Hands-On Small Ruminant Care

I am so excited to finally be taking this "field day" offered by PASA (Pennsylvania Association for Sustainable Agriculture). I will spend the day on Tuesday learning some things about the care of goats. I'll be really happy to meet some goat people, and just talk with some of them to see how they do things. I'll also be thrilled to spend the day learning at an actual goat dairy, Misty Creek Goat Dairy, in Bird-In-Hand, Lancaster Co. Here is a description of the course:

This intensive hands-on workshop will be limited to 20 participants and will feature four sessions: Hoof Care and Trimming, Kidding and Calving, Necropsy, and Nutrition. The session on "hoof care and trimming" will include a discussion on hoof architecture and common problems, followed by a trimming demonstration and hands-on practice. Using a simulation set-up, every participant will then have the opportunity to participate in a birthing simulation, which will prepare the novice for handling complications during the birthing process. In the afternoon, a necropsy will be performed with the aim of empowering participates with a deeper understanding of the cause of animal loss and the affects of disease and parasitic infections. Based on the necropsy findings, participants will be able to strategize proactive solutions to minimize risk on their farms in the future. The nutrition discussion will include tips for preventing disease and participants will learn how to discern the qualities of different types of feed, hay, and forages.

Earnest Hovingh, DVM, PhD, specializes in herd/population evaluations for health issues, a "Master Hoof Trimmer", and advocate of whole farm evaluations to determine weak links in animal care and animal welfare.

Robert Van Saun, DVM PhD, specializes in small ruminant pregnancy nutrition and its influence on health, production and reproduction; metabolic diseases and their prevention; and preventive medicine programs.

David Wolfgang, VMD, specializes in disease prevention and herd health promotion, cost effective delivery of veterinary services to producers and farm-based improvements to herd health.

Then on Wednesday, I'll be taking another field day class: FAMACHA Certification. I'll explain that one in another post. In late October, John and I will take a class together: Home Cheesemaking with Ricki Carroll. This class I am particularly thrilled about!