Success in the Canadian Western Agribition show ring translated into dollars for goat breeder Kerry O’Donnell.
The Calder, Sask., producer of Boer goats showed the grand champion purebred buck and doe, as well as the best percentage doe.
The buck kid went on to top the sale, selling for $1,000 to Guenette Bautz of Middle Lake, Sask.
Len Howse, who showed the champion meat doe in the commercial show, said a good purebred buck should sell for $1,000.
“That’s kind of where I would like to see the prices,” he said.
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The sale’s 15 lots sold for an average $418.50, compared to last year’s 18 lots selling for an average $425.83.
Howse of the Saskatchewan Goat Breeders Association said females aren’t selling as high as breeders would like. He said producers find it easier to buy one good buck to improve their programs than to replace several females.
“It doesn’t take a lot of kids to recoup that cost,” he said.
Meat kids are selling for between $110 and $120 and Howse believes demand will continue to grow.
He said the cost of feeding seven does is the same as one cow. That cow will come off pasture with one calf worth perhaps $800.
The seven goat does should have two kids each. Fourteen kids at $120 each provide a return of twice as much as the beef cow.
