Raising Meat Goats - Marketing (Selling) Meat Goats

After getting started in meat goat production, one needs a way to sell the goats produced. Slaughter goats and cull breeding stock are usually sold at livestock auction sales. Sheep and goats are usually sold together at the same sales because they can be handled, transported, and slaughtered together. Buyers prefer to have both available. Sales that have both, get more buyers and get better prices. Sale barns that sell goats and sheep at their weekly cattle sales do not get as many goat buyers or as good of prices as those which hold separate monthly sheep and goat sales.

Many meat goat producers sell goat meat directly to the consumers. To sell meat directly to a consumer the animals must be slaughtered in a United Sates Department of Agriculture (USDA) inspected plant. Federal inspectors (veterinarians) must be present while animals are being slaughtered and while meat is being processed. The cost of these inspectors is paid by the processing plant. This makes the slaughtering of sheep or goats in USDA inspected plants, on a small scale, very expensive (about $2.00 per pound of meat.) Small meat processing plants that are not USDA inspected can process animals for individuals if the meat is not sold after processing. It is legal to sell live animals to customers and deliver those animals to a non-inspected plant for the customers if the customers pick up the meat and pay for the processing. This is done by many meat goat producers.

There are several sheep producers in northern Arkansas who have their lambs slaughtered at USDA inspected plants in Batesville, Arkansas, and Morrilton, Arkansas, and then sell the frozen meat at Farmers' markets.

There are also markets for certified organic goat meat and natural grass fed goat meat. These products are being sold to health food stores, restaurants, and directly to consumers. Often they are sold using the internet.

Not only is the internet used to sell goat meat it is also used to sell registered breeding stock. More and more people are getting into the habit of using the internet as a source of information and as a place to shop. Many registered goat breeders have their own websites. Registered meat goats are also sold by net-working with other meat goat producers and those interested in becoming meat goat producers. This is done at events such as shows, seminars, and meat goat association meetings.

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.