Texas

The Texas Agricultural Experiment Station's annual Angora goat performance test field day and sale is set for July 28 at the Sonora Experiment Station.

The station is located 28 miles south of Sonora, on U.S. Hwy. 55, about halfway between Sonora and Rocksprings. Activities open at 10 a.m. with an informal viewing of the test animals and their records. Educational presentations will start at 11 a.m. and continue after a noon lunch. A sale of performance-tested animals will follow at about 2 p.m.

Dr. Dan Waldron, Experiment Station research geneticist at San Angelo and the test's coordinator, said the Angora goat breeders have brought an excellent set of bucks for this year's performance test.

"The bucks on the 2005 performance test are the product of generations of selection by breeders that are committed to improving the breed,"

Waldron said. "The test information can be used by buyers to select a goat that will improve next year's kid crop."

The program's topics and speakers include:

--"New Measurements for Mohair," Dr. Chris Lupton, Experiment Station wool and mohair researcher at San Angelo

--"Activity Report of Mohair Council of America," Zane Willard, the council's executive director, San Angelo

--"BSE, Scrapie and National Animal ID," Joe David Ross, Sonora rancher

--"Yellow Star Thistle," Ross

--"Comments on Test Results," Lupton and Waldron

--"Presentation of Mohair Council Awards" and "Recognition of Certified Bucks."

The sale of performance tested animals will conclude the day's activities.

Complete performance data and photos of the bucks in-fleece will be available on the web at http://sanangelo.tamu.edu/genetics/angoratest.htm.

For further information, contact Waldron or Dr. Frank Craddock at 325-653-4576 or the Sonora Experiment Station at 325-387-3168.

Date: 7/21/05