Contribution of newer goat breeds to small ruminant profitability

Abstract Text:

Profitability in commercial meat goat enterprises is affected by animal productivity, market value, and input costs. Productivity indicators include doe reproductive output, kid growth rate, carcass merit, and hardiness. Breed choice(s) can affect these profit factors and set the path to profit or loss. Meat goat breed options are scant compared to other ruminant livestock sectors in the US. The South African Boer goat was a highly visible new breed introduced in the 1990s to enhance meat production of the US herd base of primarily Spanish-type goats. This model has been repeated worldwide. New Zealand Kiko goats were also imported by US interests in the 1990s. New breeds are usually introduced with a focus on improving growth and end-products (e.g., meat, milk, fiber) while overlooking fitness traits (health and reproduction) that may be greater profit drivers, especially if doelings are retained for future breeding. Successful new breed introductions require some level of adaptation to destination environments, particularly in low-input systems. Loss of native or naturalized local genotypes possessing desirable fitness levels while pursuing improved growth or end-product traits is a global concern. This was true after large-scale crossbreeding of naturalized Spanish goats with imported Boer commenced. Research indicated that Boer germplasm generated an insignificant to negative impact on doe fitness compared to the Spanish maternal base. Reductions in doe reproductive output, wellness, and stayability point to lowered expected enterprise profitability. Health and stayability problems increase input costs. Economic analysis demonstrated lower annual net return for Boer does (-$52.25) compared to Spanish does ($7.18) in a low-input setting. Some relative increases in weight were evident using Boer at various research stations, but improvements in carcass merit were not so obvious. One carcass trait noticeably improved by the Boer influence was conformation score. Improved conformation score can increase market value. Across performance traits, other data suggests that Kiko goats may be a favored import over Boer for increasing commercial herd profitability. The newest breed garnering attention among US producers is the South African Savanna. Like Boer and Kiko in the 1990s, current industry use of Savanna is preceding objective characterization. The newer breeds have increased industry popularity, but not necessarily profitability. Proper selection and use of new and established breeds in meat goat mating systems is important for profitability in a low-input commercial setting. Managing around poor meat goat breed choices is probably not profitable or sustainable.

Keywords:

meat goat, breed, profitability