No “Beef Production for Dummies” – yet

Just kicking back in the office today, catching up on some reading and on the top of the pile is a new book called “Raising Goats for Dummies”.

I knew there was a series of these trademark bright yellow and black jacketed books on a wide range of topics, but I thought it was 15 or 20 titles about trying to figure out your computer, or specialty software, or genealogy or something. But if you go to the “Dummies” website (www.dummies.com)

there are hundreds of titles (about 1700 actually) on just about every imaginable business, entertainment, or lifestyle topic you can think of.

I saw ones called Arthritis for Dummies, Bath and Sink Refinishing for Dummies, Adoption for Dummies, Beagles for Dummies, even Pope John Paul II for Dummies. I guess for the slower learners there was one called “Sex for Dummies”, and right after that in the list – probably for those who were too enthusiastic about learning the previous topic, was “Divorce for Dummies”.  So if you have no skill in just about any area I highly recommend you go to the Dummies website to see if there is a title there for the topic. (I didn’t see one on Raising Beef for Dummies – not sure what the hold up is there – maybe Pork Production for Dummies is ahead of them on the press).

Back to the goat book. The publisher for Cheryl K. Smith sent me this copy to review. Cheryl started with two Nigerian Dwarves (I assume they mean goats) in 1998 and has never looked back. She is a lawyer by training, and she has actually written several books on goat rearing and husbandry and the Raising Goats for Dummies is her latest. She lives and farms near Low Pass in the coast range of Oregon.

I see she also has a published paper on “What about legalized assisted suicide? : An article from: Issues in Law & Medicine”, maybe that is just in case the goat business doesn’t go so well. (But in all fairness and seriousness, I believe that is just a paper on the legal and ethical issues of the topic and really isn’t making the case pro or con and is certainly unrelated to raising goats).

I am not in the goat business and probably never will be (even though it is all my wife ever talks about is someday getting a herd of goats – as soon as the chinchillas are gone), but I would say if you ever wanted to get a couple goats or a whole herd, it is a very good book to begin with.

It is 325 pages long, easy to read, has some great illustrations and covers the A to Z topics, whether you want a couple goats for the yard, are looking to raise goats for a 4-H project, or want to get into the goat meat, milk and/or fibre business.

The various chapters describes different breeds, housing requirements on the farm, feed requirements, animal care, animal health, breeding, and kidding. And there are also sections about the business of selling meat and milking goats, as well as collecting and marketing fibre.

There is a short chapter on the 10 Misconceptions about Goats, which is interesting.  It isn’t true that they eat everything, they don’t stink (except for the bucks at breeding season), they are smart, and the meat and milk taste good – are a few of the highlights.  There is even a 14 page appendix with goat milk and meat recipes.

Raising Goats for Dummies by Cheryl K. Smith is available from many bookstores that carry the “Dummies” series. It is $24 Canadian. And you can also order it on-line through Chapters/Indigo Books.

Keep me posted on how you make out in the goat business.

-30-