succeeded in taking trade between Malaysia and Myanmar to a new level.

The RM30.5 million deal will involve the purchase of individual goats at between RM600 and RM620 each.

The first batch of 1,500 Jamnapuri goats will arrive later this month.

Rezal, who is Intan Farm (M) Sdn Bhd executive director, said the goats were affordable and expected to adjust well to Malaysian weather.

"We see the project as something very appropriate, given the common elements in weather and the affordability of the goats," he said.

The remaining 48,500 goats will be sent from Thilawa Port, Myanmar, to Lumut, Perak, in stages over the next two years.

Rezal added that the goats would be distributed to agencies and individuals interested in breeding them.

Intan Farm will work with Syarikat Dagang Ritz Sdn Bhd and Raz Intan Industries in the distribution process.

Rezal said the brothers had been drawn to the livestock industry by their grandfather's experience in the field through the Hameed Farm in Ulu Bernam that opened in 1940.

"He was an inspiration to us which resulted in the formation of Intan Farm focusing on farm animals, which include the exporting of goats, cows and farm-based food."

Intan Farm was awarded a 8.1ha plot in Kampung Kayan, Sitiawan, by the Perak government in 2004 to breed goats.

The company also runs Intan Farm (Myanmar) Manufacturing and Industry Co Ltd in Yangon, where it has been breeding Jamnapuri goats for nine years

[mikey]

   
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Kenya: Wild Animals Compete With Humans for Scarce Water Resources


 
 
   
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UN Integrated Regional Information Networks

16 April 2008
Posted to the web 16 April 2008

Garissa

Ahmed Diriye had taken his goats to a stream in Mogogashe near the northern Kenyan town of Garissa and was waiting for them to drink when he was attacked by baboons.

"I killed a baboon after they tried to force me from the 'lagadera' [stream in Somali]," he said, holding out his bandaged arm. "They were thirsty and wanted water just like my goats. The well is the only one with water."

 
At another well, four girls abandoned their water containers after thirsty baboons attacked them. The next day, five goats were killed by the creatures while two herders sustained serious injuries following an attack by a lion.

A month after the rains were expected to start, northern Kenya is still gripped by drought conditions. Water pans, boreholes and wells have all dried up, creating problems for the pastoralist communities of the region.

"We are in the middle of a very serious crisis," said Hussein Ali from Sericho, a remote trading centre along the Isiolo and Garissa district boarder. "We are faced with the problem of water, pasture and now wild animals have worsened our situation."

Like domestic livestock, the wild animals have also been affected by scarcity of water. Local residents of Isiolo and Garissa say the situation has forced the animals to struggle for the little available water with humans.

At least 20 people, they say, have sustained injuries in the past month from animal attacks, while one pastoralist and a number of livestock have been killed by lions at wells.

Apart from protecting water wells, Ali said, local people in the affected areas had also resorted to killing the animals whenever they could catch them.

"Girls and women who were entrusted with fetching water have also been advised not to visit the wells alone," he added.

Yussuf Dogo from the Friends Of Nomads International organisation said some residents had sought water and pasture in nearby protected game reserves.

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The area, which suffered a severe drought two years ago, is expected to receive some rain soon. According to the Famine Early Warning Systems Network (FEWS Net), moderate amounts of rainfall are expected to alleviate the long-term dryness that has affected many areas of northern Kenya.

In a 10-16 April assessment, FEWS Net said significantly below-normal October-December rain had led to reduced crop yields, poor pasture and insufficient water resources in parts of Kenya, as well as poor soil conditions.

[mikey]

Uganda: More Reasons to Crossbreed Goats


 
 
   
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The Monitor (Kampala)

COLUMN
16 April 2008
Posted to the web 15 April 2008

Michael J. Ssali


Goat rearing is increasingly getting popular among small scale farmers and it is not hard to understand why. A goat is a small animal.

It is cheaper to buy than a cow and feeds on less fodder than a cow would need.

 
And with the introduction of exotic breeds and subsequent cross breeding, some dairy goats produce even more milk than an average local, Ugandan, cow.

Hybrids grow faster and are easy to feed. Above, eating mango tree leaves said to be rich in carbohydrates. PHOTO BY MICHAEL J. SSALI

With the introduction of the Boer Goat and other exotic breeds into the country, we now have far bigger and heavier goats through cross breeding. Selling a bigger and heavier goat is a lot more profitable than selling a small local goat.

The new breeds grow much faster than the traditional goats. The dairy goats have a much longer lactation period than the local East African goat whose milk production is negligible.

Government programmes, church organisations and several NGOs are now encouraging small land holder farmers to take up goat rearing.

The major campaign also involves teaching the farmer to integrate goat keeping with soil fertility development, soil erosion prevention, better feeding and income generation.

A Boer he-goat is ready for stud purposes at the age of 12 months, according to Dr Nicholas Ssekabunga of Kamenyamiggo District Agriculture Training and Information Centre (DATIC) in Masaka District and costs Shs350,000 at any of the country's DATIC farms, in Tororo, Palisa-Budaka, Fort Portal, and Rakai. Agriculture extension workers in every sub-county have useful information about how to get one.

Many goat keepers who keep a Boer he-goat charge between Shs1,000 and Shs1,500 for each successful stud service. Farmers who keep local breeds such as the Mubende goat are encouraged to have their own Boer he-goat on their farms for cross breeding purposes. A 50 percent cross breed, when well taken care of, may weigh as much as 30 kilogrammes at 10 months and may be sold at as much as Shs70,000. As these cross breeds grow older, some of them may weigh up to 50 kilos.

The 75 percent breeds weigh even more, grow very fast and fetch more money. Some pure Boer he-goats have been found to weigh as much as 100 or more kilogrammes. Dr Ssekabunga gave an example of Mike Johnson, a farmer in Buwunga sub-county near Masaka Town, whose he-goat weighs 104 kilogrammes and is about two years old.

Some farmers have opted for the dairy goats. An official of the Uganda Goat Network, (UGONET), Mr David Daudy, keeps over 300 goats at Kayunga, Mukungwe sub-county, in Masaka District and tried the new breeds better suited to resist diseases and adapt to local climatic conditions by crossing the small East African goat with some of the best dairy goat breed like Sannen, Toggenburg and Alpine.

The 50 percent crosses typically yield 1.5 litres of milk per day at peak and 0.5 litres per day after six months. One gives 3 litres of milk per day and he is making exceptional observation of its development and its offspring. Some of his 75 percent crosses give 2 to 3 litres a day.

Since a dairy goat is a small animal and is affordable to a peasant farmer living on a small piece of land, it is the best chance he has to improve his family's diet with some milk. Daudy and his wife Jackie are British Christian missionaries engaged in equipping orphans and other vulnerable youths with farming skills at Joy Children's Centre, a non-profit organisation. They provide information and advice about goat farming and often sell dairy goat breeds to interested farmers. The goat's urine and droppings make good manure for the farmer's crops such as vegetables.

The droppings may even be used in the making of composite manure. Goat rearing should lead to better soil management; better crop yields, better feeding and improved incomes. The farmer is encouraged to plant fodder trees such as calliandra and sesbania which are said to be rich in protein and can improve a goat's lactation period and the taste of the milk itself.

Some tree leaves such as those of the mango tree, grivelia, and the mutuba tree are said to be rich in carbohydrates and very good fodder for goats.

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Most of the fodder trees have a nitrogen fixing element and not only do they enrich the soil but also prevent soil erosion.

They provide shelter for some of the farmer's crops, act as wind breakers and ultimately provide fuel for the home. Keeping exotic breeds or their crosses requires more care as the animals are not yet used to tropical climatic conditions and diseases.

They need regular de-worming and spraying with acaricide to prevent such dangerous tick borne diseases as heart water. It is also important to ensure constant supply of clean water for the goats to drink.

[mikey]

 


Dogs suspected of killing goats nabbed

By John Tompkins
The Facts   

Published April 16, 2008

ALVIN — Three of six dogs still roaming free after suspected in a fatal goat attack have been captured, including a Rottweiler that had to be stunned with a Taser after moving aggressively toward an officer.

Alvin police came upon the pack of six dogs in the 1400 block of FM 1462 at about 7:45 p.m. Monday, reports state.

While following the pack into a nearby trailer park on CR 424, officers hit three of the dogs with a tranquilizer dart and took them to the city’s humane shelter, Alvin Police Lt. Todd Arendell said.

“They’ll try to find the owners,” Alvin Police Sgt. Jaime Crabtree said.

Three other dogs eluded police, Arendell said.

Police were looking out for the dogs, most of which are believed to be wild, since a homeowner reported last week that eight of his goats were killed by a pack of seven dogs off CR 172, reports state. The homeowner said he shot and killed one of the dogs.

The dog killed by the homeowner last week has tested negative for rabies, Arendell said. There were no other reports from residents in the area about the pack, he said.

“It appears to be isolated,” he said.

A woman near where the pack was found told police Monday she believes the Rottweiler belonged to her sister, though no one has called to claim ownership, he said. Someone has called claiming ownership of a yellow Lab-mix taken by police but had not followed through as of late Tuesday, he said.

The owners “most likely will be cited for allowing animals to run at large,” Arendell said, which is a Class C misdemeanor.

If the dogs are not claimed within 72 hours, police will try to find a rescue operation to take them, Arendell said. If they are determined to be too vicious, they could be euthanized as a last resort, he said.

“We hate to euthanize,” he said.

John Tompkins is senior reporter.
 
 
 

[mikey]

By Donathan Prater

Published: April 18, 2008

It’s one of the fastest growing animal industries in Alabama and the rest of the United States.

We’re talking about goat farming.

No kidding (pun intended).

This weekend Tuskegee University will host its Annual Goat Day, which will feature presentations on goat breeding, alternative feeding and animal identification.

The event is sponsored by TU’s College of Agricultural, Environmental and Natural Sciences.

Some of the recent statistics on the goat industry would seem to verify the potential for expanding the production market for the animal domestically.

“Imported goat meat from Australia and New Zealand has been increasing almost 10 percent per year, totaling almost 750,000 goats per year in 2007,” said Sandra Solaiman, professor and director of small ruminant research at Tuskegee University.

Solaiman partially attributes the increased demand for goat products to the growing numbers of Latino, Asian and Muslim immigrants to the U.S.

There are more than 60 different breeds of goat in the world, according to Solaiman. The most meat-goat breeds in Alabama and the rest of the U.S. are the Boer from South Africa and the Kiko from New Zealand. Dairy goats like the Sannan, Alpine, Nubian, Toggenburg and LaMoncha are also common in the U.S.

Tuskegee professors are looking at ways to breed goats that are more resistant to parasites and that do well in humid or hot climates.

“Tuskegee is the leading institution in Alabama for goat research and has been working with goats for more than half a century,” Solaiman said. “We hope to continue our work in the selecting and proper management of goats in the state.”

[mikey]

Fainting goats' coming to Spring Festival


Published: Saturday, April 19, 2008 12:49 PM CDT
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MOJAVE - Ancient Valley Ranch and Mystic Valley Ranch invites the public to come and watch the 1st California Show featuring the unique Tennessee Myotonic (fainting) Goat on April 26th at the Desert Empire Fairgrounds. This is the first time these animals have shown east of the Mississippi River.

Tennessee Myotonic Goats, also known as fainting goats, wooden-legged, stiff-legged, nervous, and Tennessee scare goats, have a condition known as Myotonia which causes them to stiffen and/or fall over when startled.

The condition lasts for ten to fifteen seconds after which time the animal will rise and walk off stiff-legged; after a short time this stiffness will disappear and they will walk and act like any other goat. This condition only affects their external muscles, so while in a myotonic state the animal is fully conscious and fully aware of its surroundings. The condition does not hurt the goat in any way.

 
This breed is valued for its environmental adaptability and they are easy to fence in, since they do not jump or climb fences easily. In Tennessee, these goats were developed as a local meat source. The meat is consistently praised for tenderness, which at first thought might seem at variance with the stiffness encountered while the goat is alive. It is important to realize that the stiffness in no way results in tough meat, but rather just the opposite!

This unique Tennessee breed was first documented in the 1880s when a farm worker named Tinsley arrived in Marshall County, Tenn., with three nannies and a billy that fainted. Tinsley was thought to have come from Nova Scotia. He worked in the area for a few years, and then moved on, selling his goats and their offspring to Dr. Mayberry. This was the beginning of the breed.

Shepherds often kept the goats in with their flocks as insurance in case of predator attacks. The theory went something like this - as wolves would come down from the hills to attack a flock of sheep, the goats would become startled and, as per the name of their breed, they would faint. The sheep would make a clean getaway, as the wolves would focus on the stunned goats rather than pursue the fleeing sheep. This is thought to be one reason for the phrase, scapegoat.

 
 
These goats come in a variety of colors. They can be horned or polled and are generally 17" to 23" at maturity. They have an excellent temperament, are very laid back and gentle, and also make great family pets.

[mikey]

'We don't want goats round here'



PASTURES NEW? 400 goats could be moving to Newmillerdam.


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HUNDREDS of goats could be coming to a village near Wakefield to help supply school milk – and nearby residents don't like it.
Up to 400 goats would be reared at the new farm in Newmillerdam if a planning application from school milk provider Fresh Pastures is passed.

The company, which supplies milk to 132 of the district's schools, says 10 per cent of this could eventually come from goats because many children are intolerant to cow's milk.

It has applied to build the farm, which would eventually produce up to 1,500 litres per day, on a former colliery site on School Hill.

Residents fear the farm will bring noise, smells and increased traffic on local roads.

But Fresh Pastures insists the development would have no adverse impact on the local environment and would benefit the community.

Irene Goodman-Fisher, of School Hill, said: "It could be a beautiful area for people to come with their children. There would be wagons going up their every day and we don't have enough room to park here as it is."

The new farm would include seven goat housing sheds, a milking parlour, processing plant and visitor viewing area.

Graham Morley, director with Fresh Pastures, said its status as a Community Interest Company meant it was committed to providing school milk to promote healthy living.

He said: "Everything we do goes back into the community. We would start off with a herd of around 50 goats and it would take about three years to reach 400. People won't be able to see onto the site and goats don't make as much noise as sheep or cows."

He added that full traffic and environmental assessments were included in the plans, which are being considered by Wakefield Council's planning department.

[mikey]

    TSE testing for sheep and goats for human consumption aid schemepublished on Friday, April 18, 2008 under Agriculture & Fisheries

The European Commission (EC) has released information from European institutions and bodies regarding the Authorisation for State aid pursuant to Articles 87 and 88 of the EC Treaty Cases where the Commission raises no objections (2008/C 97/01). One aid scheme focused on was the TSE testing for sheep and goats for human consumption scheme.
The TSE testing for sheep and goats for human consumption aid scheme that was adopted on the 4th December 2007 will provide aid in the form of subsidised services to the agricultural sector  in England. The scheme will function nation wide complimenting other more focused aid schemes to have come out of the EUropean Union recently. The TSE testing of sheep and goats fallen stock, concerned with the control of animal diseases was published on wednesday 16th 2008.

The legal basis for the scheme is Regulation (EC) No 999/2001 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 22nd May 2001 laying down rules for the prevention, control and eradication of certain transmissible spongiform encephalopathies. The granting authority DEFRA (Department of Food and Rural Affairs) will dispose of an overall budget of 6,300,000 Pounds (9,58 million EUR) and is due to last until 1st of March 2014. The annual budget works out to be 0,9 million Pounds (EUR 1,37 million).

What is DEFRA?
DEFRA (Department of Food and Rural Affairs), which is based in Westminster, London, is a UK Government Department, with the overarching challenge for Defra is to enable everyone to live within our environmental means. Its mission is to enable everyone to live within our environmental means. This is most clearly exemplified by the need to tackle climate change internationally and through domestic action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and to secure a healthy, resilient, productive and diverse natural environment.

[mikey]

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 Page last updated at 12:02 GMT, Friday, 18 April 2008 13:02 UK
 E-mail this to a friend   Printable version 
 
Rustling fears for ancient goat herds 
By Arthur Strain
BBC News 


 
Campaigners believe the native strain needs protection

They are one of County Clare's oldest residents but there are fears that the feral goats of the Burren are under threat from rustling.

In the latest incident 50 animals were removed early on Saturday, and campaigners believe they are most likely destined for the meat trade.

Goats have a close association with the Burren, and it is thought that they were first introduced by Neolithic farmers 4,000 years ago.


Many of the animals loose on the Burren are more recent additions, imported dairy stock abandoned by their owners in the 1970s during changes in farming practice.

The wild population exploded causing problems for farmers by damaging boundaries and spoiling pastures.

There was a clearance of 5,000 animals six years ago to address the problem, but there have been recent instances of more animals being taken.

Within the goats on the Burren campaigners say there are a number with distinct native characteristics and they want them to be protected.

  There is the impression that in areas where the goats have been removed there is growing scrub invasion

Colin Johnson
Old Irish Goat Society

Colin Johnson of the Old Irish Goat Society said that the native type tended to be smaller, wirier and not white, like the imported Swiss strain.

He said that a combination of cross-breeding with the non-native goats and removals was causing them concern for the future of the indigenous animals.

Since the animals are feral their protection is a grey area, and farmers are allowed to dispose of any of the animals they find on their land.

Mr Johnson said that they have a herd of 30 'old Irish' goats enclosed on 22 acres, but no other herds in the region had protection.

He said they wanted anyone seeking to remove the goats to have to apply for a licence, so that conservation issues could be addressed.

Mr Johnson said the goats formed part of the character of the area and their presence may also have some ecological benefits as eaters of scrub and whitethorn.

"There is the impression that in areas where the goats have been removed there is growing scrub invasion," he said.

He said it was hard to determine the final fate of the goats taken from the Burren, but that anecdotal reports indicated they were being sold to ethnic butchers in the UK and also ending up as rugs or the skins of the popular Irish drum, the bodhrán.

Gardai in the county have said that they are investigating the latest remov



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[mikey]

 BUSINESS  Post a comment |     
 
 
 
Last updated at 8:54 AM on 19/04/08   


 Ernie Penney feeds a group of goats at his farm just east of Moose Jaw. Penney is the vice-president of the Saskatchewan Goat Breeders association. Colin Dewar photograph 
 
Association vp hopes others will consider goat farming

CARTER HAYDU
The Moose Jaw Times Herald

Moose Jaw’s Ernie Penney hopes Saskatchewanians won’t be sheepish when considering goat farming as a potential revenue source.
    Penney, who has several goats himself, said getting into this type of animal farming is rather inexpensive (about $1,000 minimum), the animals are low maintenance and the industry doesn’t have complicated regulations surrounding it as with other livestock.
    “It’s an industry you don’t have to spend a lot of money to get into,” he said, adding the hardest thing about raising goats is the animals are so smart and friendly, sometimes farmers become attached to them.
    Penney said promoting the province’s goat industry was one key topic during the Saskatchewan Goat Breeders Association (SGBA) 2008 annual general meeting at Moose Jaw’s Parke Lodge Motor Inn last weekend.
    Current membership in the association hovers around 40, although Penney said many farmers who keep goats aren’t part of the group.
    In case such farmers aren’t aware, he said anyone with with any number of animals can join.
    “If you have a goat or a hundred goats, it doesn’t matter.”
    Because getting into it is so easy, Penney said SGBA hopes a lot more people will consider goat farming. He said the biggest problem facing the industry is an inability to meet demand.
    Currently, a lot of the goat meat found in Canadian grocery stores has to be shipped in from New Zealand.
    Also, because so few people farm goats or sheep, Penney said there isn’t a large abattoir in Saskatchewan.
    Therefore, most those goats produced in Saskatchewan are shipped either to Alberta or Ontario for slaughter.
    Penney wishes more goat processing could occur in-province.
    As with any AGM, members voted in their board of directors. Edenwold’s Darlyne Hoberg was elected president and Penney was re-elected vice-president.
   


 
 
 

[mikey]

Bring back our favourite ferals
April 19, 2008
 
ACTING THE GOAT: Paul McCarthy has a bright idea to bring back the goats that once lived on the cliffs around the Byron Bay Lig
By RACHEL AFFLICK
FIVE years have passed since the goats were removed from the Cape Byron Lighthouse, but now Byron Bay real estate agent Paul McCarthy is spearheading a campaign to bring them back.

The iconic goats, which once famously roamed the Cape, were removed in 2003 because of their destructive impact on native plants.

Mr McCarthy yesterday said that was a mistake.

His renewed calls to bring the goats back come after an announcement by the National Parks and Wildlife Service that aerial spraying would begin this winter to remove bitou bush weed from the Cape.

Mr McCarthy said the bitou bush had sprung up in problematic proportions at the lighthouse since the goats were taken away.

"Now the only way to get rid of the bitou bush is aerial spraying," he said.

"Bringing back the goats would be a far better alternative."

But Cape Byron Headland Reserve manager Sue Walker yesterday reaffirmed that the ecologically important area should remain goat free. She said since the goats had gone native swamp wallabies were increasing.

"Feral goats are recognised as one of the highest priority pests in Australia as they threaten our native species, cause soil erosion, spread weeds and have the potential to introduce diseases," Ms Walker said.

"While goats may have browsed weeds such as bitou they also eat the native plants we are trying to save."

Mr McCarthy said the goats were a part of local history.

The goats were imported to Australia in the early years of settlement and were 'dropped off' on islands and various parts of the continent to be used by settlers. Mr McCarthy said over the years they became as big an icon as the lighthouse.

"People would pay to see the goats as much as they would the lighthouse," he said.

"There is no native vegetation to eat now because it's all been taken away by bitou bush."

When the goats were removed it was not without a community uproar.

A 'Save the Goats' committee was formed and more than 1500 signatures were collected in the space of a week petitioning the decision. "The goats have been there over 100 years," Mr McCarthy said.

"Do we need aerial spraying or do we need goats?"

[mikey]

By M.A.C. LYNCH | Special To The Courant
April 10, 2008
Article tools
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Digg Del.icio.us Facebook Fark Google Newsvine Reddit Yahoo  Print Reprints Post comment Text size:  Paul Trubey has five day-old kids in a corral in his kitchen while he's out in the shed, bottle-feeding 20 frisky week-old baby goats. It's 11 p.m. at Beltane Farms in Lebanon, and the kids bounce up on all fours, lighter than air, after they're fed.

At Oak Leaf Dairy in Lebanon, Mark Reynolds abruptly ends a phone conversation when he hears, through the baby monitor connecting his barn to his home, a doe go into labor.

Kris Noiseux comes home from his mechanical engineering job to four or more hours of milking, feeding and cheese-making at his goat dairy, Meadow Stone Farm in Brooklyn. At 10 p.m., he's chopping wood.

"Farming is not easy," says Nancy Kapplan, a full-time intensive-care nurse at the University of Connecticut Health Center in Farmington and proprietor of Bush Meadow Farm in Union.



Related links
 Connecticut Goat Dairy Farms Photos
Five Dairies Make Up The State's Informal Goat Trail
"Most people probably would say we're crazy," Reynolds, a civil engineer, says of the dairy goat business. "It's not for everyone. There's not a lot of people who would do it." But for Reynolds, his wife, Jackie, and others, "It's something we've always wanted to do."

Goat dairy farms are new to Connecticut, but they are filling a seemingly insatiable consumer appetite for exotic goat cheeses and raw goat milk, an appetite driven by educated consumers seeking fresh, healthy, locally produced foods and buyers with allergies to cow products.

There are five dairies in the state licensed by the state Department of Agriculture to sell goats' milk and cheeses. "There are very, very few people who have their license for raw goat cheeses or goat milk," says Joan Lamothe of Falls Village, whose most popular Rustling Wind Creamery cheeses are soft-herbal spreads and plain, hard-pressed goat cheese.

Buying local is the latest nutrition mantra, and Connecticut's goat dairy farmers are meeting the escalating demand with goat cheeses wrapped and washed in riesling leaves, rolled in sun-dried tomatoes and basil, aged in grape-leaf ash powder or rubbed with nut oil and aged. Connoisseurs and curious neophytes can meet these farmers and sample their edibles at farmers' markets throughout the state, or enjoy a country ride to the goat dairies and buy on-site.

At this time of year, cheese-makers are inundated with goat milk, which they convert into raw or pasteurized soft, semi-soft or hard cheeses. Everyone pitches in on the farms — grandparents, who are called in to milk goats at Griffin Farmstead in East Granby, or teenagers, who herd the animals into the barns at night at Bush Meadow Farm in Union.

Peak milk production, which yields one to 1 1/2 gallons per goat daily, coincides with summer, the peak daylight season, which means farmers are making cheese from dawn until well past dusk, carting their milk and cheeses to outdoor farmers' markets and specialty stores across the state, and filling online orders from as far as China.

The goat cheeses are as varied as the farmers' personalities. Growing up, Trubey helped on his grandfather's farm in Massachusetts. "I always did want to have a goat and goat farm," says Trubey, who began tending goats 10 years at his neighbor's Highwater Farm in Glastonbury. He moved his herd to Beltane Farm in Lebanon in 2002 and currently has 45 goats at Beltane and another 45 at the Reynoldses' nearby Oak Leaf Dairy. Trubey knows each buck, doe and kid by name, from Cappuccino, Espresso and Java to Cantata, Allegro and Adagio.

The Reynoldses, whose specialty is goat soap, milk the goats that Trubey keeps on their farm, enabling him to concentrate on cheese-making.

"Fresh cheese is by far the most popular," says Trubey, whose velvety, cream-flavored chevre won a blue ribbon in the American Cheese Society's national competition in 2000.

"But taste in cheese is changing. There is more interest in mold-ripened cheeses." That interest prompted Trubey to adopt the French technique of rolling cheese in burnt grapevine ashes. He also makes British Isle Farmstead Cheese, Camembert, Gouda and chevre rolled in herbs that he grows.

Creating the cheese is the passion of the goat dairy farmers, a passion paralleled by their love of their kids, does and bucks. "My mission first and foremost is the quality of life for the animals," says Trubey, who, after a career as a social worker, became a full-time farmer this spring. Trubey's goats graze on open fields, and he grows hay without pesticides to feed them over the winter. "We don't use any hormones or antibiotics," Trubey says, a statement reiterated at all the licensed goat dairies.

The milk is more easily because of the smaller size of its proteins and different sugar compounds, says Kapplan, who owns Bush Meadow Farm in Union. "Goat milk is so good for you," she says.

Goat dairy farmers find there is more demand for the milk and its byproducts. "Goat products, there's such a big call for them," Lamothe says. "Everybody is looking for natural foods."

More local stores and restaurants are seeking out farmers who can supply them with locally grown or produced foods. Stores such as Whole Foods and Highland Park markets sell local goats'-milk cheeses, while upscale restaurants also feature select goat cheeses from local dairies.

Trubey at Beltane Farms is planning to host two summer feasts prepared by chefs from Grants Restaurant in West Hartford who will use local products from the state's specialty farms.

[mikey]

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Transgenic Goats' Milk Helps Fend off E. coli-related Illness in Pigs
April 21, 2008

Pigs fed goats' milk that was genetically modified to carry an important antibacterial enzyme found in human breast milk showed signs of better resisting attack by common E. coli bacteria than did pigs fed unmodified goats' milk without the human enzyme, report researchers at the University of California, Davis.

The findings, published in the May issue of the Journal of Nutrition, provide evidence that milk carrying high levels of the human lysozyme enzyme -- produced by genetically modified, or transgenic, goats -- may improve the gastrointestinal health of pigs and other animals that consume the milk. Pigs were used in this study because they have digestive systems that are similar to those of humans.

"These results demonstrate that biotechnology can be used to improve the healthfulness of the milk of dairy animals by introducing beneficial properties of human milk," said James Murray, who led the study with animal scientist Elizabeth Maga.

"We are hopeful that milk with similar benefits one day will be available to protect infants and children against diarrheal illnesses, which every year kill millions of children around the world," Maga said.

The enzyme lysozyme is found in the tears, saliva and milk of all mammals. While lysozyme is found at high levels in human breast milk, goats' milk contains only 0.06 percent as much lysozyme as does human milk. In this study, the transgenic goats produced milk with 67 percent as much lysozyme as human milk.

Lysozyme inhibits the growth of bacteria by destroying the bacterial cell wall, causing the cell contents to leak out. Because lysozyme limits the growth of bacteria that cause intestinal infections and diarrhea, and encourages the growth of beneficial intestinal bacteria, it is considered one of the main human-milk components that contribute to the health of breast-fed infants.

In this study, the researchers gave the young pigs solid feed and pasteurized, lysozyme-rich milk produced by transgenic dairy goats. A control group of young pigs received solid feed and pasteurized regular, non-transgenic goats' milk that did not have human lysozyme.

Half of the pigs were also given a dose of enteropathogenic Escherichia coli (E. coli), a common bacterial strain known to cause gastrointestinal illness. During the study, the researchers found that the pigs fed the lysozyme-rich milk from transgenic goats had significantly lower levels of coliform bacteria, including E. coli, in their small intestines, than did the control group of pigs fed regular goats' milk.

Furthermore, the pigs receiving the lysozyme-rich milk and the pigs in the control group demonstrated normal weight gain, growth and blood composition.

These results substantiated findings from a similar 2006 study by the researchers, which investigated the impact of transgenic goats' milk with human lysozyme on young goats and pigs.

The researchers note that further studies are needed to more completely characterize and understand the full impact of transgenic lysozyme-rich goats' milk on young pigs' intestinal bacteria, including potential positive effects on beneficial bacteria.

The research was funded by a grant from the UC Davis Academic Federation Committee on Research.

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[mikey]

NISARD distributes
goats to farmers
BY MARICAR ARANAS
 
The Negros Island Sustainable Agricultural Rural Development Foundation Inc.  distributed Thursday an initial 20 Anglo Nubian breed  of  dairy  goats  to  farmers  in Sibulan  and  Valencia, Negros  Oriental.

NISARD president Rep. Henry Teves (NegOr, 3rd district), executive director Ernesto Quiamco spearheaded the turnover rites held at the NISARD office, Provincial Agriculture compound, Barangay Piapi, Dumaguete City.

The goat dispersal program is barangay-based with barangay captains as overseer, while the cow dispersal project of NISARD is Barangay Agricultural Development Center-based, Quimco, whose five-hectare land in Barangay San Antonio, Sibulan is used as demonstration farm of the project.

Last year, NISARD distributed 218 hybrid cows all over the province.

Quimco said recipients undergo training and enhancement skills on the proper raising and how to collect milk from dairy goats. They will also learn to convert goat waste into a component for organic fertilizer.

Anglo Nobian goats produce an average of one liter of fresh milk per day.

Quiamco said they will place the program under crop insurance coverage, and will ensure that these are free from diseases.

Teves, who visited a farm in Naawan, Misamis Occidental with Rep. George Arnaiz, meanwhile said the government should address the lack of  nutrition  among school  children, and milk production would help.*MA

 
 

[mikey]

'Bends' goats to get foster homes 
 
The MoD announced a halt to testing using goats in February

A search for foster homes for a herd of goats used in Navy decompression experiments has been launched.

The 28 goats were used in trials for the Ministry of Defence (MoD) on the effect of pressure on submarine crews during emergency escapes.

The tests were designed to help crews judge whether to abandon a stricken vessel or wait for rescue.

The animals are being sent to the Buttercups Sanctuary for Goats in Maidstone, Kent, before being re-homed.

  With limited space and resources at the sanctuary we really need to identify new homes as quickly as possible

Bob Hitch, Buttercups

The MoD announced in February that it would end the testing following controversy about the use of goats in such experiments.

Buttercups Sanctuary founder Bob Hitch said the goats were aged from 18 months to eight years and included a mix of male and female Saanan, Toggenburg and Anglo-Nubian breeds.

Mr Hitch said: "With limited space and resources at the sanctuary we really need to identify new homes and conduct the necessary home visits as quickly as possible."

Mr Hitch said Buttercups was unable to financially support the goats but would continue to oversee their welfare, so was looking for suitable homes in the Kent and East Sussex areas.

Deadly effects

Defence research group QinetiQ carried out the tests to assess the risk of Navy personnel getting "the bends".

The "bends" - the effect of nitrogen bubbles in the bloodstream - is the sickness caused when divers rise to the surface too quickly.

Tim Sharman, team leader for maritime life support at QinetiQ, said they are giving Buttercups financial support to help re-home the healthy animals.

He said: "We simply no longer have a requirement to conduct animal trials and are now making every effort to find suitable and appropriate new homes for all of them."