It’s the year of the goat around here

The United Nations says 2010 is the International Year of Biodiversity.

The nursing profession calls 2010 the International Year of the Nurse, recognizing the centennial year of the death of modern nursing’s founder, Florence Nightingale.

In the Chinese lunar calendar, this is the Year of the Tiger.

But in Ontario agriculture, there’s no question: 2010 is the Year of the Goat.

Ontario farmers are catching up with the rest of the world by discovering the virtues of goats as livestock. Ottawa recently dedicated $700,000 to help improve goat genetics and management, which I write about in my Urban Cowboy column today in the Guelph Mercury.

Thanks to Kendra Keels of Ontario Goat for the photo below.