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Learn more about goats
AI Goat Clinic: A two-day clinic for the instruction of artificial insemination techniques. 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. May 6 and 7 at Milford Township Community Center, 5113 Huston Road, Collinsville. Cost is $200 per person.
Show Stopper Clinic: Covers ethics, health, exercise, training, nutrition, sportsmanship, showmanship and fitting and grooming. 5 to 8 p.m. June 28 at the Butler County Fairgrounds, 1715 Fairgrove Ave., Hamilton. Free to all Junior Fair participants.
Second Annual Butler County Boer Goat Classic: Seven shows in two days. 9 a.m. June 29 and 30 at the Butler County Fairgrounds.
More info: www.bcmgaohio.com
There are indications that boer goats are beginning to take over.
Five years ago, there were about 210 boer goats in Butler County, according to Carrie Robinson, a Seven Mile boer goat breeder and vice president of the Butler County Meat Goat Association.
The population is now more than 1,000. At last year’s Butler County Fair, there were more than 350 goats — so many that they had to commandeer the sheep barn.
“Goats now outnumber hogs at the fair,” Robinson said.
Across the county, in an open barn near Shandon, the Summe family keeps about 25 boer does with babies that are too numerous and busy to count, the population growing almost daily this time of year.
“They usually have twins,” said Sarah Summe, mother of six children, most of whom are preparing for the Born and Raised competition at this year’s Butler County Fair. Henry, 10, won a spectacular belt buckle for taking first place last year, much to the chagrin of his older brother Herbie. The oldest child, 16-year-old Katie, has been taking goats to the fair since she was 6, and will take one this year, too, even though she’s also graduated to taking steer.
“They also have singles and triplets,” Sarah said. “But we don’t like triplets because the moms only have two udders, so having triplets means we have to bottle feed.”
Even though the goats are numerous, each one has a name and a distinct personality.
Henry’s entry into the fair this year is named Bigfoot, for obvious reasons. Last year, he took Snow.
Indeed, the “cute and cuddly” factor is something to overcome when talking about meat goats.
“Chevon” is to goats what beef is to cattle, and is the most widely-eaten red meat in the world, but not so much in the United States. Yet.
“It’s called the poor man’s cattle,” Robinson said. “It’s the healthiest meat you can eat.”
According to the USDA, chevon has about half the calories of beef, about the same as chicken. The difference is the fat content.
“If you go South, you’ll find more people eating goats,” said BCMGA President Tracey Pate. “We’ve all eaten goat, and I’ve sold many of them to people to have goat roasts.”
“Anything I can use hamburger for, I can use goat burger,” Ponder said.
“It’s a very lean meat, so you have to cook it so that it doesn’t come out tough,” Robinson said.
The Summe family doesn’t eat goat, but Sarah Summe said, “I think it will become more popular because it takes so much more grain to raise a cow.”
Prior to 1993, there were no boer goats in the United States, Pate said, and most of the meat goats in the United States were the myotonic goats — also known as “fainting goats” — and pygmy goats.
The pygmy goats, however, only get to be about 40 pounds at most, myotonics about 170 pounds, while the boer goats can reach up to 300 pounds, Ponder said.
According to the American Boer Goat Association, the breed was developed in the early 1900s by the Dutch farmers of South Africa. Boer, in fact, is the Dutch word for “farmer.”
The goats were bred with meat production in mind, seeking a a rapid growth rate, fertility and adaptability as well as meat quality.
The first full-blood boers were brought into the United States from New Zealand, with imports from South Africa soon following. The American association now registers more than 45,000 head annually and estimates the total meat goat industry value between $150 million to $400 million annually.
The BCMGA started in the fall of 2011.
“We have all raised goats for many years,” Robinson said. “Most of us started with 4-H and FFA as kids.”
The Born and Raised program, however, never included goats, so the local goat breeders banded together to create one.
“Our main focus is to promote the quality of meat goats in the county,” Robinson said.
In June, the group will hold its second open boer goat show, which will include seven different shows in one day.
“We want to educate people so that we will have better animals to bring to the fair and increase their market value,” said Treasurer Jackie Ponder of Trenton. “Over the last few years, we’ve seen a major shift. The kids are so competitive, they work hard to win.
Pate said that the group has established a Born and Raised list for breeders who can provide goats for youngsters who want to compete in the fair. Within two years, that list has grown to 21 breeders.
Even though they are bigger than the pygmy goats, they can still be raised in a back yard, zoning permitting.
“We have more kids interested in raising goats than goats available,” Ponder said. “So we’re still trying to catch up with demand.”
“Goats are a gateway project,” Pate said, “for kids who want to go on to do bigger livestock.”
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