Is the Meat Goat Enterprise Profitable & Sustainable?
Meat goats sell for more money per pound than any other typical Midwestern livestock enterprise. This income is not sufficient to cover the entire cost of production in most cases. Record-keeping is such that total cost of production is not known or calculated. Without records it is difficult to determine if the meat goat enterprise is profitable or sustainable. The three greatest concerns hindering the meat goat enterprise from being a more vibrant and sustainable option are: First, producers find that long-term profitability and sustainability are difficult to maintain; the first three years seem to be the life span of many meat goat operations. Second, reliable breeding, feeding and health information is scarce or very hard to find. Third, profitable marketing opportunities are limited. Also, the doubling in feed cost has put an additional burden on meat goat producers seeking to earn a profit. Producers have found that there are many “budgets” available for producers to ‘budget’ ex
