Sam Abney of Prattville, Ala., has raised goats, at least on the side,
since he was a child. When he retired from the wholesale produce
business, he decided to indulge his passion for goats full-time.
"I'd had Nubian and native milk goats," he says. "But when I heard about
Boer goats, I became really interested in the meat goat industry."
At a time when few people had goats, Abney bought five does� �� ��and then
watched the business boom. Five years later, Abney is one of 20 Boer
goat breeders in his county alone.
Anyone who has seen an increase in goats across the countryside
shouldn't be surprised to learn that their numbers have risen 187% in
the past 13 years. Why the rapid surge? There are several reasons.
One is that demand has simply gotten larger. Marvin Shurley, president
of the American Meat Goat Association, says the biggest market for meat
goats is the ethnic populations. Practitioners of Islam are the largest
consumers; people of Caribbean and Hispanic descent make up a
significant portion of the market as well. Those markets are still
growing.
"Six million Muslims in the U.S. eat goat three times a month or more,"
says Shurley, "and we've seen a consistent price increase over the last
decade. This is a growth industry."
Another reason is that the quality of meat goats in the United States
has gotten better, thanks to the importation of Boer goats. Originally
developed in South Africa, Boer goats finally became possible in the
U.S. in 1993, through a quarantine stop in New Zealand.
This was a huge improvement over the wiry Spanish goats, which came to
North America with Spanish explorers in the 1500s. Boer goats are
bigger and meatier, and they represent the most widespread meat goat
breed in the U.S. at this time.
Finally, people on small acreages find that goats are well-suited to
their farms.
"There are a lot of new producers coming into the goat industry,"
Shurley says, "because goats lend themselves well to small acreage."
That means hobby farmers or rural residents looking for farm tax
deductions can support the goats on as little as 1 to 10 acres.
Abney has about seven goats per acre on his farm. He takes his kids,
sometimes as young as three months, to the local livestock market where
there are goat sales twice a month. "We have buyers from three or four
states that buy them," he says. "They have orders for so many goats from
their customers, and some of those goats will get used in religious
ceremonies." Abney says goats used for religious purposes can draw as
much as $150 to $200 per head.
The average meat goat herd in the U.S. is about 35 head. And although
the average production rate for does is 1.8 kids per year, Shurley
recommends using the conservative figure of 1.25 kids per year for
calculating financial returns on investment. Return on investment is
pretty quick, he notes� �� ��much quicker than with larger livestock.
"The gestation period is 150 days," Shurley explains. "A kid can reach
market weight in five months and draw an average of $90."
But the meat goat industry isn't 100% roses. "They say a goat comes into
the world looking for a way to die," Abney says with a laugh. He says
some people have the misconception that you can just put a goat out in
the pasture and everything will be fine.
"They'll be skin and bones if you feed them just off the land," Abney
explains. He recommends providing them with balanced goat rations that
have the minerals and proteins they need for good health.
Goat breeders also must be wary of parasites, particularly in areas
prone to heavy rainfall. "In my part of the country," Abney says, "worms
are the biggest problem."
The good news is that goat breeders are working to develop lines of meat
goats genetically resistant to worms. More and more farmers are
selecting genetically resistant breeding stock.
Because of the parasites, goats do best in warm, dry areas like Texas
and the Great Plains. Kansas has the fastest-growing meat goat industry.
Shurley advises talking to other producers in your area before getting
into the meat goat industry. That's what Sam Abney did, and today he
says he makes a good return on his investment. But if you're just
starting out, he advises, "Go to a breeder and get a couple of
economical does to get started."