Goat Seminars

June 9-10, 2007

Saturday	Topic	Presenters
9:00 AM	Goat Hoof Trimming	Daniel Palmersheim
10:00 AM	Innovative Goat Feeders	Ken Gilchrist
11:00 AM	‘Goat on a Grill’	Karen Palmersheim & Janet Gilchrist
1:00 PM	Direct Marketing	Eric Finch & Daniel Palmersheim
2:00 PM	Goat Health- External Parasites	Eric Finch

Sunday	Topic	Presenters
11:00 AM	Meat Goat Production Panel	Howard Myers, Amy Stepanek, Deb Finch & James Wobschall
12:00 NOON	‘Goat on a Grill’	Karen Palmersheim & Janet Gilchrist
1:00 PM	Direct Marketing	Eric Finch & Daniel Palmersheim
2:00 PM	Goat Hoof Trimming	Daniel Palmersheim

Iowa Meat Goat Association--- Bio’s for the Goat topic Presenters during the

Daniel Palmersheim, Stoney Hill Farm Meat Goats, Manchester, Iowa Daniel attends Hawkeye Community College at Waterloo and is majoring in Ag Business/Animal Science.

Daniel is an independent feed salesman, specializing in goat feed and milk replacer. He sells commercial & percentage replacement does, show wethers and direct markets goats off of the farm. Daniel has shown meat goats, swine and dairy at the County fair and at IMGA meat goat shows and the State Fair. He has an extensive Meat Goat project for FFA. At the September 2005 & 2006 IMGA Meat Goat shows, Daniel showed the Reserve Champion Wether and in 2006 the Grand Champion, Reserve Champion and Class Champion Wethers were bred by genetics from Daniel’s Meat Goat Herd. He has received the Star Chapter FFA Farmer Award and the Iowa FFA Degree for his Meat Goat operation. Daniel has been raising commercial meat goats since June 2000 and has recently added Kiko Crossbred does to his farm operations. Daniel and his mom, Karen, currently run a herd of about 200 commercial and percentage Boer Goats and Kiko Goats. They use Full Blood Boer Bucks and Full Blood Kiko Bucks for breeding. In April 2006, Daniel sponsored 4-H Meat Goat Project meetings at his farm and co-sponsored the 2005 IMGA Meat Goat Production Field Day. Daniel is the IMGA Board Secretary and serves on the Delaware County Farm Bureau Board.

Ken and Janet Gilchrist, J Bar K Ranch, Douds, Iowa Nine years ago Ken and Janet Gilchrist retired and sold their farm. They had raised Red Angus Cattle for many years. Since they wanted something to do and a few acres were retained, they bought some Nubian goats and some red and white goats, which were then crossed with Boers. Six years ago, Gilchrists traveled to Utah where they purchased 7 full Blood Boer does to upgrade their herd. They continue to improve their herd that includes Full Blood, Purebred, and Percentage Boer Goats and Kiko Goats. To safeguard their goats an Anatolian Shepherd Guard Dog is used. Ken continues to design and engineer innovative feeders and fencing. Ken is a board member of the Iowa Meat Goat Association. Janet works side by side with Ken. She also enjoys their family and grandkids. Janet loves to prepare and serve home cooked meals. Both Ken and Janet are active supporters of the association. They are hosting the 2007 IMGA Field Day, July 7^th at their farm, rural Douds, Iowa.

Karen Palmersheim, Stoney Hill Farm Meat Goats, Manchester, Iowa Karen and her husband, Randy, started farming 26 years ago on the farm where Karen lives with her three children. Kathie 20, attends Luther College and is majoring in Pre-Med, Daniel 19, attends Hawkeye Community College at Waterloo and is majoring in Ag Business/Animal Science and Andrew 9, will be in the 4th grade this Fall. The Palmersheims started farming with Sheep and Angora Goats and then in June 2000 bought 44 commercial meat goat does. Randy was a livestock nutritionist until his death in June 2001. Karen teaches ‘Family Health And Consumer Science at Hempstead High School in Dubuque and is the owner of ‘Stoney Hill Embroidery’. Karen, Daniel and Andrew currently own about 200 commercial and percentage Boer Goats and Kiko Goats. This September will be the 4^th year Karen has volunteered as show secretary for the September IMGA Meat Goat Show and for the past three years served as the secretary for the Iowa State Fair Boer Goat show. The Palmersheim family hosted the 2005 IMGA Meat Goat Production Field Day at their ‘Stoney Hill Farm’ in NE Iowa. It is not unusual for Karen and her family to serve a variety of meat goat entrée’s to guests at their farm. Goat meat was a big hit during the “Taste of Iowa” in January for Governor Culver’s inauguration and in Karen’s Food Careers class which catered an ethnic buffet for 200 guests that featured several specialty goat meat entrées.

Eric & Deb Finch, Finch Livestock Exchange, State Center, Iowa Eric and Deb are meat goat and lamb producers. Eric’s introduction to the production of meat goats all began when his wife, Deb, brought home a dairy goat. The Finches have become involved in a booming market for goat meat among ethnic groups in Iowa. They have increased and upgraded their herd to provide additional production. Eric is President of the Iowa Meat Goat Association and has held the offices of Secretary and Treasurer for IMGA. He is currently President of the Story County Farm Bureau, represents Iowa on the American Farm Bureau Sheep & Goat Advisory Committee, is a member of the Story County Fair Board and is the Superintendent of the 4H Meat Goats at the Iowa State Fair. In addition to working with the goats, Deb is employed at the Central Veterinary Clinic, Melbourne, Iowa. Eric feels we need to concentrate on the raising of quality meat goats for the meat market and increase consumer awareness about the product. He feels that in the next five years, the show industry will increase and as it does, so will overall enthusiasm in the entire industry. He has given presentations for Iowa Valley Community College and IMGA on all facets of Meat Goat Production and Marketing.

Howard E. Myers, H-K Ranch, Webster City, Iowa Howard and his wife Karen live on approximately 60 acres, five miles north of Webster City, Iowa. The land is all divided into pastures/lots. They moved there in 1984 mainly to raise and show registered paint horses, and did so for approximately 20 years, during which time they also started an elk ranch, getting the herd up to approximately 65 head of cows and bulls. When the antler market took a sharp turn downward, they sold out of the elk. Over the years, Howard and Karen have also raised emu, Mastiff dogs and miniature donkeys. At this time, the Myers have approximately 120 head of commercial goats which they sell mostly to slaughter houses and sale barns. Howard and Karen have been in the goat business approximately 3 years and especially enjoy the ‘kidding’ seasons.

Amy Stepanek, Day Lily goat Farm, Yale, Iowa Amy Stepanek of Yale, Iowa is an IMGA Director. and is the IMGA Youth Committee Chairperson. She along with her husband Ron and children Bailey and Cody started raising goats in 1999. They, like many acreage owners, were looking for livestock that could be raised efficiently on limited space. Goats were the most likely option. The Stepanek's started with dairy goats and added Boer goats to their herd a few years ago. Although the dairy goats still have a place in their operation, the Boers quickly became favorites of the family. With the growth of the meat goat industry, Amy found the Boers to be very versatile. The Boers have made great 4-H projects for Amy and Ron's children. Raising goats have been great learning tools in teaching the kids about showmanship, husbandry and marketing. Amy and her family continue to grow and improve their herd, and look forward to raising meat goats for many years.

James Wobschall, Hilltop Acres Boer Goats, Hampton, Iowa James and his wife Nancy live on an acreage outside of Hampton, Iowa. They utilize a 100 year old barn for their herd. A couple small pasture areas are used in the summer. James has faced some of the realities of raising and keeping goats. Three years ago James started with Boer Goats. The Wobschall’s have kidded out about 35 head during the -15 degree January weather, with 72 kids running around. 30 head of yearling does began kidding April 1. This yielded about 200 head of goats on the farm. James has been learning goat production from the ground up. He likes to share what he has learned with others. He is the Franklin County 4-H meat goat advisor, and has given educational presentations on goat care, preparing for show and showing of goats. Last year they exhibited goats at the Iowa State Fair. James gives a lot of credit to the Association members who have helped him learn more about his goats. They raise percentage and full blood animals and are working towards a goal of both meat production and the sale of full blood breeding animals. James does almost all of his own vet work and works close with his local vet to keep the herd healthy. James continually looks for effective marketing strategies that will benefit all growers.