Bill Costanzo was hired in January 2019 by the Texas A&M AgriLife Research Center in San Angelo as a Livestock Guardian Dog Research Specialist III. Bill had used LGDs on his own farm flock of black faced sheep in Northern California for over 8 years. Previously, he was an Agriculture Teacher & FFA Advisor for over 19 years in California. He grew up in the small farming town of Escalon, California which is in the states Central Valley where his parents had a commercial Angus ranch. He has a Bachelor of Science Degree in Agriculture Education from California State University - Fresno. Bill’s position at the AgriLife Center is a joint project between the Texas Sheep & Goat Predator Management Board and Texas A&M University AgriLife.
Bill is responsible for the care and management of over 20 LGDs at the AgriLife Center in San Angelo and its three research ranches. He is also responsible for hosting LGD field days, producer outreach, workshop presentations, webinars, project fabrication, social media content, written educational products and record keeping for the LGD program. Bill also assists in research projects related to LGDs using GPS trackers and game cameras.
He is currently working on a multiyear puppy bonding project that started in August of 2019. The project will continue for at least five years. Tracking of the dog’s movement along with stock movement and predator control on research ranches across Texas will be recorded for research purposes. The project also involves working with cooperating producers that will be using the dogs Bill bonds on their ranches during the multi-year project. Future projects the program is interested in pursuing are bonding dogs with deer, a tether study, LGD DNA study, aerial threat training study, a producer survey of LGD use and a study on the canine tick disease Ehrlichiosis.
Facebook & Instagram - @TAMUlivestockguarddog
YouTube - Livestock Guardian Dog - Texas A&M AgriLife - YouTube
Website & Blog - Livestock Guardian Dog Program | Texas A&M AgriLife Research and Extension Center at San Angelo (tamu.edu)