Complete
Show Results (click here)
CHAMPIONSHIP PHOTOS
2007 Annual General Meeting -- November 3, 2007
2005 MGA Tour
On August 20th, 2005 a group of interested goat producers, MB government staff, and several reporters met at St Norbert, MB to board a bus for the tour co-sponsored by the Manitoba Goat Association and MB Agriculture, Food and Rural Initiatives (MAFRI).
On the way to the first stop Brent Reid, Farm Production Advisor with MAFRI in Dugald, gave us an interesting commentary on some of the sights we were passing such as the St Norbert Heritage Park, and the Red River floodway expansion.
First stop was the Oak Island Goat Dairy at Ile Des Chenes where our hosts Beverly and Richard Simcock milk 215 goats. Beverly took us through the dry barn that houses the kids being fed cows milk, and dry does that are sponged to be bred for winter milk production as well as a pen of does already being exposed to the bucks. She explained their system of housing kids in small groups to prevent pile-ups and what sizes the buck kids are marketed at for the various ethnic groups. All buck kids are sold when they have a carcass weight of between 12 to 18 lbs. Next we saw an outside pen of young does that were being grown out till they reached the desired breeding size. Most does are bred at around a year of age. These does are fed some grain and hay, --the hay is fed free choice in outside feeders. Then onto the milking barn where we saw the parlour which is set up to hold 60 does – 30 each side. They have recently switched to a high line system from a lowline and the milking at present takes about 2 hours with two people milking, a bit longer if Beverly is milking by herself. In the barn the does are fed a TMR (total mixed ration) consisting of hay (chopped), grain and vitamins/minerals in a center line feeder. The does have access to an outside pen all year plus the well bedded barn where the TMR is fed. At the conclusion of the dairy farm tour we were treated to samples of cheese ( mozzarella, soft-ripened, cheddar and smoked) that is made at the New Bothwell cheese plant, goats milk and juice. Many thanks to the Simcocks for a very interesting and informative tour of their goat dairy!
Next it was onto Alvin Pletts 600 cow dairy near Linden where Gary Plohman, Ag Engineer with MAFRI explained the on farm composting site. With mortalities ranging from 1 to 2 cows per week plus several calves it was necessary to build a sizeable structure that met all the environmental specifications. This site had a concrete base plus concrete sides and was divided into 4 “bays”. One bay held the waste straw from the dairy barn that is used in the composting and two other bays had piles in different stages of composting. A temperature probe is used to determine if enough heat is being generated (the pile to be turned was at around 45oC). A loader was used to remove the one pile and it was repiled in the empty bay and we examined how the process was working to decompose the deadstock that had been put in the pile. Once the pile has gone through at least two heat cycles and is a dark humus like material, and the bones are brittle, the composting process is complete and the pile can be spread on the fields.
Then it was back onto the bus and on our way to the U of MB to tour the Food Science Dept. On the way Cliff Duke, MB rep for the CNGF gave a brief outline of projects the CNGF is currently working on (tag trials) as well as answered questions from the tour group.
At the Dairy Science building we were met by On Chan who is a Food Safety Specialist with MAFRI. On Chan gave us a tour first of the area in the basement where the raw milk is put through the on line pasteurizer and also can be homogenized if necessary. The milk then is pumped upstairs to the food labs where it is made into feta cheese, or yoghurt or ice cream. He explained the various steps in the process and showed the equipment used. The University is pleased to work with producers, such as the Simcocks, to develop their different milk products and help get these products into the marketplace.
We left the U of MB and proceeded back to our starting point in St Norbert at the Elks Hall and had a talk by Diane Roberts, Food Safety Spec with MAFRI about on farm meat marketing. Diane went through the different departments responsible for the regulations governing the marketing of meat, and provided written handouts to assist producers with the various requirements and what resources are available.
After an afternoon of touring and learning we certainly welcomed our supper catered by Niakawa Pizza. Many thanks to Brent for all his work on this project and to the participants for attending.
copyright 2005-2006, Manitoba Goat Association