Remember that premium prices are paid for bucks 6 months to a year who are "unblemished" - not castrated or dehorned.

New Members
Welcome to:
Clifford & Linda Simcox
Sun Swept Boer Goats Clearfield, PA

Brian & Kathleen Ford
Noss Valley Farms Honey Grove, PA

Amanda & Dave Lau, Jr.
Walnut Ridge Farm Thomasville, PA

Skip & Wanda Bowen
Maple Crest Farm York Haven, PA

Richard & Lucille Wenner
Richie Dean Farm St. Johns, PA

Andy Strauch
Benton, PA

Jeremy Mock
Williamsburg, PA Joe Runyan
Parker, PA

Joan Smith
BiJo Boer Goats Gardners, PA

PMGPA Website and Listserv
Until a permanent web site is established, PMGPA members can view documents such as the organization’s By- Laws, past newsletters and access logo files through the Yahoo group, PMGPA.
http://groups.yahoo.com/ group/pmgpa/
pmgpa@yahoo.com

An Open Letter to the PMGPA Membership
This letter serves to inform the general membership of the Pennsylvania Meat Goat Producers Association as to a situation of concern that puts the future of this organization in serious jeopardy.

With the resignation of both Vice- Presidents and the lack of communication between the remaining officers, the governing body of the Pennsylvania Meat Goat Association was dissolved.

This decision did not come lightly and was based upon advice from Penn State, the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture, the Pennsylvania Association for Sustainable Agriculture and several other agricultural non-profit organizations both from within the state and across the country.

With a general membership of over one hundred people, the PMGPA still has a responsibility to its members. The initial goal of the PMGPA was to be a member-run organization for the education and promotion of the meat goat industry. That remains our goal, therefore, we have enlisted the help of the Keystone Development Center - a nonprofit dedicated to the formation of groups such as the PMGPA.

To date, the Keystone Development Center has greatly aided the PMGPA by providing comprehensive and legally sound by -laws, incorporating the PMGPA as a nonprofit in the state of Pennsylvania and submitting grant proposals that will significantly fund the efforts of the PMGPA.

Unfortunately, the efforts of the Keystone Development Center are being undermined by the failure of the former PMGPA Treasurer, Russell Reitz, to turn over PMGPA funds so they can be deposited into a legal PMGPA bank account with the organization’s name and federal tax identification number. Repeated requests by telephone and in writing sent via registered US Mail and electronic mail have been made to Mr. Reitz to transfer PMGPA funds. All requests have been ignored.

Additionally, former PMGPA Secretary has been contacted via telephone, registered US Mail and electronic mail to provide a full membership list and to date has refused to do so.

Mr. Reitz’s and Ms. Newton’s failure to provide PMGPA financials and membership information has required legal assistance at the expense of the PMGPA members.

As it was pointed out at the general membership meeting in April 2005, the former PMGPA leadership was based upon volunteers. Hostile and uncooperative volunteers are not conducive to a member- driven non-profit organization. There is a group of dedicated individuals willing to work together as a team to create a solid foundation from which a successful, member- driven organization can be built. Their goals are to complete the necessary legal and financial paperwork that will allow the PMGPA to operate as a non-profit organization in the state of Pennsylvania, begin the grants and funding process, and most importantly, cultivate a cooperative environment to which the PMGPA membership can nominate and vote for their organization’s leadership.

It is therefore in this open letter to the entire membership of the PMGPA, that Russell Reitz, former PMGPA treasurer, is respectfully requested to turn over all funds and financial records to the Keystone Development Center. Additionally, it is respectfully requested that Jan Newton, former PMGPA secretary do the same for all PMGPA documents including membership records and meeting minutes.

The Rewards of Raising Meat Goats
Anyone who attended the PMGPA Educational Seminar in April 2005, met Bill Barnhill of Minto Farm in Stillwater, PA. He was the gentleman who openly shared with everyone his experience of unknowingly purchasing a diseased starter herd three years ago when he and his wife, Kathleen - who followed their dream of farming after 35 years in the city - first started raising meat goats.

Instead of being disgruntled, the Barnhills culled, managed and bred their way to produce the Reserve Grand Champion at the 2005 Lycoming County Fair as well as five other first and second place winning 4-H market goat projects for children in Lycoming county.

Congratulations to the Barnhills.

Educational Seminar
Many thanks to everyone who responded to the PMGPA survey sent out this spring. Using your responses, the PMGPA was able to tailor an educational seminar that was offered after the general membership meeting on April 9, 2005 at the PDA LEC in Pine Grove, PA. Additionally, the PMGPA would like to thank the Pennsylvania Association of Sustainable Agriculture (PASA), who generously provided snacks and beverages for the meet - ing.

PASA is also working with Penn State on a Small Ruminant Parasite Herd Risk Analysis Research Project. Since a number of PMGPA members have signed up to participate, after the educational seminar, Ron Hoover, On- Farm Research Coordinator for Penn State and Dr. Dave Wolfgang, PSU Veterinary Science department, kicked off the project.

Over two dozen people attended the education seminar, which covered buying livestock, housing & fencing, healthcare, nutrition, reproduction, predator control, slaughter & disposal and marketing.

Wildlife Biologist Craig Swope from the USDA was on hand to discuss the latest issues and methods about predators and control methods.

Presented as an interactive forum, many PMGPA members shared their successes as well as their failures amongst the group as the outline of the survey was followed. Educational Seminar The Rewards of Raising Meat Goats Page 2 Browse & Berries Reserve Champion, Lycoming County Fair 90-pound wether out of Minto’s Sir Lance-a-Lot

Recipes & Tips for Goat Meat
Summer BBQ season is in full swing and presents the perfect opportunity to introduce others to goat meat. A fun way to do this is by roasting an entire goat using some type of rotisserie.

Unlike roasting whole pigs or lambs, the lack of fat lends to quicker cooking times for goat meat. That also means that extra care must be taken to ensure the meat does not dry out while roasting.

A typical roasting carcass is anywhere from 20-35 pounds and will feed 30 - 50 people, respectively.

So how does one go about roasting an entire goat?

Equipment
First, choose a grill. Although electric rotisseries can be rented, there are a variety of cookers and grills that are reasonably priced and will pay for themselves with only a few uses.
Kanes Kamp Kitchen Corp. in Brooklyn, NY has been building rotisserie- style barbeques since 1972 primarily for the Greek community with whom roasting whole lambs and goats is a common affair.
One of the features that makes this unit so easy to use are the Kanes Klamps - stainless-steel U-shaped devices that securely fasten the carcass to the skewer.
Available from Kanes starting at $225 - (888) 773-1515 - www.kanesbbq.com

Another popular whole-carcass cooker is the La Caja China Roaster. Don’t let the wooden construction fool you. This roaster can cook up to 70 pounds of meat in under four hours.
The meat is placed on grids inside a metal box and covered with an ash pan. Hot coals are placed above on the grill and the meat is roasted from above. This method is also popular in the Cuban communities.

Meat Preparation
For open coal rotisseries, one tasty method is to fill the carcass cavity with chopped citrus, fresh herbs such as cilantro or rosemary and garlic that has been soaked in olive oil. Turkey lacers will work fine to truss up the belly. Rub down the outside of the carcass with olive oil, salt & pepper and herbs. Using either a spray bottle or a brush, keep the roasting meat regularly based with a combination of olive oil and citrus juice/wine.
When cooking, place more coals toward the ends of the goat and less in the middle. The legs require more heat to thoroughly cook. Check the leg using a meat thermometer - 160 degrees signals dinner time.

Another method rapidly gaining in popularity is the China Box. The carcass is splayed out on a rack, brined and placed in a metal box with the coals on top.

For smaller kid goats, skewers made out of rebar - one long one down the spine and two shorter ones horizontal through the front and hind legs to splay them open - has been the tried and true method for generations in Monterey, cabrito capital of Mexico. However you decide to roast your goat, your guest will enjoy the true treat of what our industry represents.

2005 PA Department of Agriculture Buck Performance Test and Auction Results
On July 30, 2005, the PDA LEC hosted the auction of the top rated bucks of this year’s performance test. Thirty-six bucks entered testing in April, however, only the top twenty-four were offered at auction. Based upon analysis of weight gain, height, fat, loin, leg and scrotal measurements, an index is obtained for each animal.

This year, the top indexing full blood senior Boer buck belonged to PMGPA member Russell Reitz of Gracious Meadows. His buck finished with an index of 120 and sold for $525.

Other members placing well at the test were the Herrs of Nix Besser Farm with the number two senior buck with an index of 118 who brought $400, the number four and six senior bucks at 108 going for $500 and $650, respectively. The Herrs also held the spot for the highest price paid for a buck with the top indexing junior full blood buck with an index of 117 bringing $900. The fourth best Junior buck was also from Nix Besser Farm with an index of 106 selling for $450.

Other PMGPA who had animals offered for auction were as follows: Senior Full Blood Bucks - #8 Tyler Wagner, index of 94, sold for $200. #9 Benuel Lapp, index of 93, sold for $250. Junior Full Blood Bucks - #5 Julie & Dave Maxwell, index of 99, sold for $450. Junior Percentage Boers - #2 Curtis Charles, index of 105, sold for $225 and #5 with an index of 98 sold for $200.

In addition to the bucks, there were 35 full blood and percentage does offered at the invitational sale with an average price of $325.

The PMGPA provided an informative display explaining the individual facets of the performance test and how they relate to choosing a performance herd sire.