source: Farm and Food Report
These may not be the best of times for Saskatchewan goat breeders affected by the BSE border closures, saturated markets, and meat prices that bring only 60 cents a pound liveweight if luck is on your side.
But goat breeders are a resilient bunch, and the Saskatchewan Goat Breeders Association will be exploring long-term solutions to current industry woes when it holds its Annual General Meeting in Regina on April 30, according to association Secretary Judi Fisher.
“Meat used to fetch one dollar a pound liveweight at one time,” Fisher says. “Traditionally, our markets are in Ontario. Prices are really hurting us. On a recent cull of does, we were looking at shipping animals to Ontario. We soon realized we would have lost money to put them on a truck to send them there.”
Fortunately, goats being one of the earliest animals domesticated by humans thousands of years ago, a number of resources are extracted from them besides meat. There are milk and cheeses, of course, but also soap made with the milk, lotions and hand creams, and the fibre in their coat. “When people mention Angora goats, the fibre used to make amazingly soft sweaters immediately comes to mind,” explains Fisher.
One might say that goat breeders come in many breeds themselves. Some are hobby goat producers with small herds; others have herds of 400 goats raised for meat; while others have small dairy operations.
“In Saskatoon, for instance, there is a small niche market among families of consumers with children affected by lactose intolerance who cannot drink cow’s milk,” says Fisher. “This represents a non-negligible opportunity for some regional operations.”
Goat meat also has appeal as a specialty product. The association dreams of a day when federally inspected slaughtering plants in Saskatchewan will allow goat producers to sell goat meat directly to restaurants.
Fisher is quick to point out that, in Saskatchewan, a large percentage of goat meat sales currently occur right at the farm gate, rather than at butcher shops or retail stores: goats are slaughtered on-farm, and consumers purchase the meat directly from the producer on the farm.
“In many ways, we tend to have a closer contact with the consumers of our products than in other industries perhaps. We get to know them and we learn what their preferences are. It gives us a chance to acquire first-hand information about consumer choices and priorities.”
In the same vein, some breeders really get to know their animals.
“We have 15 goats altogether, and we also raise 60 Canadian Arcott sheep in the Bulyea area,” Fisher says. “We call our farm Lone Oak Acres — yes, we have one lone oak! We raise purebred Alpine, Nubian and commercial goats, which includes a couple of boer goats. Goats are special. I love their attitude. They are a privilege to raise and derive sustenance from, as many others before us have done.”
To find out more about goats in Saskatchewan, or to attend the AGM in Regina, call (306) 725-4959.
For more information, contact:
Judi Fisher
Saskatchewan Goat Breeders Association
(306) 725-4959
These may not be the best of times for Saskatchewan goat breeders affected by the BSE border closures, saturated markets, and meat prices that bring only 60 cents a pound liveweight if luck is on your side.
But goat breeders are a resilient bunch, and the Saskatchewan Goat Breeders Association will be exploring long-term solutions to current industry woes when it holds its Annual General Meeting in Regina on April 30, according to association Secretary Judi Fisher.
“Meat used to fetch one dollar a pound liveweight at one time,” Fisher says. “Traditionally, our markets are in Ontario. Prices are really hurting us. On a recent cull of does, we were looking at shipping animals to Ontario. We soon realized we would have lost money to put them on a truck to send them there.”
Fortunately, goats being one of the earliest animals domesticated by humans thousands of years ago, a number of resources are extracted from them besides meat. There are milk and cheeses, of course, but also soap made with the milk, lotions and hand creams, and the fibre in their coat. “When people mention Angora goats, the fibre used to make amazingly soft sweaters immediately comes to mind,” explains Fisher.
One might say that goat breeders come in many breeds themselves. Some are hobby goat producers with small herds; others have herds of 400 goats raised for meat; while others have small dairy operations.
“In Saskatoon, for instance, there is a small niche market among families of consumers with children affected by lactose intolerance who cannot drink cow’s milk,” says Fisher. “This represents a non-negligible opportunity for some regional operations.”
Goat meat also has appeal as a specialty product. The association dreams of a day when federally inspected slaughtering plants in Saskatchewan will allow goat producers to sell goat meat directly to restaurants.
Fisher is quick to point out that, in Saskatchewan, a large percentage of goat meat sales currently occur right at the farm gate, rather than at butcher shops or retail stores: goats are slaughtered on-farm, and consumers purchase the meat directly from the producer on the farm.
“In many ways, we tend to have a closer contact with the consumers of our products than in other industries perhaps. We get to know them and we learn what their preferences are. It gives us a chance to acquire first-hand information about consumer choices and priorities.”
In the same vein, some breeders really get to know their animals.
“We have 15 goats altogether, and we also raise 60 Canadian Arcott sheep in the Bulyea area,” Fisher says. “We call our farm Lone Oak Acres — yes, we have one lone oak! We raise purebred Alpine, Nubian and commercial goats, which includes a couple of boer goats. Goats are special. I love their attitude. They are a privilege to raise and derive sustenance from, as many others before us have done.”
To find out more about goats in Saskatchewan, or to attend the AGM in Regina, call (306) 725-4959.
For more information, contact:
Judi Fisher
Saskatchewan Goat Breeders Association
(306) 725-4959
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