Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
and dryer upper Midwest. Because of the low precipitation
and humidity, farmers have fewer problems with goat
internal parasites than in the Southeast. The Midwest
region also produces pastures and forage with excellent
quality. These forage products reduce the requirement for
supplemental grain. Although the lower part of this region
has cool season grasses and legumes for winter grazing,
the middle and upper portions of the Midwest are not as
fortunate with very cold winters and grazing of cool season
grasses for only a few months out of the year, usually May
and June. In July and August, sudangrass or corn can be
fed to goats. Harvested hay or silage can be used when the
pasture is not available. Silage and haylage are produced
in this region, but caution should be used when feeding
silage or haylage to goats. Corn silage is an underutilized
feed because of the labor involved in production and
feeding. If poorly harvested and preserved (with soil con-
tamination and presence of oxygen), it can harbor
listeria
,
the bacteria that causes listeriosis (circling disease). Corn
silage also is defi cient in protein, calcium, and phosphorus,
so, for best results, it should be supplemented with a
protein source like alfalfa. Because corn silage produces
more energy per acre than other crops, more goats can be
maintained using corn silage than with any other harvested
feed. Haylage usually is produced from alfalfa and brome
forage. Though more variable than corn silage in quality,
it is higher in protein and minerals. Hay or other roughage
usually is fed with silage and haylage to reduce the
incidence of metabolic disturbances in goats. Ryegrass,
orchardgrass, bluegrass, festuloliums (cross between
fescue and ryegrass), and other grasses as well as alfalfa,
clover, and other legumes are common forage produced in
this region. Winterkill of legumes can be a problem, so a
diverse mixture of species usually is sown for pasture and
hay for goats. Protein supplements such as soybean meal,
linseed meal, sunfl ower meal and by-products such as corn
stover and soy hulls are readily available. Distillers' grain
and other grain by-products are plentiful in the Midwest
and are excellent sources of feed energy and protein for
goats. By-products of the ethanol industry of interest
include wet and dried distillers' grain, wet and dry distill-
ers' grain with solubles, modifi ed wet cake, and condensed
distillers' solubles. Although distillers' grains are good
sources of energy and protein, protein availability can be
reduced by high temperature drying.
saline soils predominate and the environment (typically
rainfall) will dictate both the quality and quantity of veg-
etation available. Parts of Texas (west), Arizona, New
Mexico, California, and some other states fi t under this
production system. In contrast to intensive systems where
many goats are produced in a confi ned space, most goats
in this region are raised under very extensive conditions
with minimal inputs of feed and labor. Low rainfall, a
diversifi ed native forage material, extensive rangeland
goat production, goat herds with a very large number of
head, and hundreds of acres of rangeland per ranch are
characteristics unique to this system.
Rangeland vegetation, brush, browse, and other bushes
and forbs are widely available. Natural grassland will
provide suffi cient forage for growth and meat production
during the rainy seasons (spring and summer) while forbs,
bushes, shrubs, and trees provide feed for maintaining
these free-ranging goats during the rest of the year. The
nutritive quality of vegetation diminishes drastically
during the winter and dry seasons, so productivity can only
be sustained with supplemental feeds. Nevertheless,
feeding of supplement is seldom practiced. Due to dry
environmental conditions and extensive goat production,
unlike other systems, internal and external parasites pose
little problem so parasite control is rarely practiced in this
region. Highly variable climates and unpredictable envi-
ronmental conditions from season to season and from year
to year make this system quite challenging for goats and
goat producers. Due to the nature, quality, and variability
of vegetation, and these variable environmental conditions,
it is diffi cult to design proper supplementation programs
for optimum production. Experienced managers can assess
range conditions as well as animal conditions to determine
quality and quantity of supplemental feeds that are needed.
Goats are usually used for range improvement and vegeta-
tion clearance in this region. Readers are directed to
Chapter 16, Environmental Enhancement, for further
information.
Goat Production Practices Focused on California
California historically has led the nation in agricultural
production for more than 50 years. Its moderate
Mediterranean climate, fertile soils, and progressive
farmers have contributed to this success. More than 250
commodities are produced in California, with this state
being the national leader in production of 75 of them.
Regions are ideally suited to produce fruits, vegetables,
nuts, and animal products such as milk and meat. Most
importantly, more than 97% of farms in California are
Semiarid Goat Production System
This goat production region includes rangeland, chaparral,
grasslands, and woodlands where dry, sandy, rocky, and
