Oklahoma State launches new meat goat website

Friday, August 9, 2013

The latest research-based information about meat goat production has gone digital, thanks to a new website provided through Oklahoma State University’s Division of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources.

“We wanted to make it as easy as possible for producers to have access to up-to-date information by which they can make the best possible operational decisions,” said JJ Jones, OSU Cooperative Extension area agricultural economics specialist for the state’s Southeast District. “Think of it as one-stop shopping.”

The website can be accessed online at http://meatgoat.okstate.edu, and includes the following materials:

● Oklahoma Basic Meat Goat Manual: This is a 15-chapter manual that covers such topics as herd health, nutrition, goat selection, breeding, kidding, marketing, forages for goats, fencing, housing, corrals, predator control and general herd management. Digital copies of all chapters of the manual are available for download or hardcopy printing.

● Educational videos: Thanks to a grant from the Southern Region Risk Management Center, educational presentations have been recorded and uploaded. There are 25 video presentations covering a wide range of topics, from basic management tools such as ear tagging, hoof trimming, castrating and aging to marketing, business planning, forage production, nutrition and parasite control, among others. Links to these videos are available through the website or via YouTube.

● Oklahoma Meat Goat Boot Camp – OSU delivers a three-day annual workshop that delivers almost 40 hours of educational programming employing a mixture of hands-on presentations, classroom exercises and PowerPoint presentations. The website contains information about the boot camp and how to attend.

“We’ve also created a meat goat Facebook page,” Jones said. “It’s yet another easy way for producers to find out the latest information about OSU Cooperative Extension educational programs, presentations and marketing aspects relative to raising meat goats. Just search for OSU Meat Goat to find the Facebook page.”

Oklahoma is currently the nation’s fourth-largest meat goat producer with 91,000 animals, according to U.S. Department of Agriculture statistics. Historic levels of drought in recent years have played a significant role in reducing the number of meat goats in Oklahoma from its high of 115,000 animals in 2008.