Misplaced Pages

This article has multiple issues. Please help improve it or discuss these issues on the talk page. (Learn how and when to remove these messages) This article has an unclear citation style. The references used may be made clearer with a different or consistent style of citation and footnoting. (August 2024) (Learn how and when to remove this message) This article needs to be updated. Please help update this article to reflect recent events or newly available information. (August 2024) (Learn how and when to remove this message)

Goat farming involves the raising and breeding of domestic goats (Capra aegagrus hircus) as a branch of animal husbandry. People farm goats principally for their meat, milk, fibre and skins.

Goat farming can be very suited to production alongside other livestock (such as sheep and cattle) on low-quality grazing land. Goats efficiently convert sub-quality grazing matter that is less desirable for other livestock into quality lean meat. Furthermore, goats can be farmed with a relatively small area of pasture and with limited resources.

Pasture

As with other herbivores, the number of animals that a goat farmer can raise and sustain is dependent on the quality of the pasture. However, since goats will eat vegetation that most other domesticated livestock decline, they will subsist even on very poor land. Therefore, goat herds remain an important asset in regions with sparse and low quality vegetation.

Worldwide goat population statistics

According to the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the top producers of goat milk in 2008 were India (4 million metric tons), Bangladesh (2.16 million metric tons) and the Sudan (1.47 million metric tons).

In the US

Meat goats are farmed in all US states, although most meat goat production occurs in the Southeast. Texas is the primary producer of meat goats, representing 38% of US production.

Male goats are generally not required for the dairy-goat industry and are usually slaughtered for meat soon after birth. In the UK, approximately 30,000 billy goats from the dairy industry are slaughtered each year.

Gallery

• Goat farm
• Goat milking
• Pen for goats
• Goating Farming in Uganda
• Goatskin parchment on wooden frame

See also

• List of goat breeds
• Goats as pets
• List of goat dishes

Further reading

• Carol A. Amundson (2009). How to Raise Goats. Voyageur Press. ISBN 978-0-7603-3157-6.
• Cheryl K. Smith (2010). How to Raise Goats. John Wiley & Sons. ISBN 978-0-470-56899-6.

References

1. ^ Qushim, B.; Gillespie, J.M.; McMillin, K. (2016). "Analyzing the costs and returns of US meat goat farms". Journal of the ASFMRA.
2. FAOSTAT 2008 http://faostat.fao.org/default.aspx Archived 2011-02-20 at the Wayback Machine
3. "Meat and Dairy Production". Our World In Data. 1 August 2017. Retrieved 27 November 2019.

v t e Agriculture
Outline History Index
Occupations	Agriculturist Agricultural Engineer Farmer Farm worker Herder
General	Agribusiness Agricultural cooperative Agricultural supplies Agricultural science Agricultural engineering Agricultural technology Digital Biotechnology Agroforestry Agronomy Animal husbandry Animal-free agriculture Cash crop Cellular agriculture Cultural methods Contract farming Extensive farming Farm Farmhouse Feed ratio Free range Horticulture Intensive farming animals pigs crops Mechanised agriculture Organic farming Paludiculture Permaculture Plantation Polyculture Rice-duck farming Rice-fish system Sustainable agriculture Sustainable food system Universities and colleges Urban agriculture
History	Ancient Egypt Ancient Greece Ancient Rome Austronesia Agricultural science Agricultural History Review Arab Agricultural Revolution Argentina Canada China Chile Columbian exchange Green Revolution Indian subcontinent Mesoamerica Middle Ages Neolithic Revolution Organic farming Palestine Peru United Kingdom British Agricultural Revolution Cheshire Scotland United States African-American California
Farming Types	Agrivoltaic Aquaculture Cattle Dairy farming Fur farming Goat farming Grazing Convertible husbandry Rotational grazing Hydroponics Insect farming Livestock Pasture Mixed Monoculture Paddy field Pastoral Bocage Pig farming Poultry farming Ranch Orchards Subsistence agriculture Sheep farming Terrace Wildlife farming
Environmental impact	Agricultural expansion Agricultural pollution Agricultural wastewater Overgrazing Environmental impact of irrigation Overdrafting Climate change and agriculture
Categories	Agricultural machinery Agriculture by country Agriculture companies Biotechnology History of agriculture Livestock Meat industry Poultry farming Agriculture and the environment
Lists	Agriculturist profession Agricultural machinery Food origins Government ministries Universities and colleges
Category Portal Commons Wikiproject

• Animal breeding
• Goats