farmgate: There May Be Money In Meat Goats
Your holiday menu might have included steaks or burgers on the grill. Your dinner menu for the week will probably include beef or pork, and possibly chicken. But beginning late next week is a holiday for over one billion people who will prepare and eat a goat. Where do they get enough goats? Where is this market? Can I make money raising meat goats? Ah, you have come to the right place for answers!
There are not many households in rural America that serve goat meat, but there are millions of Muslim and Hispanic households in urban America where goat meat is prized. And when the month-long Muslim holiday of Ramadan begins September 13, ethnic markets in major cities will need goat meat to meet the consumer demand. If you have under-utilized livestock facilities, and are looking for an underserved market, one of the considerations may be production of meat goats. You don’t have to eat them, just raise and sell them. Someone else will take care of the slaughter process.
The University of Illinois has just assembled an extensive research collection on meat goat production, and it is all designed to aid the newcomer. So how do you begin?
1) Evaluate your resources, such as personnel (it is a 24/7 job), land (6-8 goats per acre), buildings (20 sq. ft./doe), equipment (hay, pens/chutes), labor (check twice/day), and capital. The latter is important since your operation should be sustainable in 3-5 years.
2) Marketing can include goat production for commercial slaughter, sale of breeding stock, or for 4-H shows. However, commercial slaughter may offer the best profit potential if goats can be marketed ahead of the ethnic holidays. Check the ethnic calendar for consumer demand.
3) A herd health program is necessary and a checklist is provided at the Illinois resource. You will also need to identify a veterinarian which can assist with your operation.
4) Feed will primarily be forage, either on pasture or hay, combined with small amounts of grain or concentrates with minerals. They are efficient users of low quality forage, and feed from the top down which helps eradicate many weeds. Clean fresh water is mandatory.
5) To build your herd, consider many of the issues that you would for cattle or hogs. Check for the health of the animal, look at its current environment, and start with lesser expensive goats.
Meat goat breeds should be judged on environmental adaptability, reproductive rate, growth rate, and carcass characteristics. The primary breeds are Boer, Kiko, Spanish, Savannah, Myotonic, and Pygmy. Dairy goat breeds exhibit better milk and cheese production, but culls and bucks wind up as slaughter goats.
Additionally, the Illinois meat goat resource contains a lengthy list of
1) goat associations
2) classes for production instruction
3) governmental resources
4) marketing information
5) other goat-related sites.
6) Books and magazines about goats
7) Farm production software
Summary:
Entrepreneurs who recognize the potential demand for meat goats in the growing ethnic marketplace should consider not only production and marketing issues, but how the enterprise fits into the current operation with respect to under utilized resources. If the resources are available, numerous references can be consulted for production and marketing expertise.
Your holiday menu might have included steaks or burgers on the grill. Your dinner menu for the week will probably include beef or pork, and possibly chicken. But beginning late next week is a holiday for over one billion people who will prepare and eat a goat. Where do they get enough goats? Where is this market? Can I make money raising meat goats? Ah, you have come to the right place for answers!
Posted by Stu Ellis on September 4, 2007 12:24 AM to farmgate