SAN ANGELO – Angora goat producers and others wishing to learn the proper procedure for grading and packaging mohair should mark their calendars now for a special Mohair Preparation Seminar set for March 27-28.
The seminar will be conducted at the Texas A&M University Agricultural Research and Extension Center located just north of San Angelo on U.S. Highway 87.
“This will be a very ‘hands-on’ program,” said Dr. Chris Lupton, Texas Agricultural Experiment Station researcher and a seminar organizer. “Mohair prices for kid and young goat have been on the rise since last October.
“Renewed interest in the business spurred by the increasingly healthy mohair market have prompted The Texas A&M University System and the Mohair Council of America to team up for this educational program. Our aim is to teach proven methods for getting top dollar for one’s mohair clip.”
The program begins at 9 a.m. with an introduction and overview of the seminar’s objectives by San Angeloans Zane Willard, Mohair Council of America’s executive director and Dr. Frank Craddock, Texas Agricultural Extension sheep and goat specialist. Craddock will lead off the morning session with “Breeding and Selection of Angora Goats.” He speaks later in the morning on Angora goat health and nutrition. Lupton’s morning session will concentrate on mohair fiber structure, development, and properties.
After a noon lunch at the Center, Lupton will open the first afternoon session with a presentation on “Preparation, Packaging, and Mohair Measurement.” Willard follows with “Marketing Mohair in the U.S. and South Africa.” Craddock and Lupton will close the first day with a live Angora goat inspection and a “pre-shearing” chute grading exercise from 3 – 5 p.m.
On the morning of the second day, participants will shear goats and grade, prepare, and package the mohair under the direction of Craddock, Lupton, Peter Gilbert, and Joe David Ross. Gilbert is a mohair sorting consultant from Bradford, England. Ross is a Sonora area mohair producer and past president of the Mohair Council of America.
Following a catered noon meal, Gilbert will oversee participants who will sort and grade original bag or “OB” kid and adult mohair in the afternoon.
Participant numbers will be limited to 25. All persons interested in the seminar should pre-register by calling Willard at (915) 655-3161 or Lupton or Craddock at (915) 653-4576 to reserve a place.
Registration is $25 per person. The fee includes two lunches, soft drinks, and a Mohair Preparation Seminar Booklet.
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