By HOWARD GRYDER
Journal Correspondent
This is the final of a three-part series on a research experiment on using goats in a program of combination livestock pasturage and timber production on the LSU AgCenter North Louisiana Hill Farm Research Station at Calhoun.

We all held our breath as the goats were turned into the training area from the corral and barn area. "Will they," or "Will they not," stay behind the electric fence? We were apprehensive as to the final outcome.

First one and then another of the 26 head would walk to the fence, sniff the air and look at the many strips of surveyor's tape which was tied onto the fence about every six feet. As the fence would zap the most brave of heart, they would snort, stamp a front foot, or both, and put it in a fast reverse gear. It held! They got the message to one another, "Don't touch that wire with the red tape on it. It bites!"

Since that day, only one mature goat has broken through the electric fence and that occurred when she was crowded too closely by one of us trying to hurry up the penning process. Yes, they have slipped through the cross fencing, especially in the beginning when we used only two strands of polywire to divide the pastures.

Since installing the original fencing system some changes have been made to the design as we fenced in other areas to browse. Fencing and controlling the goats has not been a major management problem.

Another concern was, and is, the predator problem. The Louisiana Wildlife Service agents, in recent years had revealed that domestic dogs running in parks during certain seasons of the year, had managed to crossbreed with coyotes in the region and the result was a "coydog." These crossbreeds posed more problems because they seemed to be less afraid of man and more aggressive in their hunt.

So far, there has not been a predator problem of any kind. Near the beginning of the project, a donkey was used as the "guard." Now there is a Pyrenees guard dog on patrol. The only fence damage, minor to date, has been stock in the wire when a deer hit it during one of the many trips across the project site.

Once the goats were turned from the training pen (about two days) into the No. 1 pasture, we began to receive our education about the grazing (browsing) habits of goats. They would attack certain plants, gingerly graze others, while avoiding a few plants altogether. The many cartoons used in the past of a goat eating a soup can (wrapper and all) is a myth; it's just a cartoon.

The goats proved to be smart shoppers, always looking for the most nutritious part of the plant and continually walking the aisles for better buys. They devoured blackberry vines, poison oak, trumpet vines, tallow trees, and elderberry. They even nipped the top 6-10 inches of the cypress weed. The one weed they didn't, and won't eat is goat weed. Woolly croton is the scientific name, but everyone knows what a goat weed is and what they look like. They finally ate the seed heads at maturity in the latter part of September and early October.

In the pasture where heavy grazing pressure has been applied since May of 1999, the blackberry, privet, elderberry and tallow trees are gone!

We also observed that when the browse was depleted, the goats would begin to graze on the grass, starting with the seeds and moving down the plant. This observation gave meaning to a paper written by J.M. Luginbuhl, J.T. Green, J.P. Meuller, and M.R. Poore entitled "Forage Needs for Meat Goats and Sheep," which we had read before starting the project.

The conclusion drawn from this research project at North Carolina State University stated that:

1. Goats select grass over clover.
2. Prefer browse over grazing.
3. Prefer foraging on rough, steep land over smooth, flatter land.
4. Graze along fence lines before grazing the center of the pasture.
5. Graze the top of pasture canopy fairly uniformly before grazing close to the soil level.

These researchers also determined that by grazing a combination of goats, sheep, and cattle on the same plots, forage quality and quantity were improved.

In their summary table, the figures of 6-8 goats, 5-6 sheep, and one cow per acre were equal on good quality pasture. When grazed on wheat/alfalfa system, the numbers were 10-12 goats, 8-9 sheep, and 1.56 cows. These figures mean that 10 to 12 goats could graze on the same given plot of ground that 1 1/2 cow units grazed.

In other work done the results were similar with the cost of herbicide being reduced by significant dollars per acre. Some $25 to $40 per grazing season was saved by using the goats to control unwanted vegetation.

Now, in 2002, we are seeing an increasing amount of grass in the pine plantation because of the growth of the trees and the practice of pruning the lower limbs. A need for an animal that will graze the grass is very evident. Of course, that animal is the cow and calf.

Other Dollar Factors
Annual production of pulpwood has been roughly two cords per acre in yearly growth (about $40 per year).

Annual production of meat (live weight) has been estimated at 2,800 for offspring, plus 300-400 pounds of growth on maturing does. Using the market price of 70-cents per pound, this amounts to approximately $12.97 per acre per year.

In order to inform producers as to the findings in our demonstration project, samples were taken of the browse most often consumed by the herd in the beginning phase of our effort. By taking clippings from the vegetation the goats were consuming and sending those samples to the forage testing lab at Franklinton, Louisiana, we were found the information listed below to be helpful in our attempt to meet the nutritional needs of the herd.

(1) Crude Protein is the total amount of protein in the plant, not the digestible protein. Digestible protein is always less than total proteins or crude protein.
(2) TDN is Total Digestible Nutrients found in the sample.

In addition to the crude protein, dry matter content and total digestible nutrients, other information as to mineral content is a part of the testing results. As you can see, ragweed, pokeweed, goldenrod, and baccharis far exceeded the two grasses listed first and second on the result sheet. Not only did these plants contain more protein, they had considerably more potassium, copper, zinc, manganese, and TDN.

At this time in the three years the project has been going on, not many hard and fast conclusions can be drawn. However, enough has been observed to warrant a continuation of the effort.

The most significant factors to date are that:

1. The project has drawn much attention by landowners and goat producers. This is evident by the attendance of over 300 at the two field days held thus far at Calhoun.
2. Goat producers and goat meat consumption continues to draw press attention. In early June, a lengthy article appeared in The Wall Street Journal concerning this industry and its potential for the future. The article referred to goat meat as "the other red meat."

Updates of the project will appear in The Piney Woods Journal as appropriate. Int he meantime, feel free to call the Calhoun Research Station, LSU AgCenter, 318-644-2662, or drop by for a look-see at what is going on.

In closing, here's just a small helping of common sense from Cousin Sam. "Be careful of the wild oats that you sow when you're young, 'cause they may be nothing by straw at harvest time."

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