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GoatCamp™ 2017 Held at Onion Creek Ranch in Texas - Oct 23-26, 2017

The 16th annual GoatCamp™ was held at Onion Creek Ranch in Texas during October 2017. Students travelled to Texas from Canada, California, Texas, Tennessee, Kansas, Wisconsin, Nevada, Oklahoma, and Missouri.   We even had two vets who attended to learn about goats.

Jeffers livestock, equine, and pet supply in Alabama (1-800-533-3377)  performed  their usual outstanding  job of providing  students with essential goat supplies like weak kid syringes, digital rectal thermometers, kidding calculation wheels, two-gallon  buckets,  Metro absorbent towels, paintsticks, electrolytes, and adjustable lead halters. Jeffers is a long-time sponsor of GoatCamp™ and the best place from which to buy non-prescription goat, pet, horse,  and other animal supplies. They are a family-owned operation and great people.

On Monday, October 23, 2017, Bob Glass of Pan American Vet Lab in Blue,  Texas, discussed blood testing  that his firm offers for several different diseases (CAE, CL, Johnes, and others) and explained  how to do a draw blood on a goat. Dale Weise of Texas Vet Lab in San Angelo, Texas spoke about his company's development and US Government approval  of the first vaccine for Caseous Lymphadenitis (CL) in goats and the improvements currently underway that will minimize injection-site reactions.

Tuesday's presentation was given by Dr. Jim Miller,DVM, parasitologist at Louisiana State University. Dr. Miller presented a  thorough overview of internal parasites and performed fecal counts under microscopes for students to view. Dr. Miller also provided FAMACHA training and certification for students.   Dan Byfield of American Stewards of Liberty gave students an introduction to the importance of private property rights to those of us who raise goats.

Kent Mills, livestock nutritionist with HiPro Feeds, taught goat nutrition on Wednesday of GoatCamp™ week.  Kent is a fountain of information about the topic that is  the hardest thing to get right in any managed herd - proper nutrition.

Thursday's instruction began with veterinarian  Dr. Mark Swening of the Coleman, Texas Veterinary Clinic performing a necropsy on a 6 month old doe who had irreparable  problems.

Throughout the four days of GoatCamp™ Pat Cotten of Bending Tree Ranch in Arkansas provided hands-on training to students using Onion Creek Ranch's goats. Ear tagging, tattooing, stomach tubing, clean catch collecting of goat pills for fecal examination, hoof trimming, checking for urinary calculi by examining the pizzles of bucks and wethers, proper injection procedures, goat restraints, blood draws, and catching and handling goats safely were demonstrated.

The classes that I taught emphasized the importance of learning to THINK LIKE A GOAT and how to apply that knowledge to benefit your goat-raising activities.

Staff members Carol Mathews (returning for her eighth   year), Tom Thornton (his thirteenth  year), and   Kevin Jantz (his second year) and interns Robin Romp (Iowa), Del Hanna (Kansas), and Dana de los Santos (Texas)  kept GoatCamp™ operating smoothly.

GoatCamp™ will be held in 2018 during the week of October 22-25, 2018. You can sign up now on the GoatCamp™ page at www.tennesseemeatgoats.com.

My thanks to everyone who worked so hard to make this 16th year of GoatCamp™ so successful. If my current ranch has been sold by then, then GoatCamp2018™ will be held at the new ranch currently under construction northwest of Austin, Texas. Wherever the goats, dogs, and I are, that is where GoatCamp™ will be held. See you in 2018.

Suzanne W. Gasparotto, Onion Creek Ranch, Texas 11/2/17