The Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service’s ninth annual Texas Sheep and Goat Expo and 50th annual Sheep and Goat Field Day will take place Aug. 18-19 in San Angelo.
The Sheep and Goat Field Day will be held on Aug. 18 from 8-11:30 a.m. at the Texas A&M AgriLife Research and Extension Center at San Angelo, 7887 U.S. Highway 87 N. On-site registration for the field day will begin at 7:30 a.m. and is free to the public.
The event will be marking its 50th anniversary and will feature AgriLife Extension and Texas A&M AgriLife Research specialists presenting at stations throughout the center’s facilities and grounds. Participants will also get to tour the center’s wool lab.
Immediately following the field day activities, the Sheep and Goat Expo will begin at the 1st Community Federal Credit Union Spur Arena at the San Angelo Fairgrounds, 4722 Grape Creek Road. The fee to attend the Expo is $75 with advance registration online at https://tx.ag/2023SheepandGoatExpo. The on-site registration cost is $100. Two meals will be served each day and are included in the cost.
On Aug. 18, the Expo will begin at noon with lunch and conclude after dinner around 8:30 p.m. On Aug. 19, activities begin at 7 a.m. with breakfast and wrap up around 1 p.m.
The largest event of its kind in Texas, the Expo draws industry producers from across the country and internationally. This year’s theme is “diversity” and sessions will focus on topics applicable to the diverse groups of sheep and goat producers in attendance.
“This is a unique sheep and goat event that provides producers and other interested persons the opportunity to attend educational presentations and participate in hands-on demonstrations,” said Robert Pritz, AgriLife Extension regional program leader, San Angelo. “The speakers are all experts in their industries and the program is designed to meet the needs of a very diverse sheep and goat industry.”
The speakers will present concurrent sessions on topics related to wool sheep, hair sheep, meat goats, angora goats and club lambs so participants may attend the most applicable sessions. The Expo will also cover ways producers can diversify their operations as their needs and the needs of the industry change.
For additional information on the Expo or for sponsorship or vendor opportunities, contact the AgriLife Extension office in San Angelo at 325-653-4576.
Youth Expo and Skill-a-thon
A Youth Expo and Skill-a-thon will be held during the Expo on Aug. 19 at the Spur Arena. The event offers hands-on learning from industry experts including Shawn Ramsey, Ph.D., professor and wool judging team coordinator, the Department of Animal Science in the Texas A&M College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Bryan-College Station; and Marty Vahlenkamp, AgriLife Extension agriculture and natural resources agent, Runnels County.
Skill-a-thon events will include: Skill-a-thon Speeches, Clippers and Clipper Blades, Wool and Mohair Judging, and Feeds or Retail Meat Identification.
Breakfast and lunch will be served.
Contact Vahlenkamp at 325-365-2219 for more youth program information.
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