One meat with growing popularity is goat. In fact, it is the fastest-growing animal enterprise in America. Goat meat production economics affect what practices goat raisers can afford. It is expensive to raise goats, and hobbyists must sooner or later confront that fact – the decision must be made to seek a profit or to discontinue operations. Those who decide to earn a living from goat-raising benefit from the successful marketing of goat meat to the public.
A marketing plan is the first step towards profitable goat production. It should include a breeding plan, customer demographics and schedules for specific management activities. The majority of goats end up as food meat, notwithstanding their ages and previous roles. Goat prices vary with the following characteristics:
- size
- breed
- sex
- age
- condition
- health
All of these factors must be considered in a marketing plan in order to estimate potential revenues. You will want to have a correct price structure for your goat business, or else you will probably not succeed and end up being an ipod repair man or something. Marketing activities can help determine your final selling price per animal. There are on-farm and off-farm aspects to goat meat marketing. The on-farm decisions must include what types and ages of animals to raise. The categories of goat meat include Easter kids, which usually sell at a premium, cabrito, which sells in range of $.70 to $1.40 per pound, and chevron, which can be of any age and sells at a discount to the two other types.
Ethnic holidays can drive demand and higher prices for goat meat. Knowing your ethnic holidays will help you plan your breeding schedule, so that goats hit their target ages just as demand peaks. Goats can be sold on the farm or at central auctions. Goat touts sell leads to potential bidders on where to find the most desirable goats and the maximum to bid. A goat raiser can also sell his herd to a slaughterhouse directly. Auctions are favored by those who want to expend little effort to find a buyer, but they do present risks price-wise. It makes sense to auction-shop to find out projected prices and whether the auctioneer is eager for your business. Large auctions may be further away than smaller regional ones, so the transportation costs of the former will be higher. You can also track goat meat price trends online at various sites, including one run by the Food and Drug Administration. However you sell your goats, you must figure in goat shrink – the weight lost after the goat leaves the farm. This can lower the value of a goat from four to ten percent or more. Whether you ultimately unload your goat herds on the farm, on consignment, at auction or through private treaty sales, you can ensure higher prices for your goat meat if you raise your goats organically.