A Look into Kentucky Goat Farming

Midget is one of the three remaining boer goats at Triple E Boer Goats in Roundhill, Ky.

Story and Photos by J.P. Mayer/Farm to Fork

A visitor to Triple E Boer Goats in Roundhill, Ky. will be greeted by a cacophony of sound mixed with the calls of dogs, roosters, and goats.   Kentucky, a state that has long been a leading producer of tobacco in the United States, is now moving away from its dependency on its cash crop and becoming a leading producer in another market, goat farming.

“I was raised farming thousands of acres.  It was natural for me to want something to farm,” said Amy Craft.  “We only have twenty or so acres so goat farming was something we could do to generate extra income for our family.”

Trigger is the last remaining buck at Triple E Boer Goats in Roundhill, Ky.

Amy Craft and her husband, Edwin Craft, started their goat operation so that Amy could have a stay at home job to take care of their son, Thomas.  They are co-owners of Triple E Boer Goats in Roundhill, Ky.

According to the United States Department of Agriculture’s 2007 Census of Agriculture, Kentucky is ranked fourth in meat goat sales measured in head.

“Goat farming is ideal for smaller farms,” said Craft.  “You can have a profitable goat operation on 20 acres.”

According to the USDA Food Inspection and Safety Service, there is an expanding market for goat meat in the southeastern United States, which has led to new marketing opportunities for small farming operations.

The Kentucky Goat Producers Association and the Kentucky Sheep and Goat Development Office are two non-profits that exist to help promote goat and sheep farming in the state.  They work with the Kentucky Department of Agriculture in order to help educate farmers on how to properly manage and raise goats.

The Kentucky Agricultural Development Board passed the Goat and Sheep Diversification Program in Aug. of 2001.  The program was implemented with the hopes of helping Kentucky farmers to become less dependent on raising tobacco.

The Goat and Sheep Diversification Program goals include: assist numbers of producers to diversify into goat/sheep production, position goat/sheep production as a viable and complementary income source for Kentucky livestock and tobacco producers, and encourage the development of goat/sheep production, marketing, and value-added infrastructure among other goals.

Thomas Craft, the son of Edwin and Amy Craft owners of Triple E Boer Goats, takes a break from playing with the animals.

“We have regional graded sales and tel-o-auction venues in Kentucky which allows for good sales opportunities,” said Craft.  “A lot of other states don’t have that.”

However, Kentucky does not have the most opportune climate for the raising of goats said Craft.  The moisture that is present in Kentucky’s climate can be harmful to the goats because goats are generally more accustomed to warmer and dryer climates.  The moisture makes them more prone to illness.

“Goats require more maintenance than other types of livestock,” said Craft.  “They are much more susceptible to parasites, being sick, or being lame.  I bet I’ve got $1500 worth of medicine to take care of them.”

Though goats are not low maintenance animals, they are a good companion livestock to have with other kinds of livestock, like cattle.

Goats make great co-grazers for cattle said Dawn Steiger, owner of  Rising Sun Ranch in Bowling Green, Ky.  Goats and cattle only share about 20% of the same diet, which does not encourage competition of the same food sources.

The Great Pyrenees are used to guard the boer goats, like Classy, from coyotes and other predators.

Goats will eat a lot of forage, like thistle, kudzu, and honeysuckle that people want to remove said Steiger.

Since Kentucky is a leading cattle producing state, many farms have been able to add goats to their livestock in order to increase their profit.

“No one ever is going to make a lot of money farming.  It’s not a high revenue business,” said Craft. “Farming itself is hard work little pay.  Its something that you have to love and want to do.”