Pastures and forages will be the focus of Small Ruminant Field Day scheduled on October 21 from 9 a.m. until 3 p.m. at Virginia State University’s Randolph Farm, 4415 River Road, Ettrick.
Sponsored by Virginia Cooperative Extension and VSU’s Small Farm Outreach Program, the educational event will inform goat and sheep producers about forages to plant and how to best manage and maintain them. Forages are bulky grazing animal foods such as grass or hay. “Forages and pastures are important when considering nutritional requirements but are just as salient to parasite control,” said Dr. Dahlia O’Brien, VSU small ruminant extension specialist.
The program costs $10 per person, which includes lunch, as well as hands-on hoof-trimming, drenching and vaccination demonstrations. Participants are encouraged to bring weeds from their property to have them identified by an on-site pasture weed specialist.
There is a large and an unfilled demand for goat and sheep meat in the major cities of the United States, including metropolitan areas in Virginia. It is a staple of many ethnic groups, with about 60 to 70 percent of the world regularly eating goat meat.
Virginia Cooperative Extension at VSU focuses on providing Extension assistance to the Commonwealth’s small, historically underserved and limited resource farmers and ranchers.
This year’s Small Ruminant Field Day is part of VSU’s interdisciplinary pilot program called “Goatober.” The program aims to grow Virginia’s goat industry through the month of October by helping goat farmers tackle their two major business obstacles: consumers’ lack of knowledge on how to find local goat farmers and their products, as well as their unfamiliarity with how to prepare goat meat. To register for this event, visit http://www.ext.vsu.edu/calendar, click on the event and then click on the registration link, or contact Mollie Klein at (804) 524-6960 or email mklein@vsu.edu.
If you need further information or are a person with a disability and desire any assistive devices, services or other accommodations to participate in this activity, contact Mollie Klein at mklein@vsu.edu or call (804) 524-6960 or (800) 828-1120 during business hours of 8 am. and 5 p.m. to discuss accommodations no later than five days prior to the event.
