Virginia Goat Produciton Rises to help Meet Demand

Goat Production Rises in Virginia and Nationally
To Meet New Demands - February 19, 1997

PETERSBURG -- Goat meat is one of the few red meats with a growing consumer demand. U.S. production in federally inspected processing plants rose 900 percent from 1977 to 1993. At the same time, the U.S. has gone from a net exporter to a net importer. More than 2,400 metric tons of chilled or frozen goat meat were imported in 1995 while U.S. producers exported only 35 metric tons.

Those 2,400 metric tons are the equivalent of 180,000 goats and 35 percent of the domestic consumption. They also represent a $5 million trade imbalance for the U.S., according to Terry Gipson, assistant professor and Virginia Cooperative Extension specialist, goats, at Virginia State University.

Traditionally in Virginia, meat goat production has been a sideline for farmers. The meat goats come from the brush-goat herd. "Most farmers who have goats have a herd of 11 to 15 head that they raise to help maintain pasture land," explains Gipson. As these goats age or the herd needs culling, the farmer sends the excess to market.

The once-every-five-years census taken by the Virginia Agricultural Statistical Survey counts hobby and meat goats as part of the brush-goat herd. This has made it difficult to get definitive statistics on the meat goat population. However, the dramatic rise in the "brush" goat population in Virginia from 1,701 in 1977 to 9,384 in 1992 (the most recent VASS census year), along with the dramatic rise in goat meat production at the national level, indicates that more farmers are using their herds for meat production.

The number of Virginia farmers raising goats grew from 297 in 1977 to 1,096 in 1992. "This should be a census year," says Gipson. "I expect to see Virginia's dairy-goat herd remain between 2,500 and 3,000 has it has for the past decade. The brush-goat numbers should see an increase to 14,000 or 15,000 head. We should also see a 30 percent to 40 percent increase in the number of goat farms--possibly as high as 1,400."

While goat is a low-fat meat, it is as high in cholesterol as beef or lamb, so the demand is not coming from consumers looking for low-fat alternatives. Much of market growth comes from the diet preferences of recent immigrant populations. Those coming from the Caribbean, Mexico, the eastern Mediterranean, the Middle East, and Africa have a tradition of eating goat meat. "They expect to have goat meat, and, in some cases, they will go directly to the farmer, if it is not available through the usual food store channels," says Gipson.