"The landscape of the Kentucky countryside is beginning to take on a new look. The fields of tobacco have dwindled and are being replaced by houses, horses and cattle. You may have even noticed the goats and sheep that are becoming more prevalent. According to Tess Caudill, marketing specialist for the Kentucky Department of Agriculture, the outlook for this market is very promising.
The 2002 Agriculture Census logged the goat inventory for Kentucky at 68,412 head, a 322 percent increase from 1997. The number of goats marketed increased by 661 percent to 46,077 head. Goats were not the only livestock seeing such increases; for the same time period, the sheep inventory was 27,443 head, showing an 18 percent increase from 1997, and a 51 percent growth was recorded for the number of sheep marketed, rising to 25,219. Last year saw an even greater growth with an inventory of 74,000 goats and 29,000 sheep, as indicated by the 2006 Kentucky Agricultural Statistics Service.
"Kentucky has one of the most developed markets for sheep and goats in the (United States) in the form of Kentucky Department of Agriculture-sponsored graded goat and sheep sales and Tel-O-Auctions," Caudill said. "These co-mingled graded programs offer even small producers the opportunity to market quality lambs and kids in large groups and attract buyers from throughout the eastern (United States). Prices received through these graded marketing programs compete with prices received at the largest sheep and goat sales throughout the (United States), and in fact, Kentucky regularly tops the nation for sheep and goat prices." Caudill feels that meat goats have provided a real opportunity for Kentucky producers to diversify their operations.
Dr. Ken Andries, an animal science specialist for the Cooperative Extension Program at Kentucky State University, said that goats fit into small farms better than cattle. "You can run three to five goats on an acre of land, depending on the productivity of the land, compared to one cow for two acres. On five acres of good pasture, you can run enough goats to be an economical unit, about 20 to 25 goats, compared to needing 40 to 50 acres for the same number of cattle," Andries said. "If managed properly, a good producing group of does can produce as many pounds of kids per acre as a cow in a year. Market prices for kid goats between 40 and 60 pounds are competitive with weaned calves. Also, goats can be grazed with cattle because they do not directly compete with them for the same forage resources.
"We currently are importing just over 100 metric tons of goat meat and processing about the same amount through USDA-inspected plants to meet the growing demand in the (United States,)" Andries said. "However, goats do require more care than some types of livestock. Different breeds of goats are better suited for low input production than others; through selection, producers can match their production practices with the environment."
Andries recommends that people start small with goats and grow slowly; this gives them a chance to learn and keep ahead of the problems.
Goats also have potential with a value-added product that has become quite popular with chefs — goat cheese. According to John Foster, a local chef and instructor for Sullivan College, "Goat cheese, in its various forms from fresh to aged, is one of the most versatile and dynamic cheeses we have. The craftsmanship of the product has gotten much better, but the local availability is non-existent. When, not if, we figure out a way to process goat cheese from animal to consumer, I believe that local chefs will jump on the product." Well, it looks like the "when" is now.
Susan Miller is on her way to becoming the area's first licensed goat cheese producer. It has taken Miller four years to get to the point where she is today in the process of legally selling goat cheese in Kentucky, but it sounds like it has all been worth it. Miller says that goats are charming, wonderful creatures, and all herds and breeds differ. Miller has chosen a herd of Nubian goats that she raises in Fayette County. Each of these goats generally gives a gallon of milk per day, resulting in approximately one pound of cheese. Susan plans to make 84 pounds of cheese per week using 12 goats. She must milk them seven days a week for nine months. Although, the work and animals are well-loved, both goat keeper and goats will need a break, and Miller's three-month rest period should do the trick.
Miller is not the only one to make strides in the goat market. To underscore its commitment to goats and sheep, the Kentucky Agricultural Development Board recently awarded the Kentucky Sheep and Wool Producers Association and the Kentucky Goat Producers Association a grant to partially fund the first two years of operation of the Kentucky Sheep and Goat Development Office. In a recent interview, newly appointed executive director Ray Bowman shed some light on the history of goats and sheep in Kentucky.
"Actually, they've been here for generations, just in smaller numbers," Bowman said. "Boer and Kiko meat breeds are, of course, recent arrivals in the United States. With the popularity of meat breeds, the increase in various ethnic populations within the (United States) and the decline of tobacco production in Kentucky, more and more small farm owners have seen how well dairy and meat goats fit into their diversification plans, and the goat population in the commonwealth has multiplied exponentially. Currently, about 45 different breeds of sheep are being raised in the United States, many of them represented in Kentucky. Sheep may have been some of the earliest livestock in Kentucky."
And the nutritional value of goat meat also stacks up well against the competition. "Goat meat is highly nutritious and low in fat, with even fewer calories and fat grams than chicken," Bowman said. "A three-ounce cooked serving of goat meat has 122 calories and 2.6 grams of fat; the same portion of chicken has 162 calories and 6.3 grams of fat." Not only is goat meat good for you, but this writer holds that it is also delicious! I was fortunate enough to have Susan Harkins prepare some goat barbecue for a Partners for Family Farms fundraiser held on her beautiful Bourbon County farm. The goat meat was provided by Kentucky State University, and I was very impressed with the exceptional taste. Had I known it was so healthy, I may have had another helping!
"Our goat and sheep marketing programs have always been a model for other states," Bowman said. "The new Sheep and Goat Development Office marks another step in Kentucky's rapid rise to national prominence in the small ruminant industries." When Kentucky farmers are struggling to diversify their crops away from tobacco, this is what I want to hear.
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