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History of the Student Run UMass Goat Group |
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| The student run meat goat
group at the University of Massachusetts in Amherst was started in 1999 as
part of a senior undergraduate student's honor's project. It began as a
feasibility study and has progressed into an entirely student run project
with an over-seeing faculty advisor. Meat breeds researched included Kiko, Myotonic, Spanish, and Boer goats. The university purchased the original group of Percentage Boer does and one Full Blood Boer buck from Peter & Mason Cable of Cable Croft Farm in Connecticut. The goal of the group was to breed the original 50% Boer does to Full Blood bucks, producing higher percentage Boer offspring that would in time be marketable as Purebred Boer breeding stock. After nearly five years, most of the 25 does owned by the group are 93.75% Boer or higher. We hold weekly meetings where current issues concerning the goats are discussed, and realistic solutions are voted on by the membership. Students have the opportunity to participate in the "Goat Group" as a practicum and receive credit toward their bachelor's degree. At each meeting, students present topics related to goats in an effort to advance the knowledge of those in the group as it relates to the production of meat goats. |