IGA Blog

Goats and the World

7/2/2020

A course presented by Dr. Christopher Lu in December 2019

National Taiwan University invited Professor Christopher D. Lu to offer a course entitled, “Goat and the World” at the Department of Animal Science and Technology in December 2019. Dr. Lu covered the following subjects:

Goats and Civilization
Trends of Goat Population in the World
Trends of Goat Milk, Meat and Fiber Production in the World
Breeds of Meat Goats
Breeds of Dairy Goats
Breeds of Fiber Producing Goats
Communication, Aggression, Social Structure in Goats
Sexual and Maternal Behaviors in Goats
Ingestion Behaviors in Goats
Weaning Management
Nutrition and Management of Growing Goats
Nutrition and Management of Lactating Goats
Water and Dry Matter Intakes in Goats
Estimation of Energy Requirements
Estimation of Protein Requirements
Goats and the Environment
Greenhouse Gas Emission and Animal Production
Production Systems in Goats
Goats and Animal Welfare
Goats and Human Health
Opportunities, Challenges, and Prospects of Goat Production

Registration for Dr. Lu’s course reached full capacity within 24 hours. It was one of the largest classes in the history of the department.

A sample of the comments from students who participated included:

I learned a lot about goats.
Christopher D. Lu conducted this class and I really enjoyed it. He was not only giving the lecture, but he also teaches us to develop our knowledge. Thank you for inviting him to give this lecture. I wish I could have a chance to study with him again.
Although it was all English, my understanding was not hindered, the teacher spoke clearly, and the context is clear.
The teacher is really good and lively.
The professor understood us from the student’s perspective.
It (this class) is highly recommended for students in or outside the department.
It was great that he made a simple summary after class, you won’t be bored in class and always have fun.

Thank you, Professor Lu, for bringing us goat science.

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Dr. Christopher Lu’s Remarks at the Closing Ceremony of ARCG Nepal 2019

11/22/2019

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First, I would like to thank the host organization and the people of Nepal for your warm welcome and hospitality. You are genuinely lovely people, and I appreciate your sincerity and friendship. Congratulations go to the Faculty of Animal Science, Veterinary Science and Fisheries at the Agriculture and Forestry University for a successful conference.

Comparing to the outcomes of the Conference and the efforts to elevate the importance of goats as a species that can alleviate poverty, and improve food security and nutrition, our little inconvenience during the very long-distance traveling becomes so trivial. Just like the goal of increasing production efficiency of goats, quality is far more important than quantity.

I understand that there are many conferences to be hosted by the University in the near future, I encourage the university to engage in a thought process to focus more on the quality of scientific programs, more participation by the students and faculty, and a smoother logistic arrangement.

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Congratulations to the Organizing Committee of ARCG 2019

10/23/2019

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Marisia Geraci, Neena Gorkhali, Sharada Thapaliya, and Beth Miller

The Asian Regional Conference on Goats has just concluded and was an incredible success.

The conference was held from October 20th to 23rd in Chitwan, Nepal, with the support of the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock Development, Department of Livestock Services, Nepal Agricultural Research Council, Heifer International Nepal, and University Grants Commission.

The main aim of the conference was to gather researchers, academicians, and development entities to exchange knowledge and technologies generated in the field of goat research and development across the globe.

To learn more, visit the conference website: afu.edu.np/vet/arcg2019.

Nirajan Bhattarai and Beth Miller

Sándor Kukovics

Yingjie Zhang and Chris Lu

Yingjie Zhang

Beth Miller at goat research center.

Juan Capote and Beth Miller at goat research center.

Beth Miller in a field of Napier grass.

Mamta Dhawa, Lucia Sepe, and Beth Miller

Lucia Sepe, Juan Capote, and Jean-Marie Luginbuhl

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A Tribute to Dr. Juan Capote for His Retirement

9/27/2019

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After an outstanding life-long career with Canarian Agricultural Research Institute (Instituto Canario de Investigaciones Agrarias), Dr. Juan Capote has decided to retire after serving many years as its Director of Animal, Pasture, and Forage Production Unit.

A native of Santa Cruz de La Palma in Canary Islands, Dr. Capote’s academic credentials include a Diploma in Health from Real Academia de Medicina, a BSc in Biology from Universidad de La Laguna, a BSc in Veterinary Studies from UCM - Madrid, and a Ph.D. from University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria. Dr. Capote contributed significantly to the advancement of the scientific knowledge with 217 publications including books, chapters, scientific and technical articles. He also had 180 presentations at various national and international conferences

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Keynote Speech at 2018 Chinese Association of Animal Sciences Summer Meeting

12/7/2018

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Upon invitation, Professor Lu, IGA President 2004-2008, delivered a keynote speech at the Summer Meeting of the Chinese Association of Animal Science in June 2018, Tainan, Taiwan. The Meeting was held at Taiwan Livestock Research Institute (TLRI), an IGA gold institutional member.

The topic of the presentation was “Global Trends of Animal Production and New Agricultural Policy in Taiwan.” Professor Lu discussed global trends in population growth, food production, food imbalance, as well as social and environmental costs associated with these trends. Water scarcity, soil degradation, ecosystem stress, biodiversity loss, decreasing forest cover, and high levels of greenhouse gas emissions are among the most severe environmental costs discussed.

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Dairy, Science, Society, and the Environment

8/7/2017

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Dairy has intertwined with human society since the beginning of civilization. It evolves from art in ancient society to science in the modern world. Its roles in nutrition and health are underscored by the continuous increase in global consumption. Milk production increased by almost 50% in just the past quarter century alone. Population growth, income rise, nutritional awareness, and science and technology advancement contributed to a continuous trend of increased milk production and consumption globally. With a fourfold increase in milk production per cow since the 1940s, the contemporary dairy industry produces more milk with fewer cows, and consumes less feed and water per liter of milk produced. The dairy sector is diversified, as people from a wider geographical distribution are consuming milk, from cattle to species such as buffalo, goat, sheep, and camel. The dairy industry continues to experience structural changes that impact society, economy, and environment. Organic dairy emerged in the 1990s as consumers increasingly began viewing it as an appropriate way of both farming and rural living. Animal welfare, environmental preservation, product safety, and health benefit are important considerations in consuming and producing organic dairy products. Large dairy operations have encountered many environmental issues related to elevated greenhouse gas emissions. Dairy cattle are second only to beef cattle as the largest livestock contributors in methane emission. Disparity in greenhouse gas emissions per dairy animal among geographical regions can be attributed to production efficiency. Although a number of scientific advancements have implications in the inhibition of methanogenesis, improvements in production efficiency through feeding, nutrition, genetic selection, and management remain promising for the mitigation of greenhouse gas emissions from dairy animals. This article describes the trends in milk production and consumption, the debates over the role of milk in human nutrition, the global outlook of organic dairy, the abatement of greenhouse gas emissions from dairy animals, as well as scientific and technological developments in nutrition, genetics, reproduction, and management in the dairy sector.

READ MORE...

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Dr. Lu’s visit to China in 2016 and Meat Goat Production in Southern China

5/26/2017

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Upon invitation, Professor Christopher Lu visited the Institute of Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Medicine of Guizhou Academy of Agricultural Sciences during 2016. Dr. Lu presented an invited paper entitled “Overview of Global Meat Goat Industry”.

There are approximately one billion goats in the world, mostly for meat purposes. The top ten countries with the largest goat populations are China, India, Pakistan, Nigeria, Bangladesh, Sudan, Kenya, Ethiopia, Iran, and Mali. There are about three million goats in the United States with a continued increasing trend since the 1980’s.

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Dairy, Science, Society, and the Environment

1/2/2017

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Written by Dr. Christopher Lu

This is an advance summary of a forthcoming article in the Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Environmental Science. Please check back later for the full article.

Dairy has intertwined with human society since the beginning of civilization. It evolves from the arts in ancient societies to science in the modern world. Its roles in nutrition and health are underscored by the continuous increase in global consumption. Milk production increased by almost 50%, just in the past quarter century alone. Population growth, income rise, nutritional awareness, and science and technology advancement have contributed to a continuous trend of increased milk production and consumption globally.

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中國短訊:国际山羊学会理事和亞洲區主任促進學術交流和合作 (徐刚毅)

8/21/2014

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5月11日至23日，前国际山羊学会主席、美国山羊研究所所长、西雅图阿格西大学校長, 現任希洛夏威夷大學終身教授呂大正 (Dr. Christopher D. Lu) 受邀考察、访问了四川农业大学、河北农业大学和安徽农业大学、及部分综合试验站的山羊、绵羊育种场和产业技术示范基地。其间，呂大正教授应邀为三所大学的部分师生作了三场学术报告，与张英杰教授（中国畜牧兽医学会养羊学分会理事长）、张子军教授和徐刚毅研究员进行了交流，并就进一步开展合作事宜进行了商议。徐刚毅研究员全程陪同。呂大正教授並在四川农业大学向研究生介紹美國山羊綿羊品種歷史及趨勢.

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Dr. Christopher Lu visits Sichuan, China, May 11 to 23

8/21/2014

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Professor Xu Gangyi, IGA Director of the Board and Professor Zhang Yingjie, IGA Regional Director in Asia hosted a visit by Dr. Christopher D. Lu, Professor of University of Hawaii at Hilo who was in China during in May, 2014 to promote goat research and cooperation and International Goat Association. Dr. Lu is a former president of the International Goat Association (IGA) and Argosy University in Seattle.

Want to read this in Chinese?

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Goats and the World

Dr. Christopher Lu’s Remarks at the Closing Ceremony of ARCG Nepal 2019

Congratulations to the Organizing Committee of ARCG 2019

A Tribute to Dr. Juan Capote for His Retirement

Keynote Speech at 2018 Chinese Association of Animal Sciences Summer Meeting

Dairy, Science, Society, and the Environment

Dr. Lu’s visit to China in 2016 and Meat Goat Production in Southern China

Dairy, Science, Society, and the Environment

中國短訊:国际山羊学会理事和亞洲區主任促進學術交流和合作 (徐刚毅)

Dr. Christopher Lu visits Sichuan, China, May 11 to 23

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