May / June, 2002
STOCK DOG DEMONSTRATION SET FOR AG EXPO
Livestock handlers have used herding dogs for thousands of years. Though modern farming offers many new technologies for handling and hauling animals, stock dogs can still be useful workers in the field or the stockyard. Visitors at Michigan State University's (MSU) Ag Expo, July 16-18, can see daily demonstrations of border collies in action at 11 a.m and 2 p.m.
"Everybody loves the dogs, and most people have dogs but don't think about how much a dog can help them," says Lyle Boyer, stock dog trainer from Hudsonville, Mich. "People with cattle go out and get them themselves and don't think about using a dog. Some aren't familiar with a dog helping them and aren't aware of everything a dog can do."
Boyer will demonstrate how her border collies can move a small flock of sheep across a field at her command. She'll discuss how easy it is to train these dogs, which are born herders.
The stock dog demonstration is just one of a number of activities set for Ag Expo. Other demonstrations include tree planting and weed control, hitching and driving draft horses, tillage equipment and harvesting small grains with draft animals.
Ag Expo features commercial farm equipment from throughout the Midwest and several Canadian provinces on the 35-acre main exhibition site and the 40-acre field demonstration area.
The event runs from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. July 16 and 17 (Tuesday and Wednesday) and from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. July 18. Admission to the grounds and parking at Farm Lane and Mt. Hope Road are free.
For more information about Ag Expo, call 1-800-366-7055 or visit www.agexpo.msu.edu.
Agricultural Engineering
Michigan State University
A.W. Farrall Hall
East Lansing, MI 48824-1323
(517) 355-4720
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