Spring Livestock Guardian Dog Field Day set for May 1 in San Angelo
Event will include ranch tour, producer panel, workshops
The Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service will host its 9th annual Spring Livestock Guardian Dog, LGD, Field Day on May 1 in San Angelo from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
The field day will be held at the Texas A&M AgriLife Research and Extension Center at San Angelo, 7887 U.S. Highway 87 North. The cost, which includes morning refreshments and lunch, is $40 per person before April 10. After April 10, the cost is $50. The deadline to register is April 24.
Registration is required at tx.ag/9thAnnualLGD. Participants can also register by calling the Texas A&M AgriLife center in San Angelo at 325-653-4576, or by emailing Danielle Valdez, AgriLife Extension administrative associate, at [email protected].
Predation prevention
The field day is part of AgriLife Extension’s ongoing effort to help producers adopt the practice of keeping livestock guardian dogs to deter predation, said Bill Costanzo, AgriLife Extension livestock guardian dog program specialist, Texas A&M Department of Animal Science, College Station.
“The biggest single loss in sheep and goat production is predation,” said Jake Thorne, Ph.D., AgriLife Extension sheep and goat specialist and assistant professor, Department of Animal Science, San Angelo. “The problem is not going away, and, in many areas, it’s increasing.”
Thorne said the field day would benefit all LGD owners, but especially those with little or no dog-handling experience.
Field topics and speakers
Featured topics include:
- Virtual fencing, Dan Macon, livestock and natural resources advisor, University of California, Davis.
- LGD economics, Jeffery Wright, Ph.D., AgriLife Extension specialist and assistant professor, Department of Agricultural Economics, San Angelo.
- GPS tracking technology, Thomas Remmert, Lone Star Tracking, San Marcos.
- LGD bonding and training, Costanzo.
- The Texas Livestock Guardian Dog Association information and updates, Debbie Clifton, association vice president, Brady.
Additionally, there will be a local ranch tour, a producer panel, opportunities to observe working LGDs, vendors and LGD breeders on site.
