Hello bambooseros, The USDA has a Small Farms Research Center at the Dale Bumpers USDA station in Booneville AR. The woman who manages research with meat goats has agreed to perform a feeding trial next December, January and February. Ten yearling goats will be fed 50% of their daily rations with bamboo. The trial costs nothing extra. The goats have to be fed anyway. Data will be kept on weight gain over the length of the trial and observations will be made as to the palatability of the bamboo to the goats. The data will be useful to the cause of adding bamboo to American farms.

To do the trial we need 300 pounds of fresh bamboo delivered once a week. I have FedExed two shipments of bamboo from Georgia to see if the trial can work. The goats ate all the bamboo that I sent. I sent 5 kinds. We are sure that the trial will work in that the goats will eat the bamboo. Bamboo deliveries to zoos are made once a week and the animals continue to eat the bamboo. The bamboo would be kept in a humid cooler so it will not dry out between deliveries.

I have contacted members of the American Bamboo Society who live in AR, OK, MO. I have not found someone who can supply the trial. I think that we could manage the trial if a different person delivered bamboo each week. On the other hand, perhaps there is a large wild grove that can be safely harvested without destroying a private garden and one person would be responsible to provide the bamboo. Please email me Daphne Lewis or call me in Georgia 206-304-7390

perhaps a short drive down a remote hwy or old country road would turn up a grove you could pick from for your trial.. bring a truck with some tie downs and a saw =)

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Here are some of our bamboo poles on flickr http://www.flickr.com/photos/bamboo-poles/
Here is our newest grove

I should have said that I am located in south Georgia. Too far to make the deliveries. Daphne Lewis

I'm afraid I'm no help either, but I do know that every time my goats get out they head straight for my bamboo and eat everything they can reach. It seems like an established grove would provide a naturally recurring food source that would be excellent for goats.

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"The Way is in training" - Miyamoto Musashi

I appreciate your comment about goats and their running to the bamboo when loose. If you have photos of this I would love to have some. My email is

Daphne Lewis, Perry Georgia USA

I'm afraid I have no pictures. When they get out I grab for a big stick, not a camera! I hope I have the fence fixed now where this won't happen any more, but we'll see. If they get to munching again I'll snap a few pics for you -

Matt

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"The Way is in training" - Miyamoto Musashi

I'd appreciate the time it took to take photos. You can send them to . Thank you!
Daphne Lewis

The fence is still holding (thankfully!), but I did think of you today. I pruned a bunch of rubro and gave the goats a bit as a treat. They came running as soon as they saw me -

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"The Way is in training" - Miyamoto Musashi

Matt, what beautiful goats. I took your two photos to keep. My dogs pull carts and wagons. Have you thought of using your goats for work around the place?

Good looking dogs! My mower pulls a cart just fine, and doesn't run off and eat the neighbor's prize rose bushes when I'm not looking. All of our animals lead a pretty lazy existence here.

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"The Way is in training" - Miyamoto Musashi

Since I sell sulkies and wagon kits and my dogs pull me (5.75 miles yesterday; top speed 18.3 mph) I look at all strong four legged animals like your goats and think of what fun activities could they do. So strong!