Meat goat workshop slated July 12 in Weslaco

WESLACO  —  Professional and beginning goat producers alike are invited to attend The Meat Goat Production, Marketing and Land Use Workshop, scheduled from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. July 12 at the Texas A&M AgriLife Research and Extension Center at Weslaco.

The center is located at 2415 East U.S. Highway 83.

“It’s amazing the number of people raising goats and the number of people interested in raising goats,” said Barbara Storz, a Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service horticulturist and organizer of the workshop.

“This is our third goat workshop in as many years, and each year we get more and more people attending, some who travel great distances, to learn all they can about this fascinating endeavor of raising goats for fun and profit,” she said.

This year’s workshop will focus on meat goats and potential markets, including restaurants and direct marketing through farmers markets, Storz said.

Registration begins at 8 a.m., followed by a welcome by Dr. Ruben Saldana, the AgriLife Extension district director in Weslaco. The fee is $25 in advance, $30 at the door, and lunch is included.

The featured speaker will be Ty Wolosin, owner/operator of Windy Hill Farm in Comanche, Texas, who this year expects to process about 700 head of Boer meat goats for direct sales to customers, restaurants, wholesalers and delivery services.

“Mr. Wolosin started with a one acre plot at his family ranch,” Storz said. “After having to liquidate his stock because of the drought, he realized the lucrative returns on his goats and how they were his future. He eventually had to partner with other ranches to meet demand. It’s a fascinating story he’ll share with us.”

Other topics and speakers include:

—  Importance of registering your farm with the U.S. Department of Agriculture Farm Service Agency, Franco Trevino, USDA-FSA executive director, Edinburg.

—  Goat meat production and goat hide uses, Dr. Tanner Machado, meats professor, Texas A&M University-Kingsville.

—  Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education grant opportunities, Dr. Nelson Daniels, program specialist, Cooperative Extension Program at Prairie View A&M University.

—  Land use qualifications for agricultural exemption, Rolando Garza, chief appraiser, Hidalgo County Appraisal District, Edinburg.

—  Goat breeding programs, Scott Horner, Extension research specialist, International Goat Research Center, Prairie View A&M.

—  Direct marketing of goat meat, Wolosin.

—  Goat nutrition and supplementation, Dr. Joe Paschal, AgriLife Extension livestock specialist, Corpus Christi.

—  Goat emergency medicine, Dr. Kellye Thompson, doctor of veterinary medicine, Prairie View A&M.

The workshop will conclude with a question-and-answer session.

“This is a unique and wonderful gathering of goat experts who bring with them a wealth of experience and education,” Storz said. “I strongly recommend anyone even remotely interested in raising goats to make every effort to attend.”

The workshop is sponsored by AgriLife Extension, the Sustainable Agronomic Education Association, the Hidalgo County Small Acreage Program of AgriLife Extension and Prairie View A&M University.

For more information, contact the AgriLife Extension office for Hidalgo County at 956-383-1026.