Saudi- Goat price hikes as demand for meat ups on Eid - middle east north africa financial network - MENAFN

 

(MENAFN - Arab News) Prices of goat and sheep reached a record high on Saturday, on the eve of Eid Al-Fitr in Saudi markets, according to a report carried by Asharq Al-Awsat, a sister publication of Arab News.

In the beginning of the holy month of Ramadan, prices were normal but as Eid approached, livestock prices witnessed a big hike.

For merchants there are a number of reasons to hike prices. Some of them said the increase in prices of barley and other fodders, has reflected on the price hike.

Expenses of maintaining farms have been going up on a daily basis, while rearing and taking care of livestock till the season is a big task," the newspaper quoted an investor as saying. Whatever may be the reason for the price hike, it falls heavily on the shoulder of consumers.

According to Rajih Al-Wadaani, an investor, rising prices of goat during Eid is quite normal. "At times of festivals, about 10 percent hike is very natural due to high demand. Prices of all commodities, including barley and other fodder products, have gone up. Other expenses such as the wage of shepherds have also increased," he added.

Reports indicate that prices of goat and sheep have not been stable at any time of the year in the market as they always fluctuate. Prices have doubled during the last three years.

Salim Al-Rasheedi, a merchant in the Riyadh market, said the demand for domestic goats is increasing on a daily basis. "This is the main reason for the price hike," he said. He added that most customers like domestic goats more than imported ones.

Among the domestic goats, Nuaimi and Najdi are the most famous having a great demand. Prices of Najdi have reached more than SR 1,800 per animal while Nuaimi is sold for prices ranging between SR 1,550 and SR 1,700.
At the same time, prices of imported goat, like Sawakin reached up to SR 1,000. Barbari, which is the cheapest, is sold for SR 600. "We have to increase the production of domestic goats and sheep. This is the only way to decrease prices," Al-Rasheedi said.

The government is trying to bring down goat prices by increasing the quantity of imported goats. However, prices are still very high.

Muhamed Al-Dossari, another merchant, defended the price hike saying it was essential to offset growing expenses. "Customers do not know about the increase in prices of essential commodities that are required for goat farms. They think merchants are increasing prices without any reason to make money. It is not true," he added.










Saudi- Goat price hikes as demand for meat ups on Eid - middle east north africa financial network - MENAFN

LINK  http://www.menafn.com/menafn/1093548455/Saudi-Goat-price-hikes-as-demand-for-meat-ups-on-Eid

'Dogshaming' sweeps the internet... PEOPLE ARE FUNNY!!!

 

 




 


 



Monkeys and Dogs

Thankfulness and Compassion

"Never worry about numbers. Help one person at a time,
and always start with the person nearest you."
- Mother Teresa



This is my simple religion. There is no need for temples; no need for complicated philosophy. Our own brain, our own heart is our temple; the philosophy is kindness.
- Dalai Lama



“He is a wise man who does not grieve for the things which he has not, but rejoices for those which he has.” -Epictetus

 

Begonia Cultivar

Man and his goat hiking across America to raise awareness

Goats seem to be showing up all over the place and being used in many ways....

Man and his goat hiking across America to raise awareness

by KTVB

kvue.com

Posted on July 26, 2012 at 11:22 PM

 

 

BOISE, Idaho -- Leroy the goat and his owner Steve Wescott are on a journey to New York City that began at the Space Needle in Seattle in May.


He is making the walk to raise awareness for an organization called Uzima Outreach in Kenya.
Uzima works with those addicted to drugs to help them get off the streets, and rescues street children by housing them at a local church and enrolling them into school.

Steve chose Leroy to keep him company on this 3,100-mile walk after his dog got hurt and wasn't able to make the journey. They have been in the Treasure Valley all week.

They are taking a short break to be with family, but you will see Steve and his goat back here in our area about the second week of August.

If you want to know more about Steve and Leroy, or the Uzima Outreach, go to: www.needle2square.com.







 Source:
Man and his goat hiking across America to raise awareness | kvue.com Austin

 Link:  http://www.kvue.com/news/Man-and-his-goat-hiking-across-America-to-raise-awareness-163972066.html

Goat Wisdom and other livestock Links

 goatwisdom, an offering in praise of goats and things taught to me by my goats over the years. It is intended as a place where folks who are new to goat raising can get some basic information. 

This is a "get down and dirty" place where, hopefully, you can find some day-to-day "how to's" you won't find anywhere else.

 I am NOT a veterinarian and do not pretend that the suggestions presented carry any guarantees. 

If you want to print sections of the site, please feel free to do so. 

Many of the pages contain numbers which will help you organize the material into book form. 

The Site Map link below offers the most comprehensive navigation to the site. 

The Message Board has over 800 members who exchange ideas and help each other in all kinds of emergency situations.

  http://www.goatwisdom.com/index.html#topics



http://www.shaltzfarm.com/shfaq.html

http://rmcginnis.wrytestuff.com/swa412058.htm

http://www.guineapigcages.com/forum/diet-nutrition/73226-food-will-two-guinea-pigs-eat.html

http://www.livestockexpo.org/docs/shoolTours/Dairy09.pdf

New Uses For Old Friends: Goatscaping

(AP Photo/Bill Wolf)

Goatscaping

Goats are prolific grazers, and they can quickly clear land of weeds and fire-causing brush without all the air and noise pollution that come from lawn mowers. They can also get to hard-to-reach spots like steep banks, or tear through tenacious plants like ivy and kudzu.

The potential customer rents the 200-odd animals from California Grazing, returning them after about a week of munching (and fertilizing) the land. It’s an arrangement called rent-a-goat, and it’s catching on.

Even municipalities like Chattanooga, Tenn., have turned to borrowed goats to beat down threatening kudzu monsters.
 

 Source:
http://blogs.howstuffworks.com/2009/05/05/goatscaping-google-uses-rent-a-goats/

Reduce Animal Unemployment: Hire a Goat

U.S. National Archives

While a large, lush backyard is one of homeownership’s biggest draws, lawn maintenance can quickly become a major drag. In some parts of the country, you might even get slapped with a fine if your lawn-care duties lapse!

Whether you take on the job yourself or pay a professional landscaper to do it, keeping a lawn neatly trimmed and free of weeds is a daunting prospect. Gas-powered mowers are loud, cumbersome, and useless against weeds. There is, however, a natural solution that is gaining traction, particularly thanks to growing interest in the homesteading movement.

The homesteading movement hearkens back to a self-sufficient, sustainable lifestyle that includes growing one’s own food, reusing greywater, and keeping livestock. Allowing animals to maintain the lawn makes a lot of sense. Instead of spending money on gas that pollutes the air and pesticides that poison the ground, homeowners can keep the grass trimmed while also feeding their animals.

Of course, keeping any animal requires a commitment of time and money, so this is not a good option for those who are merely too lazy to mow their own lawns. With the right research, animal lawnmowers can add value to your life beyond keeping the grass short. Which animal is best suited to your needs? We break it down below.



Goats


Photo from the National Archives

Goats are the classic choice for lawn maintenance. Though they’re renowned as some of nature’s most extreme omnivores, goats don’t really eat tin cans (the myth began because goats like to lick the glue behind the paper labels). They do, however, love to eat weeds such as poison ivy, kudzu and wisteria, at a rate of about eight pounds a day. If you don’t want to commit to goat ownership, you might consider renting one.
Pros:
Superior weed-whacking capabilities
In addition to grass, they’ll eat brush, leaves, and twigs
Independent, inquisitive personalities
Cons:
Ability to climb makes them more of a flight risk
Can stand on hind legs to feed, posing greater risk to trees
“Browsing” habits may lead to wildly uneven grass lengths


Sheep


Photo from the State Library of Queensland, Australia

Sheep are another popular choice for lawn maintenance. They’re good grazers, but are pickier than goats about which grasses they’ll eat. If you have a lot of weeds to clear, sheep probably aren’t the best bet. However, if you have a large area of grass, sheep will do an excellent job. They have a strong herd mentality, and lack the goat’s subversive spunk.
Pros:
Incapable of climbing, reducing risk of escape
Can be used for wool and milk
Docile creatures that pose little threat to other animals
Cons:
Because they’re social animals, you’ll need at least two
Will strip tree trunks of their bark
Extremely dull personalities



Cows


Photo from The Royal Library, Denmark

A single cow can eat over 25 pounds of grass per day. Cows are easier to contain than goats or sheep. However, even one cow will overwhelm the average American yard. Zoning laws are also an issue. To consider using cows, you’ll need a minimum of two acres worth of pasture.
Pros:
Easy to keep fenced in
Grass-fed cows produce excellent milk
Cons:
Much too large for most properties
Produce an overwhelming quantity of manure
Harm the environment with methane emissions


Chickens


Photo from the UW Digital Collections

These birds are enjoying a surge of popularity in the urban homesteading community. Not only can chickens be kept as egg layers or used for meat; they are also excellent lawn mowers. “Chicken tractors” are a time-tested method for keeping a lawn short, as well as providing the chickens with exercise. The “tractors” are A-frame chicken coops with an open floor that allows chickens to graze. The chicken tractors are moved once chickens have finished with a patch of grass, providing for a complete lawn trimming every 10-14 days.
Pros:
Egg quality is improved by grass diet
Will eat bugs in addition to grass
Also provide fertilizer
Cons:
Excess manure is difficult to wash away
May dig holes in lawn for dustbathing


Guinea Pigs


Source: Flickr user David Masters

Guinea pigs may seem too small to make a dent in your yard, but get this: each of these critters can eat five times its body weight in grass every day! They’re small, cute, and make excellent pets. Their tiny, sharp teeth clip grass to a neat, uniform length.
Pros:
Small and portable
Easy to keep indoors during winter months
Ideal for small lawns
Cons:
Worthless against weeds
Require other food in addition to grass
Vulnerable to predators

Of course, there’s no rule saying you have to commit to one animal. Use our calculator to discover how many animals it would take to keep your lawn in order.



The Math Behind the Mowers

In order to find out how many of a specific animal it would take to mow a lawn we had to find out:
The volume of grass in a square foot;
The volume of grass an animal could eat in a day; and
The number of times you would mow your lawn per year (30).

We used square footage as a basis, so all other area metrics were converted from a square foot calculation (Just in case you notice any rounding errors in metric units). Here are the sources for how much each animal can eat:


http://www.goatwisdom.com/feeding.html


Reduce Animal Unemployment: Hire A Goat By Movoto Real Estate

Math provided by mechanical engineer and Product Manager Chris Bernardo.



Tags: homestead, homesteading movement, lawn maintenance, lawn mowers, rent a goat






Source:
Reduce Animal Unemployment: Hire a Goat

 Read more @ Source:  http://www.movoto.com/blog/novelty-real-estate/reduce-animal-unemployment-hire-a-goat/