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About SRMGA
Calling all meat goat
producers!
A new meat goat producer's
organization is now forming. Snake River Meat Goat
Association (SRMGA) is open to producers in Idaho, Oregon,
Washington, Nevada and beyond. Meat goat production is one
of the oldest and most wide-spread of the animal enterprises in
the world. At this point, it is the fastest growing animal
enterprise in the United States.
Why raise meat goats?
The total goat market in the
U.S. is growing at a rate of 10-15% annually. By all
measures, there are not enough goats produced in the U.S. to
meet domestic goat needs. Case in point; of the over
16,000 metric tons of goat meat exported from Australia in
2003-2004, over 48% came to the U.S. and another 6% went to
Canada. Approximately 65% of the red meat consumed
globally is goat meat.
Why Goat meat is a
healthier choice then Lamb, Beef, Pork and Chicken?
Meat goats are generally
leaner and more muscular than dairy goats and have different
proportions.
A 3 oz portion of roasted
meat contains:
|
Meat
|
Calories
|
Fat in Grams |
| Goat |
122 |
2.5 |
| Beef |
245 |
16 |
| Pork |
310 |
24 |
| Lamb |
235 |
16 |
|
Chicken |
120 |
3.5 |
In the United
States, meat goat productions are increasing because of
goats' economic value as high-performance converters of
low-quality forages into quality meat, mile, and hide
products for specialty needs.
An extensive
number of ethnic groups have settled in this country, and
have a preference for goat meat, milk, and cheese products.
According to census figures, almost 18% of Florida's
population is Hispanic, yet 85% of dressed goat meat
marketed in Florida is imported.
Compared to most
livestock ventures, entry level commercial meat goat
enterprises costs are modest indeed. Moderately-priced does
of mixed meat breed (Boer, Kiko, Tennessee Meat goat,
Genemaster, Texmaster, Savanna and Spanish) ancestry are
readily available. Purebred or high percentage meat breed
bucks cost about the same as a registered bull.
Snake River Meat
Goat Associations' purpose is to promote and expand the meat
goat industry, through education, presentations, networking,
shows and marketing. Our main goat is to produce the
highest quality product to satisfy most goat consumers
ever-growing demand for years to come.
For more
information on meat goat production or to become a member of
this ground-level organization, contact Wayne Gifford at
208-278-5023 or Gary Custer at 208-733-9235.
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