heavier yearling slaughter kids (125 lb+) and some will take adult does and bucks at better prices than paid at auctions. These are exploitable markets.
Many producers also have opportunities to improve the genetic quality of their herds by engaging in performance testing to better distinguish between keepers and cullers. Comparison of adjusted litter weaning weights at 90-120 days post-parturition would allow optimum selection/retention and, consequently, improved net profit/herd. Owners can send their data set to Dr. Ken Andries at KY SU-Frankfort for analysis and ranking of all does and bucks. There is no cost for this service; contact him for enrollment: kenneth.an- dries@
kysu@edu.com.
Goat industry constraints Currently, meat goat operations are mostly small scale (well under 50 does), widely scattered across the nation, and owned by folks who are not, for whatever reasons, interested in increasing herd size. Some are admitted hobbyists, but most aspire to profit-making or at least breaking-even. Commercial production from herds with 100-1,000 does contribute materially to national supply as do the few herds with several thousand does. We simply need many more pro- ducers with larger operations in order to increase domestic supply and decrease dependence on imports of goat meat. A second constraint is the widely held misconception that meat goat operations have low rates of return to labor, management, and capital. While some small, ‘hobby-like’ herds and some Show Goat herds do lose a little, or a lot, of money, properly managed herds of various sizes can and do yield quite acceptable rates of return. Un- fortunately, there is very little published information on the eco- nomics of meat goat operations. Universities have detailed budgets
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Goat Rancher | August 2020
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