Meat goat for profit

Ken in Maine · #21 02/28/10, 08:03 PM

If that is the case then the meat goat market is going backwards and not forwards. There was more meat processed 11 years ago than there is today. 12000 goats through USDA slaughter dressed at 45 pounds ( which is very generous) equals approximately 540000 pounds with an average of 80 metric tons imported equalling 168000 pounds only adds up to 708000 pounds.

With that information the entire meat goat market has dropped by over 50% in the passed 11 years.

Glad I got out of meat and went to dairy!

Slugmar · #22 02/28/10, 08:28 PM

I think we are talking to different subjects maybe you say processed and Im saying imported already processed meat from what im reading.

Ken in Maine · #23 02/28/10, 08:38 PM

We are talking about the same thing... The imported meat is processed meat. The numbers I am using from Livestock Weekly have been converted to processed meat.

Slugmar · #24 02/28/10, 08:58 PM

I'm still looking at numbers found a article writtin the end of last year that says we imporated close to 23.7millions lbs last year that would be about 400k lbs + a week. No where near the '98 amount and the reason the imported meat could have gone down is that there is now more meat growers in the U.S.

http://www.roanoke.com/business/wb/229640 december of 09

Ken in Maine · #25 02/28/10, 09:19 PM

For the most part the meat goat raisers market is a lose... lose operation. The small operator will never make a good living simply because they can not breed enough animals. The skyrocketing cost of feed and hay is driving most out of the market. There are less breeders now than there were 5 years ago.

I speak from experience... we raised boers for 9 years and when we had to rely only on meat sales we couldn't make it.

It's been a good discussion though! The old line: "How do you make a million dollars in the goat business?" " Simple... start with 2 million dollars."

Slugmar · #26 02/28/10, 09:41 PM

I have to disagree with you, the hay market in my area is at rock bottom you can buy three string alfalfa bales for 7 dollars delivered from oregon and put in the barn. Heck I do alot of custom haying and hayed my field last year and my barn is full of hay right now over 3000 bales the little I have sold has been at 4 dollars a bale for grass/clover mix.

about 3 years ago we had a small heard some where close to 12 mama's we couldnt keep kids on site at 75 dollars an animal on the hoof. We got rid of them when they ate the neighbor peach orchard. They had finaly ate through the black berry patch and the fence was no good. we where haying each field we had at the time, except for the hill side so we auctioned them off and then in winter fixed alot of the fences.

everything is like a rollercoaster up and down small farms need to diversify we do three things on our place.

We have a 2 acre market garden last year was my first year at this and made a nice little profit. We do custom hay work we have been doing this for over 30 years so our established here. We sell meat goats (Breeding stock, Hobbiest stok, 4hers and FFA and for consumption) just getting back into this. We also have one rental house.

I might never make a million dollars but ill be happy with enough to live out the rest of life on the front porch watching my grand childern playing with the goats. But heck im only 30 years old I got along way to go.

Ohhh and this has been a great convesation the only way it could be better if we had something to drink and some pie.

Ken in Maine · #27 03/01/10, 07:33 AM

Pie... yummy pie! Cherry or strawberry rhubarb?

Slugmar · #28 03/01/10, 09:22 AM

I'm thinking blackberry with a good ole glass of milk

shiandpete.1 · #29 03/01/10, 09:26 AM

Don't forget the hides! Find a market for the goat skin and make money off that too! I would like pumpkin pie please!

Ken in Maine · #30 03/01/10, 09:51 AM

Pie.. with an ice cold FRESH glass of goat's milk... yum!

fishhead · #31 03/01/10, 10:57 AM

IF there was a profit of $50 each you'd have to raise and sell 100 animals each year just to make $5,000. It would be hard to make a living on just goats unless you do what I see a lot of people do and that's sell quality goats to people who just want quality animals for their own use or to sell quality goats to the next person down the line.

okiemom · #32 03/01/10, 06:00 PM

if you have cows you can fun some goats w/ them. the goats eat what cows won't so they keep the pastures from becoming brushy.

pros

you can get two types of animals off of your land

goats can really turn an abused pasture into a nice grassy pasture in little time.

good additional tax write off

cons

Goats can be very hard to keep they need good coverage/barn to stay out of the weather

they can be very wormy and need more meds or they have a high kie off rate

the mortality of the kids can be very high

the electric fencing needed to keep the goats in can be an added cost and add more time for checking it to see if it works.

goats don't do as well on pasture as they do scrub areas and the numbers of goats/ac. will decrease as it improves

Vicki McGaugh TX Nubians · #33 03/01/10, 07:11 PM

Most talk about their goats and their business plan, but then you find out they are custom haymen, truck marketers etc...and that is the point. Diversification. When selling fluid milk for $5 a gallon profit, it's alot of milk to make a living...but take that gallon of milk and make it into cheese and your profit line is up by 5 fold....use that gallon to make soap and it is up by over 20 fold...do it all...breeding stock, show stock, milk, cheese, soap, garden produce, honey and you have a tidy little business. Meat goats never fit into the business plan here (although I had fullbloods in the begining of boers), very honestly way too much of the wrong kind of foot traffic on the place, having to give them a place to butcher and the list went on and on...the promise of meat markets that never materialized, not even in Texas unless you want to truck to San Angelo. Now take the goatlings unsold as breeding stock to feed Rhodesian Ridgebacks raw, who whelp out 12 pups for $700 each once a year, husbands construction business builds barns for those who buy goats from me......and the diversification of the homestead goes on and on. Try to make a living off meat goats only....na. Vicki

Alice In TX/MO · #34 03/01/10, 09:09 PM

That low price for alfalfa is regional. It's $17.75 here in South Texas where it won't grow because of cotton root rot. It's trucked in from Arizona.

Jcran · #35 03/01/10, 09:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Slugmar

I have to disagree with you, the hay market in my area is at rock bottom you can buy three string alfalfa bales for 7 dollars delivered from oregon and put in the barn. .

Well, heck, bring some of that 7 dollar hay on over to Eureka! We are paying over 200 a ton right now and last year it went to 325/ton. THAT is where you can diversify! I've got 4-Hers o'plenty who'd be happy if they could get hay for 150/ton. Bring over a truck and trailer load and I'll sell you a few stellar goats to add to your herd. We'd all win and my husband would LOVE you!

Slugmar · #36 03/01/10, 11:01 PM

jcran I'll find the numbers for you it was in last week ag magazine we get as long as we didn't use it to start a fire.