Partners in Massachusetts Agriculture Education
Mass. Department of Agricultural Resources
Winter 2006 Newsletters
Massachusetts Agriculture in the Classroom is pleased to announce a summer graduate-credit course in agricultural-literacy training for educators. Using Massachusetts farms as your classroom, learn how agriculture can enhance your curriculum, enthrall your students and meet many MCAS requirements.
This Summer Institute, titled “Growing Agriculture in the Classroom,” will meet on Wednesday June 28 and Wednesday August 16 at the Brigham Hill Community Farm in North Grafton from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Each participant will also be asked to attend five additional workshops during the summer, selected from approximately 15 workshops on various topics offered across the state.
The course offers agricultural-literacy training through fun, hands-on study and investigation of agriculture education resources. It will assist new educators and those who want to expand their classroom offerings as they learn how to integrate agriculture into the classroom to create lessons and reinforce MCAS concepts. Participants will learn how to create community partnerships; link the classroom to the farm; expand math, science, social studies and other educational knowledge using agricultural examples, and explore technology and engineering techniques.Farm workshops may cover topics such as embryology, nutrition, plant propagation, botany, marine science, ag-history, aquaponics, genetic diversity and technology. Each participant will spend ten hours developing a classroom project. Projects will be presented on August 16 for review. After final submission they will be compiled and printed for distribution.
The fee for this seven-day course is $275 and includes all materials; farm workshops and tours; some meals, and three graduate credits or 67 professional development points from Fitchburg State College. Curriculum and MCAS standards covered by the lessons will be handed out as workshop materials. Each participant will be paired with a MAC board member to give students long-term access to agricultural resources and follow-up support.
This summer graduate-level course is sponsored by MAC in collaboration with Fitchburg State College. It was created through funding from Agway Foundation and Northeast Farm Credit AgEnhancement.
Nearly twenty years ago, when the Mass. Lottery became part of the Massachusetts Building at Eastern States Exposition, the Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources designated Massachusetts Agriculture in the Classroom as the educational beneficiary of the Lottery vendor space. Once again we thank the Massachusetts Lottery and the Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources for this generous support.
The Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources began producing a Calendar of Massachusetts Agriculture in the year 2000. For the past two years, the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service has collaborated on this calendar. Both organizations designated MAC as the recipient of calendar sales once again this year, and we appreciate their generosity.
On Sunday March 26, Massachusetts Agriculture in Classroom will celebrate our 25th year of educating teachers, school children and the public about local farming, nutrition and the environment with a Gala Dinner. The event honors Fred Winthrop, former Massachusetts Commissioner of Agriculture, for all his agricultural and environmental achievements including his key role in the formation of MAC.
This is a great opportunity to meet and greet new and past MAC board members, farmers and friends of Massachusetts Agriculture in the Classroom, while you help us continue our programs to bring the message of local agriculture to the public. To request an invitation, call 508-336-4426. Reception begins at 4 p.m. at Coolidge Hall on the Topsfield Fairgrounds. There is a fee of $50.
The MAC board of directors will hold our annual meeting on February 16 and will release our annual report for 2005. This reports acknowledges and will be sent to each of our 2005 donors. We thank all of you who partner with us in this effort and especially celebrate the teachers who are the true link between agriculture and the classroom.
James I. Munger, President
The Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources’ Farm-to-School Project, now in its second year, matches schools with local farmers and farm products. Working with schools from kindergarten through college, they have now been successful in more than 30 schools statewide and are seeking additional school and farm matches.
Schools across the state have expressed interest in serving local foods, and local farmers are increasingly responding. Exciting developments include an emerging national farm-to-school network and the integration of locally grown foods into school wellness policies. Farms that were able to sell both fruit and vegetables to schools were more profitable than those that only offered vegetables alone. Schools with an active garden or farming project had a much deeper and long-lasting commitment to fresh, locally grown food, including in the cafeteria.Kelly Erwin is the managing consultant to this project. She provides individualized technical assistance to farmers and schools, and is available to do workshops or speak at meetings and have evaluative and promotional materials to share. If you are looking to increase use of local foods in your school or a farmer who would like to make a link to a school, contact Kelly at Massachusetts Farm-to-School Project, 16 Applewood Lane, Amherst, MA 01002, 413-253-3844, or e-mail to Kelerwin@localnet.com.
MAC Board President, James Munger has once again offered to raise heirloom tomatoes seedlings to support Mass. Agriculture in the Classroom. Jim will sow the seeds of these popular plants, transplant them, and have them ready in May or June for those who wish to sell them at their farm, school or business as a benefit to MAC. If you would like to support our organization in this way, send an e-mail message to Jim.
The MAC Mini-Grant program awarded $9,235 in 2005 to support these 12 agricultural education projects. Grants of up to $1,500 are awarded three times a year. The deadlines are April 1, September 1 and November 1. We encourage Massachusetts educators to submit proposals. Click here for Mini- Grant guidelines. You can also review description of all mini-grant winners from 2005 and past years.
“Teaching Garden”
$800
Bramble Hill Farm, Amherst
“Farms Make Food Project”
$800
Community Farms Outreach, Waltham“Creation of a Natural Products Extraction Laboratory”
$800
Lexington High School“Food Garden in the Classroom”
$800
Warren-Prescott School, Charlestown“Taste Your Fruits & Vegetables”
$800
A Collaboration between the Orchard Gardens Pilot School & Food ProjectApril Funding Total
$4,000
September Mini-Grants
“Field Trip to Red Fire Farm”
$525
Swift River Elem. School, Belchertown
NE Organic Farming Assn., Springfield
Waldorf School of Cape Cod, Bourne
1st Assembly Christian Acad., Worcester
“Mt. Carmel School Garden Project”
$600
Mount Carmel School, Springfield“Heirloom Gardening & Fourth Grade”
$860
North Brookfield Elementary School
“Global Weather Changes and the Health of a Local Maple Grove"$600
Heath Elementary School
Scientifically, goats belong to the Bovidae Family within the suborder of ruminants. Along with sheep they make up a tribe called Caprini. There are six distinct species of goats, each distinguished by the shape of the horns.
Capra hircus, the domestic goat is descended principally from Capra aegagrus, the wild (bezoar) goat of Near East Asia. Angora, Cashmere and Damascus types descended from Capra falconeri, the markhor goat of Central Asia. The three other goat species are the Spanish goat (Capra pyrenaica); the ibex of the alps, Siberia and Nubia (Capra ibex) and the Daegestan goat of the Caucasus Mountains (Capra cylindricornis).History of Goat Domestication
Goats were among the earliest animals to be domesticated. A fossil from 10,000 years ago found in the Zagros Mountains in western Iran supports the theory that Bezoar goats were raised there at the time. Other DNA evidence shows that after initial domestication of goats, migrating people took them all over the world to trade. Goats were brought to the Americas by European settlers, primarily as a source of milk and meat.
Value of Goats
Today, there are an estimated 502 million goats in the world - more than half of them in Asia. Goats are an easy animal for a family to keep. They can survive on less land than other animals, and on land that is unsuitable for crops. This is particularly important in arid, semitropical or mountainous countries where land cannot support ground-grazing animals like sheep and cattle. Goats are also high browsing animals, and will eat bushes, trees, desert scrub and even aromatic herbs.
Different breeds of goats are raised for their milk, meat or wool. Goats are also used to improve pastures. Several breeds, including Pygmy goats from Western Africa, may be raised as pets. They are friendly, gentle, intelligent, inexpensive to feed and need little space.Goat Milk
Worldwide, more people drink the milk of goats than any other single animal, although most people in the U.S. drink cow’s milk. Goat milk is similar nutritionally to cow milk, but it contains a more easily digestible fat and protein content. Goat milk is used for drinking, cooking and baking and to make cheese, butter, ice cream, yogurt, candy, soap and other body products.
There are six types of dairy goats recognized by the American Dairy Goat Association. They are Nubians, LaManchas, French Alpine, Saanen, Oberhasli and Togenburg. A dairy goat averages six to eight pounds of milk daily (3-4 quarts) during a ten-month lactation. The milk generally averages 3.5 percent butterfat.
The dairy goat is milked in the same manner as a dairy cow, by hand or machine. However, since goats have only two teats, milking machines must be adapted. Goat milk requires the same cleanliness and cooling as any other milk. Principal milk production of goats (unlike cows) is seasonal - mid-March through October, with the greatest flow in the warm months.
Goat Meat and Hides
In the United States, goat meat is available from many breeds. The surplus offspring of fiber and dairy animals may be used for meat. Dairy goats must kid in order to give milk. Their goat kids may be sold at Easter time. Some strains of goats have been genetically selected to produce more and better tasting meat. Spanish and South African goats are best known for their meat producing ability. Indian and Nubian-derived goat breeds are dual-purpose meat and milk producers. The hides of kids and goats are used in making gloves, shoes, bookbinding and other leather articles.
Goat Fiber
Mohair and Cashmere are the primary fibers harvested from goats. The Angora goat has long white silky hair from which a strong and durable cloth is made. In the United States, the Angora goat is sheared twice a year producing an average of 5.3 pounds of wool each shearing. The fiber is similar to wool in chemical composition, but has a much smoother surface and a very thin, smooth scale which lacks the felting properties of wool. It is a strong fiber that is elastic, has considerable luster and takes dye very well. The skin of the Angora, with the hair intact, is often used for rugs and robes. Angora goats are raised extensively in Turkey, South Africa, United States, China and Iran.
The Kashmir region of the Indian subcontinent is the origin of Cashmere fibers. This fiber does not come from a specific breed of goat but refers to the very fine soft silky undercoat that is combed out and used to make Cashmere shawls and sweaters.
Environmental Impact
Goats are used to improve pasture, clear reforestation areas and control noxious weed and brush encroachment on open rangeland. However, in some parts of the world, herders have failed to balance goat numbers with sparse vegetation, causing over-grazing, erosion and even desertification. Rotational pasturing is a successful control.
Raising Goats
Goats are kept successfully in all climates. For housing they require only a clean, dry, well-ventilated, draft-free shelter. Dirt floors are preferred. Fiber goats do not carry layers of body fat, and must be able to take shelter from wet and cold for 6 weeks after shearing. Bucks should be kept separately.
Goats are curious and agile and like to go under or through obstacles. They require well-built fences, at least four feet high, for containment and protection from predators. Electric or small-mesh fencing is useful.
Goats need a year-round supply of roughage. They will graze on grass pastures, but prefer to browse on brush and a varied selection of pasture plants. This may be supplemented with hay.
Goats are not aggressive, but their horns can be damaging, especially to other goats. They may be dehorned when young or the sharp points may be clipped. Goats that are not grazed on rocky ground must have their hooves trimmed. Goats should be vaccinated to prevent diseases. The most common health problems are parasites and pneumonia. Fresh clean water daily and salt supplements are also required.
Dairy goats are seasonal breeders, usually in late summer through early winter. The gestation period is five months. Twins are common, and triplet births are not rare. A doe milks approximately ten months following kidding, then is held dry for two months.
There are between two million and four million goats in the United States. Texas leads in Angora, meat and bush goats and California leads with dairy goats. In Massachusetts, most goats are raised on small farms for cheese, milk, fiber or heritage breed purposes.
The adult female goat is called a doe or a nanny. She may be known as a doeling, until she has had a baby. The adult male is called a buck or billie, and a neutered male is a wether. A baby goat of either sex is a kid. A group of goats is a tribe or trip.
Goats, cattle, camels, giraffes, sheep, deer, antelopes and giraffes are all ruminants. A ruminant is a cud-chewing, hoofed mammal with an even number of toes and a stomach with multiple chambers. Most ruminants have a four-chambered stomach, typically consisting of the rumen; the reticulum; the omasum; and the abomasum, or true stomach. All are herbivorous mammals and nurse their young after birth.
Goats come in almost any color, depending on the breed, including solid black, white, red, brown, spotted, two- and three-colored, blended shades, facial stripes and saddle patterns. Their hair may be short, long, curled, silky or coarse wooled. They may have wattles on the neck and beards. Somebreeds have straight noses and others convex noses. Ears may be erect, pendulous or drooping; and some breeds have no external ear.
Tails, scent and horns distinguish goats from sheep and cattle. The goat tail is short, bare underneath and usually carried upright. Major scent glands are located around the horn base, and bucks have a strong musk-like odor during breeding season. The hollow horns grow upward from the head instead of twisting to the sides like those of a sheep. Many goats are dehorned in early age, and a few breeds are hornless genetically.Most goats are smaller than sheep. A full grown domestic goat weights about 100 to 120 pounds. However, there is great variety in the size of goats, from a 20-pound female adult dwarf goat to a 250-pound Japanese meat variety. The life span of a goat is eight to twelve
Ruminants eat quickly, store food in their stomachs and retire to a place secure from predators to finish chewing. Food is swallowed and goes first into the rumen, the largest of the four compartments. Micro-organisms break down plant cellulose so that the contents of the cells can be digested.
Softened food (cud) is regurgitated into the mouth. Chewed cud is swallowed and passes to the reticulum, where any non-food particles settle out. Food continues to the omasum, and abomasum for final digestion. The process of digestion may last four days.
Goat milk may be used for drinking, cooking, baking and processing into cheese, butter, ice cream, yogurt, candy, soap and other body products. It is whiter than cow milk and its smaller fat particles and soft curd produce products that are smooth, cream-like and naturally emulsified.
Goat milk is valued for the elderly, sick, babies, those with cow-milk allergies, ulcer patients and to feed orphaned animals such as foals and puppies. They are usually bottle fed, though a goat may adopt a lamb.
Goat milk is similar nutritionally to cow milk. Each offers identical amounts of protein, vitamin C and D. Goat milk is higher in calcium, potassium, phosphorus, vitamin A, niacin, thiamine, riboflavin, iron, choline and inositol. It is lower in vitamin B6, B12, carotenoids and cholesterol.
The three fatty acids which give goat products their distinctive flavor are capric, caprylic and caproic. Goat milk casein and goat milk fat are more easy to digest than the proteins and fat in cow milk. The fatty acids in goat milk are shorter chain fatty acids, which produce smaller fat globules. They remain dispersed longer; goat milk is naturally homogenized.
Glycerol ethers are much higher in goat milk, which appears to be important for nutrition of nursing newborns. Goat milk has a better buffering quality, and is used for treatment of ulcers. Goat milk contains a different form of lactic acid than cows milk and is substituted by those who are lactose intolerant.
The natural homogenization of goat milk has additional health benefits. Fat globules that have been forcibly broken up by mechanical means release an enzyme associated with milk fat, known as xanthine oxidase. This enzyme can penetrate the intestinal wall and enter the bloodstream, where it is associated with atheriosclerosis in the heart.
- Read Beatrice’s Goat or The Goat in the Rug with your class and discuss the importance of the goat in each story.
- Invite a speaker who raises goats to the class to discuss the care and management of goats. Ask them to bring in some tools used for tending goats.
- Invite a person who spins and weaves natural fibers to class to demonstrate these crafts and to show children different types of wool.
- Discuss how plants, fruits and vegetables can be used to make dyes to color yarn and fabric.
- Discuss the similarities and differences between goats and sheep.
- Research how a specific goat breed is raised and used in its country of origin. Use a world map to pinpoint where the breed was developed.
- Ask students to create a list of farm-based idioms and to try to figure out the meaning of each. Make a poster or drawing to represent the meaning of one of the idioms. Start with these idioms that relate to goats: get your goat; scape goat; kidding around; and handle with kid gloves.
Chevre is the French word for goat. In the United States, chevre is a generic term that applies to all goat cheese, especially the mild fresh cheeses. Other popular goat cheeses include the Greek feta and Norwegian gjetost.
Goat cheeses are classified as unripened (fresh) or ripened. The texture of each is defined as soft, semisoft, firm or hard. This indicates the moisture content. Generally, cheeses with less moisture have a more piquant flavor and stronger aroma. Cheeses are also distinguished by age. Young cheese tends to be much whiter, while ripened cheese develops a cream color.Most domestic goat cheese producers make soft, unripened goat cheeses. These are ready to sell and eat when they're anywhere from a few days to two weeks old. Most have a tang and a moist, fresh curd texture like ricotta cheese, with a light fresh to pronounced goat aroma.
You can find many fine local chevres seasonally at farmers’ markets and specialty stores. Regardless of how they are made, chevres have a unique tang and aroma from the start, growing robust and bold in these rapid-aging cheeses. All goat cheeses are heat sensitive and can become grainy and separate when overheated. When using in recipes, heat until just melted. For longer storage, freeze.
Make Your Own Goat Cheese
Materials: hot plates; liquid rennet (available at the pharmacy); one gallon raw goat milk (health food store; add 1/4 cup buttermilk if using pasteurized cow or goat milk); brine solution (two cups water with one tablespoon salt); cheesecloth; three-quart pan; cooking thermometer; colander; large spoon and string.
Procedures:
- In a three-quart pan (stainless steel or enamel), warm milk and rennet to 86 degrees F. Add buttermilk and allow mixture to ripen for one hour (this step can be omitted). Maintain 86 degrees F. without stirring for 30-60 minutes, or until milk coagulates and whey separates. Do not allow temperature to go above 112 degrees F. at any time.
- Pour curds into cheesecloth-lined colander. Tie the bag of curds and hang to drain for two to four hours. Slice into several blocks and sprinkle with two to four tablespoons coarse salt. Place slices into a dish, cover, and let stand twenty four hours.
- Alternative method: Place slices into brine solution after draining and omit salting and standing. Makes 3/4 pound of cheese.
This Goat Cheese activity is from the North Carolina Schools and can be found on their website at www.nps.gov/carl/teacher/suggestions/cheese.htm.
Rare & Heritage Breeds
People have bred domesticated animals for thousands of years. Farm animals were bred for specific qualities that suit the particular area in which they lived and the needs of the local population. This resulted in many diverse breeds of animals which could tolerate a wide variety of climatic conditions and fulfill several roles.
The growth of agriculture as a business in the 20th century has threatened many of the old livestock breeds. Today, our agriculture demands livestock that are highly efficient, but single-purpose and capable of high production. They might be bred to produce more milk, grow a heavier fleece, fatten quickly or meet another market requirement.
Genetic diversity is as critical for domestic animals as it is for those in the wild. When breeds of domestic animals decline, we lose part of our agricultural heritage. Future generations are unable to enjoy them, and irreplaceable genetic materials are lost forever. If conditions change, livestock breeders will no longer have the unique characteristics to fall back on, from those breed that are extinct.
In the 1960s, an awareness began to grow that many heritage animals were in danger of extinction. In England, the Rare Breeds Survival Trust, a national charity dedicated to the survival of endangered British livestock, was founded. The United States followed in 1977 with the American Minor ( Livestock) Breeds Conservancy.
Since 1980, Plimoth Plantation has helped conserve rare and heritage breed livestock from around the world. The animals in the Nye Barn, and those in the 1627 Pilgrim Village, are all older breeds that were common in past centuries, but have critically low breeding populations today. These include Kerry cattle, with 4000-year-old origins, as well as Milking Devon cattle, Tamworth swine, Dorking fowl and San Clemente and Arapawa Island goats.Arapawa Island Goats were found on the Arapawa Island in the Marlborough Sound off New Zealand. These goats are thought to be the descendants of those left by Captain James Cook in 1777 or by English whalers a few years later. They are the “last link” with the Old English dairy goat breed which died out in the United Kingdom in 1952. In 1994, there were about 150 worldwide including 70 in a herd still on the island.
The Arapawa Island goat is long-legged with a thick body, erect ears and high-angled horns. Its fine, matted underwool coat is more pronounced in the winter and has fringing along the back and down the hind quarter. Although this breed has lived in the southern hemisphere for hundreds of years, they still retain the breeding patterns of their northern origins, breeding in the New Zealand summer (November - January) and kidding in the fall and winter (April - June).
San Clemente Goats were found on the San Clemente Island, located off the coast of southern California. Feral goats, probably of Spanish origin, have inhabited the island for several centuries, possibly since the 1500s. They greatly resemble those found in England in the early 17th century.
The U.S. Navy became responsible for the island in 1934. In 1972, when a survey concluded that there were 11,000 goats on the island, a systematic removal program was begun. By 1980 an estimated 4,000 goats remained on the island. After the Navy proposed a shooting program to be conducted from helicopters, it was blocked by an animal welfare group. This group used helicopters and nets to capture the goats, take them off the island and find homes for them across the country.
San Clemente goats are relatively small, almost a dwarf breed. They are a meat breed, although uncommonly fine-boned and deer-like. Both sexes are horned. Although the island’s goats once exhibited a wide range of colors and color markings, they are now mostly red or tan with black markings.
The terms "rare" and "heritage" are often used together to describe some breeds of livestock. Rare is applied to livestock breeds that number fewer than 1,000 annual registrations in North America. Heritage breeds predate modern standardization of farm animals. Breeds are further classified based upon their numbers worldwide. A list of all domestic animals of concern, including goats, can be found on American Livestock Breeds Conservancy website at www.albc-usa.org/watchlist.htm.
North America Globally Critical: less than 200 less than 2,000 Rare: less than 1,000 less than 5,000 Watch: Watch: less than 2,500 less than 25,000 Study: Breeds of genetic interest, but lack documentation.
Goat Breeds of Concern
- San Clemente: critical
- Nigerian Dwarf: rare
- Tennessee Fainting (Myotonic): rare
- Oberhasli: watch
- Spanish/Brush: watch
- Arapawa : study
Heritage Breeds in Massachusetts
Visit these Massachusetts farms that raise heritage breeds and provide education on their preservation.
Davis Farmland & Megamaze
Sterling,978-422-MOOO (6666)
www.davisfarmland.comForest Park Zoological Society
Springfield,413-733-2251
www.forestparkzoo.orgHancock Shaker Village
Pittsfield,413-443-0188
www.hancockshakervillage.orgOverlook Farm,
Heifer Project International
Rutland,
508-886-2221
www.heifer.orgPlimoth Plantation
Plymouth,508-746-1622
www.plimoth.orgTregelly's Fiber Farm
Hawley,413-625-6448
www.tregellysfibers.comWeir River Farm,
Trustees of Reservations
Hingham,781-740-7233
www.thetrustees.org
Goat and Heiritage Breeds Resources
Mass. Department of Agricultural Resources
251 Causeway Street Suite 500
Boston, MA 02114
www.mass.gov/agr
P.O. Box 865 Spindale, NC 28160
828-286-3801 Fax: 828-287-0476
www.adga.orgNE Heritage Breeds Conservancy, Inc.
P. O. Box 187 Great Barrington, MA 01230
413-528-2817 Fax: 413-553-3516
www.nehbc.org
American Livestock Breeds Conservancy
P.O. Box 477 Pittsboro, NC 27312
919-542-5704 Fax: 919-545-0022
www.albc-usa.org
National Pygmy Goat Association
www.npga-pygmy.com
www.ansi.okstate.edu/library/goats.htmNational 4-H Foundation
www.n4Hccs.org
Books
49 minute CD by Wanda Wood
Faber and Faber, 1978
American Dairy Goat Association, 1981The information from this newsletter was taken from the resources listed above.
Do you know a teacher who does an exceptional job of bringing agriculture alive in the classroom? Consider nominating him or her for the Massachusetts Agriculture in the Classroom Teacher of the Year Award for 2006. Send us a description of his/her agricultural classroom and your reason for the recommendation for the award. Applications are due March 15, 2006 and will be announced in the autumn edition of our newsletter.
Mission: Massachusetts Agriculture in the Classroom is a non-profit 501 (c)(3) educational organization with the mission to foster an awareness and learning in all areas related to the food and agriculture industries and the economic and social importance of agriculture to the state, nation and the world.
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Massachusetts Agriculture in the Classroom
P.O. Box 345
Seekonk, MA 02771
(508) 336-4426 Fax: (508) 336-0682