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Seneca Falls, NY – Due to their popular debut last year, the goat care demonstrations by Craig Todd of Todd Farms of Locke, NY, will be offered daily at the August 7-9, 2012 Empire Farm Days. Todd will use some of the 100 Boer goats he raises and a chute and pen system to show how to handle, weigh, vaccinate, and trim hooves.
Mud Lake Stalls, Agri-Plastics and Prima Tech are sponsoring the demonstrations at 11am, 12:30pm and 2pm near the Empire State Meat Goat Producers exhibit. Throughout each day, Todd’s son Christopher will be demonstrating goat clipping and fitting.
Boer goats are named for their origin in Dutch South Africa – the word boer means farm in Dutch. The first full-blooded Boer goats arrived in the U.S. in 1993 and have been steadily growing in popularity. Mature animals can weigh between 190 and 340 lbs.
The Todd family raises meat and dairy goats and Great Pyrenees livestock guardian dogs. 
Among the other live animal exhibits and demonstrations at the Northeast’s largest outdoor agricultural trade show are Equine Center Round Pen demonstrations with live horses; a live cattle beef breeds exhibit at the NY Beef Industry Center, and a daily 11:30am Cattle Handling Demonstration by Cornell University Beef Extension Specialist Dr. Mike Baker.
A new animal presentation in the NYS Grange Family Center tent will feature Certified Therapy Dog International Dalmatian “Sparks” with Tibbie Dell. From 9am to 9:30am Dell and Peter Lawatsch will talk about training dogs and about “Sparks” special talents for helping children, seniors and hospital patients.
For more information about the 300-acre agricultural showcase, contact Empire Farm Days Manager Melanie Wickham, 877-697-7837, mwickham@empirefarmdays.com.
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