Sept. 18, 2007

SAN ANGELO – Veteran producers who have long enjoyed the charm and personality of the Angora goat may have help in educating new audiences about opportunities with Angoras.

Dr. John Walker, resident director of research at the Texas A&M University System Research and Extension Center in San Angelo, said Angora goats can be ideal for new landowners wanting a small livestock enterprise that can defray expenses through mohair sales while helping to manage unwanted brush.

"Small landholders who enjoy working with livestock will find Angoras to be appealing, inquisitive creatures," Walker said. "Their calm, gentle nature and small size make them easier to handle than most other goats and a joy to work with."

During the Mohair Council of America's winter meeting in San Angelo a little more than a year ago, it was decided that materials should be developed for potential new Angora goat producers. Walker said it was hoped the materials could help start a new market for Angoras.

"Bob Avant, then with the Texas Food and Fibers Commission, was at that meeting," Walker said. "He was able to provide funding for the project through the commission which is now part of the Texas Department of Agriculture. The project is a comprehensive educational effort with both print and Web components.

"The centerpiece is a Web site and accompanying bulletin called Angora Goats: A ‘Shear' Delight."

The target audiences are new landowners interested in keeping a livestock enterprise, and persons who have inherited land and want information to reenter the business.

Walker said the marketing effort includes a 12-page Angora goat booklet and a tri-fold marketing brochure aimed at getting new producers headed in the right direction.

"Terms common to the industry which might cause confusion are listed in a glossary of terms on the back of the book," Walker said.

He hopes the brochures will be used by the Mohair Council, Texas Cooperative Extension and by breeders selling goats to novices.

"We don't want these to become ‘collectors' items,' collecting dust on a shelf somewhere," he said.

The heart of the project is a Web site which will be updated regularly at: http://sanangelo.tamu.edu/angora . The Web site currently has the reference materials, "Angora Goat and Mohair Production," by Dr. Maurice Shelton, research geneticist emeritus at San Angelo, posted in their entirety. It also has the two recent publications available in downloadable PDF format.

Links are currently being added to other Angora goat Web sites: hand-spinning resources, information from producers, and information on the Angora goat wether futurity and the annual Angora goat performance test conducted at the Sonora Experiment Station. Shearing instructions are also included.

Persons having questions/suggestions/comments on the project should contact Walker atj-walker@tamu.edu or Steve Byrns ats-byrns@tamu.edu .

"I envision this to be an on-going project," Walker said. "We hope the booklet, brochure and Web site become important marketing tools for producers and a must-have source for new producers now and in the future."