Ontario Goats

I spoke at two goat hoof clinics in Ontario (Canada). One was in southwestern Ontario (Listowel). I stayed in North Perth. The other was in Central Ontario (Millbrook). I stayed in Peterborough. My host was Ontario Goat. Most of the goat producers at the southwestern clinic were large dairy farms. Mennonite farms. In Central Ontario, the producers had smaller more diverse farms, more meat and non-commercial. I enjoyed interacting with both groups. 

Hoof trimming demonstration

While in Listowel, I visited a large goat dairy. Mennonite. They had a least 350 does. I don't remember the exact number.  Like almost all commercial goat dairies, the goats were completely confined. Also, like most commercial goat dairies, almost all the does were Sannen. 

Dairy Goat farm

Total confinement

Hoof trimming was done every 3 months. While doing these clinics, I learned that hoof care in dairy goats is different from meat goats. Meat goats are mostly free range (on pasture). Dairy goats are mostly confinement (deep bedded). In meat (and other) goats it's more about preventing disease. With dairy goats, it's more soundness. More frequent hoof trimming of dairy goats is necessary not only because housing promotes hoof growth, but because overgrown hooves can cause skeletal and structural problems.

All Saanen does

Kid pen

Lac-Tek feeder 

Replacement does

My host lived in Central Ontario. She showed me her animals. She raised meat goats and horses. Most of her goats were purebred registered Boer goats. She obviously loved her goats and took good care of them, though she lacked good facilities. She made do with what she had.

Boer doe

Goats and horses

Beautiful orange tabby at the goat farm

She and her husband also had a business where they did carriage rides with horses:  Top Notch Horse Drawn Carriage Service. She showed me her horses. Magnificent draught horses.

Big baby

Dairy goats in Belgium

August 29, 2019 -- After the COMPAR conference in Ghent, we/I visited two dairy goat farms. One had 1100 does and was organic. The other had about 200 and made and marketed their own cheese. The goats were kept indoors on both farms. The door was kept open at one of the farms so the goats could go outside (they didn't much).

Posing with some curious ladies

All Sannen

Indoor housing

Eating silage

Saying hello

Automatic waterer

Getting a back rub

Electronic ID (R)

Front and center

Access to outdoors

Cubicles for rearing kids

Read "Dairy Goats in the Land of Chocolate"

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Post created 10 May 2026

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Utah Animal Science Tour

I participated in the pre-conference animal science tour of the 2017 Annual Meeting and Professional Improvement Conference of the National Association of County Agricultural Agents (NACAA) in Utah. We visited public grazing lands, a cattle ranch, a dairy farm, and a refugee goat project.

 MONROE MOUNTAIN PUBLIC LAND GRAZING

Aspen trees

Learning about aspens

Public lands grazing

Lunch among the aspens

Poked two sheep

Upper Box Creek Reservoir

JOHNSON MOUNTAIN RANCH

Black brood cow

Rancher

Red mama

DAIRY FARM

EAST AFRICAN REFUGEE GOAT PROJECT

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Published 08 May 2026

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