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About The Blue Mountain eagle. (John Day, Or.) 1972-current | View Entire Issue (March 15, 2017)
A8 Ag Day Blue Mountain Eagle Wednesday, March 15, 2017 The organic, juniper-seeking goats of Silvies Valley Goats easy on riparian areas, work well with cattle By Rylan Boggs Blue Mountain Eagle A Peruvian goat herder opens a barn door to release a flood of brown and white Boer goats. He steps out of the way as the goats swarm to several cut juniper trees in their pen. Like piranhas, they will pick the trees clean in a matter of hours. Once put out on rangeland, the goats will seek and destroy junipers, eating the foliage as high as they can reach. “It’s like candy,” Silvies Valley Ranch owner Sandy Campbell said. The ranch, just south of Seneca, started their goat herd to establish an addition- al source of income from the same rangeland on which they graze cattle. Goats can graze the same Eagle photos/Rylan Boggs A Boer goat looks up from feeding at Silvies Valley Ranch. The ranch started the goat herd to establish an additional source of income from the same rangeland as cattle. pastures as cattle and don’t share parasites. While cattle focus on grasses, goats are drawn to shrubs and bushes. The animals are great brush and weed control, according to Campbell, which helped the ranch avoid chemical weed control and become certified organic. “We’ve really been im- pressed by how well the goats work with the cattle,” Camp- bell said. “They have improved the rangeland in a lot of places by getting rid of the weeds and cleaning up the underbrush in our forest areas. It’s been real- ly good for fire suppression.” While grazing, the goats are managed by three Peruvi- an goat herders working under temporary agricultural visas, Campbell said. “They’re very knowledge- able and great herdsmen and hard workers,” she said, add- ing it’s hard to find experi- enced goat herders in the Unit- ed States. Border collies help the herders, while Great Pyrenees mountain dogs protect the goats from coyotes and rap- tors. Originally from South Af- WRIGHT CHEVROLET THE WRIGHT CHOICE Providing Grant County with the financial support to keep our agricultural industry growing strong. WRIGHT CHEVROLET IS A PROUD SPONSOR OF NATIONAL AG DAY W O R K S M A RT ER , NOT HARDER with a 2017 Chevy work truck. 129 N. Canyon Blvd, John Day • 541-575-1530 usbank.com Member FDIC A doe rests in an indoor pen at Silvies Ranch. When in labor, mothers are brought indoors and give birth onto heated floors where they stay with their offspring for one to two days. They then move to the family pens and, when ready, back out to the winter barns. rica, the heavier Boer goats were initially bred as show animals in the U.S., which re- moved many desirable range goat traits. Since then, Campbell has been working to breed them back into “the Angus of goats.” They’ve crossbred them with some Spanish goats and another South African breed called Kalahari red. The end goal is to develop their own breed of hybrid range goat. “We’re breeding for big babies that hit the ground strong and grow really well on range,” Campbell said. The goats spend the major- ity of their lives on rangeland but are brought into barns during the winter months. When in labor, mothers are brought indoors and give birth onto heated floors where they stay with their offspring for one to two days. They then move to the family pens and, when ready, back out to the A newborn kid takes a few shaky steps at Silvies Valley Ranch. Kids normally double their birth weight in the first month of life, Campbell said. winter barns. The kids normally double their birth weight in the first month of life, Campbell said. Goat meat, or chevon, is catching on in restaurants and health food circles because it is high in nutrients and low in fat, Campbell said. The meat will be a staple on the menu at Retreat at Silvies Valley Ranch when it opens in July, and they hope to sell chevon locally in the future. 550 Main St. • Fossil • 800-336-0057 MARCIEL Well Drilling & Pumps Proudly Supporting Eastern Oregon Agriculture 541-932-4334 • WWC#1606 • CCB#156965 • CPI#101 Patterson Bridge Rd. John Day, OR 541-575-2102 Helping Grant County’s Farmers & Ranchers Hold it Together for 20 Years ......................... P ROUDLY PROVIDING employment opportunities for the people of Grant County since 1983. Boyd Britton Welding, Inc. 8 a.m. - 5 p.m., Mon-Fri • 841 W Hwy. 26. John Day • 541-575-0763 • Repair & Fabrication • Steel & Aluminum Inventory • Complete Machine Shop • Welding Supplies • Gases Holliday Land & Livestock Proud Sponsor of National Ag Day 03501 Columbia Power Proudly Celebrating being a part of Grant County’s Agricultural Industry since 1948 551 W Main St. • John Day • 541-575-1346 • Irrigation • Plumbing • Electric 311 Wilson St. Monument 541-934-2311
