U.S. Dairy Goat Operations

Excerpts from the report: Goat milk is used for human consumption and to feed goat kids and other livestock. For human consumption, goat milk is used primarily in cheese production and is also consumed as milk, cultured milk products, ice cream, and butter. In the United States, goat milk and other dairy goat products are valued by a growing number of connoisseur consumers. Because of its unique nutritional and biochemical properties, goat milk is also increasingly used by people with cow milk allergies and gastrointestinal disorders. While the demand for goat milk in the United States has not risen as fast as the demand for goat meat, there has been a steady expansion in goat milk production; the dairy goat inventory increased by 15 percent from 290,789 head in 2002 to 334,754 head in 2007. By January 1, 2011, the number of milk goats had increased to 360,000 head. The NAHMS Goat 2009 study was the first national study of the U.S. goat industry and was conducted in 21 of the Nation’s major goat-producing States. These States represented 75.5 percent of U.S. goat operations and 82.2 percent of U.S. goats. A stratified random sample of goat operations that kept at least one goat for meat, dairy, fiber, or other purposes was selected for the study.