Registration Form is at the bottom of the page.
Our annual Goat and Hair Sheep Field Day will be held on Saturday, April 27, 2019 at the Langston University Goat Farm with registration beginning at 8:00 a.m. This year's theme will be Holistic Approach and our featured speakers will be Ms. Gianaclis Caldwell and Dr. Ann Wells.
Gianaclis Caldwell is the author of several books on cheesemaking and dairy topics, including Holistic Goat Care, Mastering Basic Cheesemaking, Mastering Artisan Cheesemaking, The Small-Scale Dairy, and the Small-Scale Cheese Business. She also contributed to The Oxford Companion to Cheese and writes for several magazines. Gianaclis speaks and consults on a variety of animal husbandry, dairy sanitation, and cheesemaking science topics in the United States and occasionally abroad. For a decade she was the cheesemaker at Pholia Farm Creamery (https://pholiafarm.com) and specialized in aged, raw, goat milk cheeses. Pholia Farm continues to milk goats as well as hold several on-farm cheesemaking and goat management classes per year (https://gianacliscaldwell.com) .
Pholia (fo-LEE-a) Farm is owned by Vern and Gianaclis Caldwell. It is named after their two daughters, Phoebe and Amelia. The farm is located on 23 acres at the base of Elk Mountain in Jackson County, Oregon, about 10 miles outside of the town of Rogue River. The farm is part of 220 acres that Gianaclis grew up on. The does browse daily, weather allowing, on the 23 acres. Herd health is approached in the most holistic and natural way possible along with treating the animals with respect and love. The cheeses are named after local landmarks and are each distinctive in their processing, shape, and flavor. Since Nigerians are not seasonal breeders, as most goats are, half of the herd is freshened in the fall and half in the spring. This allows for a consistent supply of sweet, creamy milk and year-round cheesemaking. The herd is small and the goats, being miniatures, are not large producers, but the milk is so unique in its components, that it makes for incredible cheese. Production is under 100 pounds of cheese per month and will always remain low. Pholia's motto since 2005 is: “If we can’t remember the doe’s name, we have too many goats.”
Ann Wells graduated from Oklahoma State University School of Veterinary Medicine and has more than 25 years experience in livestock production, including producing and selling natural lamb and grass finished beef. Dr. Wells worked in private practice for eleven years and has worked for several sustainable agriculture organizations. While working for Heifer International, she researched parasite management strategies to reduce the need for anthelmintics. Currently, Dr. Wells operates two businesses, teaching and consulting about sustainable animal wellness plans under Springpond Holistic Animal Health, and producing and marketing grass-finished beef and lamb for Ozark Pasture Beef.
Operating a sheep and goat veterinary practice sparked her interest in complementary veterinary medicine. Her philosophy is to focus on the health of the animal through controlled grazing management and stress reduction techniques and strategies. She really feels that nutrition is the key to good health. Dr. Wells works with ruminant producers, large and small, helping them develop health management plans.
Ozark Pasture Beef (http://www.ozarkpasturebeef.com) is a partnership of farms that are all committed to producing beef in a natural, environmentally sustainable manner. Their web site states "Our beef and lamb is 100% grassfed and grass finished throughout their lives. We graze the cattle and sheep on lush, green grass, allowing for time and mother nature to provide us with a healthy, quality animal to produce quality beef for your family."
Adult Activities (afternoon session): In the afternoon session, participants will break into small-group workshops. There will be a total of thirteen workshops; however, participants will only have time to attend three.
The afternoon workshops include:
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Registration for the Goat and Hair Sheep Field Day is FREE but there is a $10.00 per person charge for the lunch of barbecued goat and goat milk ice cream. You can bring your own lunch, if you desire. Regardless of lunch preferences, we ask everyone to pre-register.
Please make checks payable to "Langston University/Research Sales".
Goat Field Day Program for Kids (Old Fashioned Fun): The Goat Field Day for Kids provides the opportunity for kids to explore and enjoy “old-fashioned activities” while their parent(s) participate in the Goat Field Day Program. With all of today’s technological gizmos, most kids are no longer exposed to the old-fashioned games and activities that shaped the imaginations and innate creativity of their parents and grandparents. The Goat Field Day for Kids is intended to challenge and enhance cognitive and social skills. The development of intellectual and socialization practices have been determined as prerequisites for helping children to learn complex concepts, enhancing their personal capabilities.
Cheesemaking Workshop: Our ever-popular goat milk cheesemaking workshop has been scheduled on Friday April 26, 2019 (the day before our annual Goat and Hair Sheep Field Day April 27). Mrs. Gianaclis Caldwell, Owner/President of Pholia Farm Creamery in Oregon, will be our distinguished Invited Instructor again for this year’s workshop. Mrs. Caldwell is an internationally renowned goat cheese entrepreneur, creator, designer, marketer and author in the world of cheese. She has owned a dairy goat farm, designed farmstead cheese plants, and managed cheese operations in her unique and creative manners. She is the author of many popular cheese books, including “Mastering Artisan Cheesemaking: The Ultimate Guide for Home-Scale and Market Producers”, “The Small-Scale Cheese Business: The Complete Guide to Running a Successful Farmstead Creamery”, “The Small-Scale Dairy: The Complete Guide to Milk Production for the Home and Market”, “Mastering Basic Cheesemaking: The Fun and Fundamentals of Making Cheese at Home”, “Holistic Goat Care: A Comprehensive Guide to Raising Healthy Animals, Preventing Common Ailments, and Troubleshooting Problems”. She is an excellent instructor with vast hands-on experiences. She will share with us her rich background, personal experience and masterful skills in small-scale cheese manufacture, particularly goat milk cheeses. She will demonstrate basic principles and practical skills of making soft, semi-soft and hard cheeses using our own Grade “A” goat milk. Milk quality, cheesemaking facility and marketing strategies will also be discussed. This one-day hands-on workshop will be held in the Goat Pilot Creamery at Langston University. In addition, Mrs. Caldwell will be our Featured Speaker on “Holistic Goat Care” for the general session on the Field Day. There is a registration fee of $80.00/person for the cheese workshop. Continental breakfast, break snacks, and lunch consisting of goat meat BBQ, sausage, stick, goat milk ice cream and cheeses, etc., will be provided. Only the first 15 registrants will be admitted. To reserve a seat, please contact me first and then send your personal check of $80.00 to LU Ag Res. Sales (Attn: Dr. Steve Zeng, Department of Agriculture & Natural Resources, P.O. Box 1730, Langston, OK 73050). For more information, please contact Dr. Steve Zeng, Dairy Product Specialist, at (405) 466-6145 or steve.zeng@langston.edu.
For information regarding the cheesemaking workshop, please contact Dr. Steve Zeng at 405-466-6145 (O), 405-404-5171 (M), or steve.zeng@langston.edu. For information regarding the 2019 Goat Field Day, please contact Dr. Terry Gipson at 405-466-6126 or terry.gipson@langston.edu.
