Farm Management Update

Quarterly Publication of Ohio State University Extension

Spring 2003

Meat Goats, A Field of Dreams for Agriculture

Dave Mangione

Meat goats, are they for real or like the emu and ostrichhere today, gone tomorrow?

Historically, livestock producers in this country have produced traditional commodities related to beef, pork, lamb, dairy and poultry. However, the shifting demographics of the United States may open up opportunities for non-traditional commodities such as meat goats. It has been a long time since we have seen an opportunity in the livestock sector where the demand for the commodity far outweighs the supply.

Over the past twenty years there has been a significant change in the ethnic make-up of this country. People emigrating from such countries as Latin America, the Middle East, Asia, India, Africa, Turkey, Indonesia and people from the Caribbean changed the face of a once European-based population in the United States. Immigrants from these countries represent a large Hispanic population along with a significant Muslim based population, having a preference for goat meat. The Muslim population, like the Jewish community, has some religious restrictions to their diet based upon religious belief. The term Halal refers to the religious ceremony associated with the harvesting of goat, lamb, beef or poultry for human consumption.

So where have these new ethnic populations settled in the United States? The Hispanic population in the country is predominantly located in Texas, California, southwest New York City and cities of the northeast. Immigration figures project that from 1995 to 2050, 57% of the immigration to the United States will be represented by Hispanic ethnicity. Additionally by 2050, the Hispanic population will represent 25% of the total U.S. population.

The Muslim communities are concentrated in the urban belt from Washington, D.C., to Boston and found in many other urban centers across the country. The U.S. Census reveals a population of Muslims greater than 7 million in a geographic region from Detroit to Louisville. Caribbean immigrants, who represent the third largest group of new immigrants, have settled in Miami and New York City. Current census data estimate population numbers of Hispanics as greater than 19 million, Muslims greater than 14 million and people from the Caribbean between 1 and 2 million.

The numbers of meat goats slaughtered at USDA inspected slaughtering facilities in 1977 was approximately 45,000 head. By 1998 approximately 450,000 head, a 1000% increase, were processed at USDA inspected plants. This does not account for the number of goats processed privately under a non-inspected environment. During 1989 the exporting of goat carcasses exceeded imports by 300—400 metric tons. By 1998 the exporting of chilled/frozen goat carcasses was practically non-existent, a direct correlation to the demand for goat presently in the United States. Australia and New Zealand are the major exporters of whole frozen goat carcasses into the United States.

This scenario presents another question; what type of goat meat is preferred by these new ethnic populations? The Hispanic population prefers young kids, referred to as cabrito, weighing 15 to 25 pounds, or young goats yielding a 25-pound carcass. The Muslim community prefers slightly heavier carcasses of 35 to 50 pounds, which is lean and processed in Halal fashion. People from the Caribbean prefer mature goats for the purpose of making goats head soup and goat curry.

How does a producer access these new ethnic based markets? First, it is important to understand the culture of the population. In most cases we are dealing with cultures placing a great amount of importance on building lasting relationships. Additionally, the process of bartering or haggling to establish price is part of their culture. Our traditional methods of marketing livestock will be challenged and in many cases not accepted in this new ethnic arena. The Muslim community in particular prefers to buy direct from one person, be that a farmer, order buyer, etc. Customers buy their own animals direct from the farm or from order buyers from two of the largest goat auctions located in New Holland, Pennsylvania, or Hackettstown, New Jersey. The goats are then trucked to one of the largest Halal processing plants in the northeast, Halal Meats, Inc., located in Paterson, New Jersey. This growing ethnic population has accepted the procurement of frozen goat carcasses, because their demand far exceeds the supply. The preference is for fresh product processed in the Halal fashion. It is the fresh goat market which creates a significant niche opportunity for farmers across the United States.

Currently the goat industry lacks any kind of infrastructure that we associate with our traditional livestock species. Changes that must occur in the building of the infrastructure for the goat industry include the following:

• The establishment of uniform meat goat production systems.
• The establishment of facilities which allow for the processing of livestock addressing the associated religious ceremonies such as Kosher and Halal.
• Marketing a fresh product in a safe fashion directly to this emerging consumer base to capture the most value.

A current Extension publication "Meat Goat Production and Budgeting" (AS-14-02) authored by Tony Nye, Extension Agent, ANR, Clinton County, can be accessed through your local Extension office. Additionally, any producer interested in meat goats can access information through the Meat Goat Task Force by contacting Dave Mangione, Extension Specialist for Agriculture, at (740) 286-2177 or mangione.1@osu.edu. There is a real opportunity for farmers to network together through co-ops or other ventures to build the industry.

As the saying goes, "if you build it, they will come." Meat goats just may be our field of dreams for animal agriculture.