Annual Goat Field Day & Sale

The 3rd Annual Western Maryland Goat Field Day and Sale will be held Saturday, October 2, 2010, 9 a .m. to 2 p.m. at the Washington County Agricultural Education Center near Boonsboro, Maryland.

Bucks from the Western Maryland Pasture-Based Meat Goat Performance Test that meet Gold, Silver, and Bronze standards for growth, parasite resistance, and parasite resilience, and minimum standards for reproductive and structural soundness will be offered for sale via public auction. The sale will also include an invitational doe sale.

Top-performing buck (Kiko) as of July 29

All of the goats will be sold via silent auction. The bidding period will be from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. The field day will be held from 9 a.m. to 12 noon. Dr. Paul Kuber, a research animal scientist from The Ohio State University, will be the featured speaker. Dr. Kuber will demonstrate cuts from a goat carcass, talk about potential grading standards, and prepare products for tasting.

Running concurrent to the field day will be a skillathon for youth ages 8 to 18. In the skillathon, youth will be tested on their knowledge of meat, dairy, and fiber goats. Pre-registration for the skillathon is requested by September 24.

For additional information about the goat sale, field day, or skillathon, contact Susan Schoenian at (301) 432-2767 ext. 343 or sschoen@umd.edu or visit the web site at http://mdgoattest.blogspot.com.