GOAT PRODUCTION: AN OVER VIEW OF THE CANADIAN GOAT INDUSTRY

Nada K. Nadarajah, Dept. of Animal & Poultry Science, Univ. of Guelph

Background for Discussion.

Goat Industry in Canada operates under the following classifications with some common breeds indicated: -

MILK (dairy) - Alpine, Saanen and Toggenburg
MILK & MEAT (dairy /meat - dual purpose), Nubian and LaMancha
MOHAIR & MEAT (fibre, Chevon) - Angora and Cashmere
MEAT - (specialized meat breed) - Boer
PETS & MEAT (Pygmy)

Note: Information and Photographs of the individual goat breeds can be obtained from the Livestock section of the WWW Virtual Library and additional information with respect to Canadian Goat Industry by accessing the home page of the Department of Animal & Poultry Sci., University of Guelph.

Goats has been in Canada for years, but was included in the first time in Canadian Agriculture Census in 1986 and the statistics were:-

32,460 goats in 2,999 farms in Ontario
75,788 goats in 8,936 farms in Canada.

In the 1991 Agricultural Census:

Total number of Goats in Canada - 88,116
ie. 16% increase over 1986.
Total number of Goats in Ontario - 33,405
only a 3% increase over the 1986 census!. ?

Current Ontario population of breeding goats approx 50,000.

Market Situation:

No promotional profile for marketing goat milk, dairy products, meat (Chevon) or fibre in Canada. It's just the supply and demand structure in operation in a free market enterprise. There is not enough supply and there exists a great potential for the expansion of production to satisfy the current market. However, the cost of production and profitability is in question under unrestricted imports.

Let's look at each of these sectors:

Dairy industry:

Milk - fluid milk, cheese, dairy products (yoghurt, ice-cream) and raising secondary livestock (veal calves, hogs, lambs).
Volume of milk produced , 3-4 mil. litres.

Participate in milk recording scheme
Only few processors in operation

Genetic evaluations available to participants in the milk recording programs. Traits: milk, fat, fat%, protein and conformation traits.

Production: first fresheners av. 1540 lbs/700kg and adult does 2200 lbs/1000kg in 305 days lactation.

Price paid for fluid milk range: 50 - 70 cents/litre of which transportation cost is around 6 cents/litre.

All culls and male kids are sold for meat.

Meat Industry:

Very new, fast growing, specialized, ethnic market. approx. 40,000 kids sold for meat, Total supply of goat meat approx. 3.4m lbs of that 1.4 m lbs locally produced.

Targeted consumers, Toronto 1.3m, Montreal 0.5m, Vancouver 0.4m and rest of Canada, 0.5m.

Import of live animals from USA is decreasing, 1990 (5,501), 1991 (2,401), 1992 (901) and is only 243 for the first seven months of 1993.

Imported frozen meat on the increase, and sold very cheap (less than $2.99/lb retail). Total imports in 1989 (241,989 kg), 1990 (447,471 kg), 1991 (734,558kg), approx 1.0m kg in 1993, which is equivalent to approx. 50,000 whole carcasses.

New meat breed (Boer) is available now, at an exorbitant prices.

A performance recording program for meat goats, Ontario Goat herd Improvement Program (GHIP) under the provincial ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs was developed and put in place, but funding cutbacks seriously curtailed the progress.

Ontario stock yard sale approx 13,000- 15,000 heads and average price $ 70.00. Private sales of good quality kids $4.75/kg or more at peak demand (ie approx. $100-115 per head for kids weighing 40-50 lb). Adult $2.00/kg live weight.

Mohair Industry:

Price for mohair is very low in the world market. Mohair adult $1.77/lb, kid $5.41/lb(US) in 1987.

Canadian Production 33,000 lbs and in Ontario 9,000lbs.

Value added products are popular and keeping the mohair industry going.

Government support programs and subsidies given to Agriculture production in this country over the past several years to other livestock groups (dairy, beef, swine and sheep) have helped a lot to producers in maintaining and further developing viable livestock industries in increasingly competitive global markets. But there is nothing of that sort for goat production. Goat farming has been considered as a hobby and is still regarded that way by both the Federal and Provincial Agricultural Ministries.However, there are a few full time goat farms supporting families as the only sources of farm income.

Having multiple products from mostly dual purpose herd creates a complex situation in goats with respect to both the production system and genetic selection. Producers are uncertain where to concentrate on either milk, meat or both.

A Dairy Goat / Meat Goat or Dual Purpose Goats?.

Traits: Litter size, litter weight, average daily gain, milk (quantity), milk (quality: fat, protein), conformation/condition score and live animal grading.

An on-farm survey of a cross section of goat producers in Ontario conducted in 1991 revealed:-

Average, at least eight years in business, 23% relatively new and 7% had been raising goats for more than 16 years.

The average participant does not work off the farm, although their spouse does.

Average herd inventory included 33 does, 3 bucks 23 replacement animals and 8 market kids.

An indicator of potential growth was that 57% participants would like to increase their herd size to an average of 44 does and 34% are planning to maintain their current numbers.

Goat Farm income - relative source:-

• Just meat (Chevon) - 42%
• Combination (milk, meat, fibre) 40%
• Just Milk (dairy) - 12%
• Breeding Stock - 6%

CULLING OF DOES: Relative responses based on the order of priority:-

poor milker (52%), mastitis (45%), genetic malformation (42%), disease control (37%), poor conformation (35%),maternal ability (33%), abscess (30%) and poor ADG of kids (28%).

CULLING OF BUCKS: Relative responses based on the order of priority:-

genetic malformation (67%), conformation of kids(65%), poor libido (65%), poor growth of kids (60%), poor temperament (50%), inbreeding (42%) and abnormal testicles (41%).

SELECTION OF REPLACEMENT DOES: Relative responses based on the order of criteria:-

Dam's milk production (63%), litter size (60%), conformation (55%), size at weaning (42%), dam's maternal ability (35%), extended pedigree (25%), specific purebred (22%) and sire's performance for growth (20%).

SELECTION OF BUCKS: Relative responses based on the order of criteria:-

conformation (69%), dam/daughter's milk (45%), litter size (38%), production of good meat kids (36%), average daily gain (34%), Sire's performance for growth (34%), extended pedigree (30%) and breed characteristics (29%).

Market kid sales:

Average producer markets over twice as many kids at less than 3 mo of age than those over 3 mo of age.

Average age of young kids marketed was 9 wks and older kids at 21 wks.

20% of responses revealed 100% of sales as farm gate.
40% of responses revealed 50% of sales as farm gate
33% of responses revealed all of their sales through public stock yards and other sale barns.

What are the needs of the goat industry as a whole?.

Development, Research and Education (DRE) with regards to:

Management, Reproduction, Nutrition, Genetic Improvement and Marketing etc.

Being a Livestock Geneticist, I would like to list some possible areas that will have a direct impact on improvement of the industry as a whole.

Set up performance testing programs for milk, meat and possibly mohair on a provincial/national basis to support all sectors of the industry. Share the database for pedigree and production of animals in every aspects to meet the needs.

One should be able to select superior genetics in the area (s)he wants to improve in a similar fashion as you pick and chose what you want in a free style buffet in a cafeteria.

We should take advantage of the modern animal breeding technology : AI, ET, Cloning etc.

In dairy goat, it is not much of a problem. We have wealth of knowledge from dairy cattle breeding which have achieved substantial genetic improvement over the past 25 years. So, what worked well in dairy cattle should work equally well for dairy goats. It may work even better in dairy goats due to multiple births, early sexual maturity and shorter generation length. However, if we want to maintain a dual purpose type operation or a specialized meat goat operation then we must take a slightly different approach. There again, our experiences with other red meat species (beef, pork and lamb) could be helpful.

Production Testing :

For dairy, currently we have sire summaries for production and type from analyses of test records collected through the DHAS milk recording service. Similarly, we should have evaluations for growth (birth, gains from birth to weaning, and weaning to marketing), reproduction to select animals for meat production. However, limitations are less use of AI and limited number of bucks used in herds and without much genetic link among herds across the provinces, the national genetic evaluations are of not that useful. The accuracy of predictions or the reliability of those predictions are low. One should be able to access each and every one of the animals in the herd and adapt a rigid culling practice for faster improvement.

We must examine and consider all the options:

1. Entering a herd on testing
   - milk
   - milk and meat
   - meat
   - fibre and meat
2. What type of testing to perform
   - Official/unofficial- DHAS milk testing
   - frequency
   - supervised/unsupervised weighing
   - recording of birth, weaning and market weights
   - rules and responsibilities
   - producer/breeder, Provincial/Federal support
   - producer education, extension, technology transfer
3. Data collection, editing and database maintenance - Registration, herdbook, national /global ID's for animals
   - Regional/Provincial/Central/Federal/Research Institution
   - Within herd performance, management tools and preliminary information to participants at regional/provincial Govt. level /OGBA, CGS.
   - Who performs the genetic evaluations? Regional/National?
   - Genetic Improvement Corporation/(s), for milk, meat and fibre.
   - Who pays for the cost of testing?. Start up cost, revenue from check-off, advertising, promotions, publishing proofs/EPDs.
   

Genetic improvement depends on how fast the genetically superior animals will get spread through the general goat population aimed at different sectors (dairy, dual purpose, meat and fibre) of the industry. The most rapid and economical way to do this is incorporating the modern reproductive technologies (AI, ET etc.), selective breeding. A systematic genetic evaluation system for economic traits (milk, meat and reproduction and perhaps for fibre) should be in place.

GOALS FOR GENETIC IMPROVEMENT OF CANADIAN GOATS

• Creation of superior genetics for:
  milk production
  meat production
  fibre production
  

• What is superior genetics:
  more efficient producers
  high quality products
  should aim for higher value in the markets

How can we achieve these goals:

Regional and national programs that involves:-

Research and Development (R&D)
Technology Transfer
Advertising and Marketing
Extension- producer education
Data collection
Genetic evaluation
Genetic improvement through selection.

RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT

Take advantage of some inherant qualities of goats milk and meat:

• Goat milk:
  - contains 13 % less lactose than cows milk
  - suitable for infants suffering from colic
  - possess enhanced digestive and buffering properties
  - an excellent source of protein, vitamin A and Calcium
  - can produce special quality cheese, yoghurt and ice-cream
  

• R&D focus:
  - infant formula - a substitute for mothers milk
  - fluid milk for lactose intolerant individuals, people with ulcers and digestive problems.
  - speciality cheese, yoghurt and ice-cream
  - other pharmaceutical products
  

• Goat Meat:
  - more leaner meat, high protein-amino acid profile (>ag,lu,ilu)
  - less greasy, less subcutaneous fat
  - meat goats - good feed efficiency 2.2:1 to 2.4:1
  - goats, in general, are good converters of poor quality feed
  

BREEDING PROGRAMS

Performance recording and Genetic evaluation for:

Milk - pure bred and grade goats
Meat - pure bred and crossbred goats, special 2-way and 3-way crosses for meat production.
Reproduction: litter size, early sexual maturity, conception rate out of season breeding for milk etc.

What we need:

Registration of parents and pedigree animals
wide use of young bucks across the country- AI
Central data collection and processing
genetic evaluations: national/ regional for milk, meat and fibre.

Additional Goat Production Information
National Goat Association Handbook
Goat Resources
Small Ruminant Collaborative Research Support Program
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