Looking for info on meat goat production in SD, MN

[sdsu rancher]

I'm doing a feasibility study for a farm economics class about the feasibility of meat goat production in southeast SD and southwest MN. I come from a cow/calf background and don't know much at all about goat production. Any help is welcome. Thanks.

 

[SDSteve]

If goats would stay in a barb wire fence and only eat wormwood I would raise them. Something tells me goats are not the easiest critters to keep contained though.

 

[feeder]

I mentioned it to the husband a couple years ago. I was under the impression slaughter facilities were not close enough to us. I could be wrong but that is what someone had mentioned.

 

[HAY MAKER]

Naw,aint nuthin stinks worse than a wet billy goat,I dont want any part of em,maybe BMr would make a good goat roper I know he wears woolies outa goat hair.................good luck

 

[Big Muddy rancher]

Naw,aint nuthin stinks worse than a wet billy goat,I dont want any part of em,maybe BMr would make a good goat roper I know he wears woolies outa goat hair.................good luck

Come on haymaker you know your the goat King of Texas. We saw them in the back ground of you tractor pics. Besides there are more goats in Texas then anywhere else. Both the 2 and 4 legged varieties.

 

[Big Muddy rancher]

I'm doing a feasibility study for a farm economics class about the feasibility of meat goat production in southeast SD and southwest MN. I come from a cow/calf background and don't know much at all about goat production. Any help is welcome. Thanks.

Sorry about that I guess Haymaker and I aren't much help. But really texas has alot of goats. I think that they would be management intense but I bet pstures could be cleaned up o fbrush and weeds if one was to do the work.

 

[Northern Rancher]

look up some back issues of the 'GrassFarmer' lots of goat articles in there.

 

[the_jersey_lilly_2000]

Look into Boar goats, that's the leading meat goat here in Texas. Most of the kids raise them here for 4H. There's lots of information on them online.

 

[HAY MAKER]

Yes there are really a lot of meat goats here in the TX hill country,one ole man claims he makes more money on his goats than he does his cows,I have always believed if that was true,it was because he was too lazy to work cattle,goats are less work,and being close to the Mexican border creates a fair demand for goat meat,you better have good fences tho,aint a better way to create hard feelings with neighbors than to have a flock of goats in their pastures.I know I have ran more than a few outa my hay fields,like ole elmo said build you a good tight goat fence,then throw a bucket of water on it,if water gets through it so will goats...........good luck

 

[Cowpuncher]

Coyotes really like goats!!

 

[sw]

We have a neighbor that has another ranch about 30 miles from here. They brought in 750 goats about a year ago, from Texas, all suppossed to be pregnant. They were going to make a killing selling these meat goats. This is what they got: Hired man nearly died from Q fever contacted from the goats, still don't think he's 100%. Had local kids hired to try to keep the fence crawling buggers in, kids liked the money, hated the goats. Got a whopping 30 kids out of 750 nannies. I don't think it was too profitable, still don't know where the market is, I have not seen many towel heads running around here. :wink:

 

[the_jersey_lilly_2000]

sw I'd say someone got the bad end of the stick on that deal. Friend of mine had a few goats, just to take care of the underbrush, she wasn't plannin on raisin goats....lol but they breed like rabbits.

And what's Q fever?? never heard of it.

 

[Mike]

Miami is where the big market is. I think there are quite a few goat slaughter facilities there.

There's a guy from somewhere in Mississippi that makes a loop through here periodically and hauls a triple decker full down.

The few folks I know that raise 'em have a heck of a time keeping them living, due to parasites and coyotes. Not to mention keeping them in a fence.

 

[Denny]

sw I'd say someone got the bad end of the stick on that deal. Friend of mine had a few goats, just to take care of the underbrush, she wasn't plannin on raisin goats....lol but they breed like rabbits.

And what's Q fever?? never heard of it.

What's Q fever well that's what those boy's in Broke Back Mountain got from the sheep.

 

[the_jersey_lilly_2000]

Ewwww!!!!!!!!!!






or is that Ewe? :lol2: :lol2: :lol2:

 

[Hanta Yo]

sw I'd say someone got the bad end of the stick on that deal. Friend of mine had a few goats, just to take care of the underbrush, she wasn't plannin on raisin goats....lol but they breed like rabbits.

And what's Q fever?? never heard of it.

Q Fever = nine mile fever


the causitive organism is Coxiella burnetti, ticks are the most important vector. Most people become infected through exposure to livestock or ingestion of their products (raw milk or meat of infected animals)

 

[CattleRMe]

I know some people here in Nebraska raising meat goats to diversify. They said at current market prices a goat should bring 180. So far all of the nannies have had twins and some have had triplets. So one nanny should generate at least 360 dollars. Plus she can kid 2 times a year. So say she just has twins twice a year she can bring in 720 dollars and to me that reminds me of a calf price. With less space needed to run goats and less feed. I can see the possibility for profit.

Only time will tell but I respect their trying something new.

 

[bullrider]

it has been proven that goat meat are alot healther than other meat. i am a goat farmer yes it is hard to keep them in a pen.

 

[Brad S]

Is the current goat matket sustainable or just the latest pyramid scheme?


Do goats do well in Northern climes?


Wouldn't coyotes kill all your goats?

 

[Econ101]

We have some goat raisers around our area and when I was younger, I had a few. They do keep the broadleafs down. Some neighbors have such wonderful looking grass because the broadleafs are all out of the pasture with their goats. Worming is one of the things you have to keep up with. Coyotes and dogs will kill goats and unless you plan for that, I wouldn't get in the business. Some use a Pyrenese (sp?) dog to guard them.