Fun Fact Friday week four, goats are herd animals and like a crowd

May 26, 2023

Goats are fascinating animals. They are social animals that have evolved a social hierarchy as a matter of survival. If goats are allowed to run together, the “Top Buck” tops the pecking order and is responsible for herd protection. He is last man out, always on alert and will always flank the herd when foraging. Next in the pecking order is the doe that is the “Flock Queen”. She will lead the herd to the best foraging grounds.

If the Flock Queen comes across a poisonous plant, she will sniff it carefully taking in the scent, snort and make objectionable sounds. Each member of the herd will mimic her and get the scent. Finally, the Top Buck will also smell and then stomp on the offensive plant fiercely.

With this kind of social structure that reinforces health and wellness of the herd, it is easy to understand that a goat without a herd is an unhealthy situation.

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Source : Small Farm Canada

Video: Root Exudates, Soil Biology, and How Plants Recruit Microbes | Field Talk Friday

Field Talk Friday | Dr. John Murphy | Root Exudates, Soil Biology, and How Plants Recruit Microbes

Most of us spend our time managing what we can see above ground—plant height, leaf color, stand counts, and yield potential. But the deeper you dig into agronomy, the more you realize that some of the most important processes driving crop performance are happening just millimeters below the surface.

In this episode of Field Talk Friday, Dr. John Murphy continues the soil biology series by diving into one of the most fascinating topics in modern agronomy: root exudates and the role they play in shaping the microbial world around plant roots.

Roots are not passive structures simply pulling nutrients out of the soil. They are active participants in the underground ecosystem. Plants constantly release compounds into the soil—sugars, amino acids, organic acids, and other molecules—that act as both energy sources and signals for soil microbes.