Benton Ag Plus - September 18, 2021

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Myotonic: The new goat in town

Sauk Rapids Herald | Saturday, September 18, 2021

Area counties eligible for emergency loans

Jureks focus on genetics, hardiness in meat breed

BY NATASHA BARBER STAFF WRITER

by Ryan Brunn, executive director for Benton and Mille Lacs counties

Benton, Mille Lacs, Sherburne and Anoka counties were declared a primary disaster due to drought and heat using the streamlined Secretarial Disaster Designation process.

Under this designation, producers with operations in any primary or contiguous county are eligible to apply for low interest emergency loans.

The streamlined disaster designation process issues a drought disaster declaration when a county has experienced a drought intensity value of at least a D2 level, or severe drought, for eight consecutive weeks based on the U.S. Drought Monitor during the crop year.

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Three points.

On paper, that is what it takes for a Myotonic goat to become a permanent grand champion and be eligible for national competition.

Faberge, a senior doe that resides on the Jurek farm in rural Foley, earned those points over the course of 21 months and was deemed the 2019 reserve national champion doe in the fall of that year.

But in reality, creating a national champion takes much more.

Mackenzie Jurek has been raising Myotonic goats for nearly 10 years.

“They’re better,” said Mackenzie of why she chose the breed. … “Myotonics are smarter than most meat breeds. We’ve had other goats, and they were whiny and high maintenance.

These guys are not, and they don’t get into trouble.”

Goats have a notorious stereotype. Whether it is eating trash or jumping on the hoods of vehicles, the animal is known to

PHOTO BY NATASHA BARBER

The Jurek family – Rachael (from left), Mackenzie holding Warren, Christopher, and Philip holding Roman – stand with their goats, Barbarilla (left) and Willee, and dog, Puckett, Aug. 29 on their property in rural Foley. The family raises full-size Myotonic goats for meat sales and breeding stock.

be a mischief-maker.

But people who raise goats know the animals are much more than the characters found in storybook fables. Mackenzie characterizes her herd as intelligent, mannered and docile.

Philip and Mackenzie Jurek raise full-size Myotonic goats with their children – Christopher, 5, Rachael, 3, Roman, 2, and Warren, 11 months. Their family resides on Heavenly Hill

Farm in rural Foley, where a herd of 44 meat goats and four livestock guardian dogs are separated into paddocks dependent on sex and age.

The family raises the animals for meat sales and breeding stock, and they travel to Midwest and Southeast states each year, showing their animals in Myotonic Goat Registry sanctioned events. Their next appearance is in the MGR Fall Finale and

National Show Oct. 1-2 on the Henry County Fairgrounds in Eminence, Kentucky.

Myotonic goats, also known as fainting goats, originated in Tennessee in the late 1800s.

Along with traits such as a quiet temperament, adaptability and an abundance of dense muscle, this breed carries with it a distinct genetic condition.

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Page 2B | SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 18, 2021| SAUK RAPIDS HERALD

High-tech robotic dairy field day is Sept. 22 MCINTOSH – University of Minnesota Extension will host a summer eld day at Golden Sunrise Dairy, 31328 290 St. S.W., McIntosh, Sept. 22.

Golden Sunrise Dairy is owned and managed by Tim Rolf and his son, Derek. In 2020, they moved into a new automated cross-ventilated barn featuring the latest in dairy technology.

Calves are fed on automatic calf feeders. Cows are milked with Lely A5 robotic milking units.

Cows and heifers are fed with an automatic feeding system that weighs, mixes and delivers the correct diet to the correct group of animals. In addition, all manure is removed from the pens with a robotic manure removal system.

The Rolfs also grow corn and hay for their livestock. Tim’s family also has a farrow to nish swine operation.

Registration begins at 9:30 a.m. with the program from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., concluding with a lunch. There is no charge for the eld day.

Minnesota Milk Producers and Leedstone are sponsoring a bus trip to the eld day. The bus will be leaving from Meyer bus garage, 37264 County Road 13 in Melrose, at 7 a.m. and will be returning to Melrose at 4 p.m. There is a fee associated with the bus; contact Jenna at jenna@ mnmilk.org with your name to reserve a space.

Pre-registration is not required but is appreciated for an accurate lunch count. Register for the meal by leaving a message with your name and number of people attending with Heather DuFault at 218-280-1129.

The eld day is sponsored by Minnesota Dairy Initiatives, AgCountry Farm Credit Services, First State Bank of McIntosh, Leedstone and Minnesota Milk Producers.

For more information, contact Jim Salfer at 612-360-4506 or salfe001@umn.edu or Heather at 218-280-1129 or pohl0024@umn.edu.

BENTON AG

Preventing weed seed spread this fall First, run unloading auger empty for at Weeds can be seen in elds throughout least one minute. Secondly, open the clean this area. Preventing weed seed from spreadgrain and tailings elevator doors, rock trap ing into clean elds should be considered. and unloading auger sump. Next, start the While typically you want to hand pull or combine and separator. Operate the comhoe weeds out of elds where only a handbine this way for at least two minutes for ful of plants exist, this will not be a viable self-cleaning. Then, clean any material left method for many elds this year. This means in the rock trap. Use a leaf blower or air the nal destination for that weed seed is to compressor to remove material from extebe run through a combine and potentially rior of the combine, focusing on the header, spread wherever that combine roams. With University of combines capable of holding up to 200 MN Extension feederhouse, and axle and straw spreader at pounds of grain and other materials, it is im- by Nathan Drewitz the rear of the machine. Finally, remember to close the doors to the rock trap, clean the portant to help prevent spread.

Preventing weed seed spread prior to combining grain elevator and the unloading auger sump.

The recommended tools for cleanout are usually is always preferable. Where possible, remove problem weeds. For those elds where weeds are too many a vacuum or compressed air. If a pressure washer is to hand pull, consider harvesting those elds last to used some of the residues may become sticky and help prevent the ow of weed seed to clean elds. harder to remove. Also, always make sure to use the Lastly, take time to properly clean your combine be- proper personal protective equipment which includes tween elds, especially if you are coming out of a gloves, protective eyewear, a dust mask with at least eld with weed issues present. Speci c areas to focus an N95 rating and hearing protection.

If you have questions on the above information, on include the header, feederhouse, rocktrap, grain email me at ndrewitz@umn.edu, or call at 608-515tank and unload auger.

The following 30-minute procedure is from a 4414.

To receive future events, educational programpublication by the North Central Extension Agriculture and Natural Resources Academy’s Combine ming, and agronomic updates by email, signup at z.umn.edu/tricountysignup.

Clean Out series.

due to drought, ooding and other natural disasters from page 1B or quarantine.

Producers have eight months from the date of the declaration to apply Emergency loans help for emergency loan asyou recover from produc- sistance. Farm Service tion and physical losses Agency will consider

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each loan application on its own merits, taking into account the extent of losses, security available and repayment ability.

Producers can borrow up to 100% of actual production or physical losses, to a maximum amount of

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For more information about emergency loans, contact your BentonMille Lacs County USDA Service Center at 320968-5300, Ext. 2 or visit fsa.usda.gov.

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SAUK RAPIDS HERALD | SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 18, 2021 | Page 3B

BENTON AG

Jureks

MILLE LACS SOIL SERVICE PHOTOS BY NATASHA BARBER

(Ab (Above) Hammer, a Myotonic buck that weighs 194 pounds, stands in a pen at Heavenly Hill Farm Aug. po 29 in rural Foley. Myotonic goats have a genetic condition that increases muscle denisty. co (L (Left) Senior doe, Faberge, is the Myotonic Goat R Registry’s 2019 reserve national champion.

ratio. Myotonics are 4-to1,” Mackenzie said.

Despite their lean bodies, full-size Myotonics are not well-known in Minnesota meat production circles. The Jureks purchase 90% of their seedstock from out-ofstate producers who focus on preserving the breed genetics.

“Minnesota is really behind in the goat industry,” Mackenzie said.

“Around here, producers have been breeding Myotonics with pygmy goats – the small Nigerian Dwarf style. I want the largestyle meat does and bucks.

My smallest doe is 100 pounds.”

Continuing superior genetics while creating a resilient herd is important to the Jurek family. Philip, a crane operator of Landwehr Construction, sometimes travels for work and

Mackenzie has the Ma four children to care for in addition to the livestock. livestoc “My “M goal is I want them to be hardy,” Mackenzie said. “I don’t want to have to baby them. …

We want them to fend for themselves.”

With that in mind, each day the bucks and does receive one ration of feed – a mixture of corn, oats, molasses and supplements. Additionally, the animals have access to pasture in the summer and hay or high-grade alfalfa in the winter. The family’s show goats follow the same regime and receive no special treatment.

“I want to be able to pull any of these animals out to do well in the show ring,” Mackenzie said.

Mackenzie has come by her knowledge of goat diet and husbandry though networking with others and reading on her own, but being involved in the MGR shows has advanced the Jureks’ herd as oftentimes members are sound-

ing boards for questions and complications.

“The rst couple of years we had a lot of blows,” Mackenzie said.

“We lost a lot of money, but we’ve learned. …

Producers are constantly learning from each other.

We’re always communicating with what we do, and we want people to see their goals in their own herds.”

One goal of Heavenly Hill Farm is to heighten herd pedigree.

“In the coming years, more animals will probably be sold for meat just because our knowledge of the breed has increased,” Philip said. “What we look for to keep for breeding stock is more stringent. If we wouldn’t keep it on our farm, we are not going to sell it; we’ll send it to market.”

Mackenzie agreed.

“We have high expectations for our goat herd,” she said.

Expectations that hopefully result in more national champions.

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Myotonia congenita is a gene mutation that causes stiffness and the inability for muscles to quickly relax after voluntary movement. Similar to how a person might “freeze” when startled or anxious, these goats may lock-up or faint when faced with an uncomfortable situation.

“If you run or chase them, they lock up, they stumble,” Mackenzie said, noting that the severity of the disease ranges from goat to goat.

Given the vululnerability of the breed, reed, Myotonic goats were re often used to protect prime herds of cattle and ocks of sheep, Mackenzie said.

“A lot of people didn’t want their animals to be killed, so they put a Myotonic in with the herd,” she said. “When a coyote would come, the Myotonic was the scapegoat. The coyote would attack that goat and the rest of the animals would run away.”

Philip agreed.

“The true meaning of the sacri cial lamb,” he said.

To ward off predators at the Jurek farm, the family keeps two pairs of large dogs within the goat pens. The Anatolian Pyrenees are gentle giants when it comes to the Jurek children, but the dogs are staunch protectors of the herd, standing upwards of 30 inches tall and weighing up to 140 pounds. The Jureks said the canines have fended off animals ranging from cats to coyotes, hawks to skunks and even bears.

“These dogs are bred to be and live with the goats,” Mackenzie said.

“They’re friendly, but they are not pets; they’re working.”

The same genetic condition that makes the Myotonic breed vulnerable also gives them an advantage when it comes to meat production.

Although slower growing, Myotonic goats have a broader build and increased muscle mass compared to other meat goats.

“A normal meat goat is a 2-to-1 muscle to bone

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from page 1B