In the United States, the meat goat industry has been enjoying a strong and growing demand for goat meat. Most of the world population (about 60 to 70%) prefers goat meat to any other red meat. Beef and pork are preferred only in the United States, Canada, and northern Europe, but the population of the United States is changing with many immigrants coming to this country from Latin America, Asia, Africa, and Southern Europe.
Prior to 1990 goats in the U.S. were raised primarily for the production of fiber or milk and for weed and brush control in pastures. Goat meat was a byproduct and most of it was exported. Since 1990 the demand for goat meat in the United States has increased faster than the goat population. We started importing more than we exported in 1993. During the late 1980s and the 1990s the governments of New Zealand and Australia were trying to eliminate their feral goat populations and most of the resulting meat was exported to the United States. Some was also exported to China, India, and other Asian and middle eastern countries. New Zealand was successful in eliminating their feral goats.
Today most of our imported goat meat comes from Australia. The Australian Government has successfully eliminated the feral goat population in some areas of the country, but in other areas they can only control the population. Their goal is to keep the feral goat population from getting any larger than it is today, which is estimated to be about 2.6 million head, with about 1.0 million head per year harvested for export. The domestic goat population in Australia is about 200,000 head with little interest among ranchers for increasing that number. By comparison the domestic goat population in the U.S. is about 3.1 million head. Currently about half the goat meat sold in the United States through normal retail channels is slaughtered in USDA inspected plants and half is imported, mainly from Australia. Many goats produced in the U.S. are slaughtered by the consumers or are slaughtered in non-inspected plants. No information is available as to how many.
Since the nations of the world that prefer goat meat to other red meats are developing nations, it can only be assumed that as their economies improve the demand and prices they are willing to pay for this meat will also improve. The supply available for export from Australia will probably not increase. The only conclusion one can draw from these facts is that the U.S. meat goat industry has a very bright future. It is the fastest growing segment of U.S. agriculture, and will probably continue growing for some time.
Because there is a ready market for it among many ethnic cultures in the U.S., little effort has been made to promote the nutritional benefits of goat meat and to sell it to the ever growing number of people wanting to eat healthier foods. Goat meat is reported by the US Department of Agriculture to be lower in fat, saturated fat, and cholesterol than beef, pork, lamb, chicken, or turkey. It is also higher in protein and iron than any of these meats. It is high in vitamin B12 and has balanced amino acids. Since goats are ruminants, goat meat is a good source of conjugated linoleic acid (CLA,) a fatty acid that prevents and cures cancer and many inflammatory conditions in laboratory animals. Results of clinical studies with CLA in humans are still pending. There is a real potential for expanding the market for goat meat by promoting these health and nutritional values.
Ken Ziemer, author, has a bachelor's degree in agriculture. He started breeding dairy goats in 1962. His wife Candy was raised on a dairy goat farm and has worked with goats all her life. They have farmed and raised goats in northern Arkansas since 1967. They started breeding full blood Boer meat goats in 1999. They breed their Boer goats for hardiness, resistance to internal parasites, and efficient meat production on the rugged pastures of northern Arkansas. For more information on raising
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