Working Wth Animal Behavior and Diet Selection:

BEHAVE.net - The BEHAVE consortium (Behavioral Education for Human, Animal, Vegetation and Ecosystem Management) has spent over two decades studying diet selection in animals. Their web site includes downloadable Fact Sheets, and a booklet describing the results of their research and how you can use your livestock to help you manage weeds, reduce fire danger and improve pastures, range, and wildlife habitat.

Animal Handling:

Here's something well worth the investment! Dr. Burt Smith has put together excellent materials for those interested in learning and practicing low-stress animal handling. You can purchase his book, Moving 'Em: A Guide to Low Stress Animal Handling and a companion video, Basic Herding, by contacting Burt or Martha at:

• Graziers Hui
• 5000 W. 350 N.
• Greencastle, Indiana 46135
• (765)739-6565
• okmartha@ccrtc.com

Vegetation/Weed Info:

Estimating Forage Production - excerpts from Ecological Site Inventory, Inventory and Monitoring Technical Reference 1734-7, December 2001, U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Land Management. Use these techniques, in combination with those referenced in "Goats! For Firesafe Homes in Wildland Areas" to develop forage estimates.

Repeat Photo Monitoring Made Easy by G. Allen Rasmussen and Kathy Voth
A 10 page pdf handbook on using photos to monitor changes in vegetation.

All Reference.com This web site has an amazing quantity of information on invasive species, their palatability, and responses to a variety of management tools. It is backed with loads of citations. You'll need to know the latin name of the plant of interest to you.

Targeted Grazing: A Natural Approach to Vegetation Management
This site is provided by the University of Idaho and shares results of published research and on-the-ground projects related to using livestock to accomplish landscape goals such as weed management, fire risk reduction, and restoration. A full handbook on Targeted Grazing is available for dowload on the site.

Veterinarywire.com and Teton NewMediaTeton
NewMedia publishes "A Guide to Plant Poisoning of Animals in North America" by Anthony P. Knight and Richard G. Walter as a book and CD. Though some of the text is written with the specialist in mind, it is accessible to lay people as well. I have found both the book and the CD invaluable in identifying toxins in plants, signs of poisoning, and medicines or techniques to combat the poison. You can order it on-line, or over the phone by contacting Dawn Gertsch toll-free at 1-877-306-9793. Let her know that you found out about the book here.

Goat Resources:

The Goat Handbook's References, Resources and Links chapter also contains information focused on goats and for goat producers.

E. (Kika) de la Garza Goat Research Institute at Langston University in Langston, Oklahoma provides a wealth of information and fact sheets for the goat producer.