WOODSTOCK, Ont. — Ontario’s milk goat flock could increase by 60 percent, which would bolster production and the number of young farmers entering the industry.
“The dairy goat processing here has capacity in excess of 100 million litres,” Ontario Dairy Goat Co-operative general manager Keith Cummings said at Canada’s Outdoor Farm Show in Woodstock in September.
“We’re the largest of all the co-ops in the province (for goat milk). We control most of the milk in the province — 60 percent plus.”
Approximately 250 producers raise dairy goats in Ontario, and total production is close to 40 million litres, which makes the province one of North America’s largest producers of goat milk. About 95 percent of the milk is made into goat cheese.
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The co-operative acts as the broker for 115 dairy goat farmers, who produce 22 million litres of milk a year. Farmers receive $1.03 per litre for their milk, Cummings said.
The dairy goat co-op delivers milk from across Ontario to processors. The logistics of pickup and delivery are a major expense, Cummings said.
Among the growing number of producers are Jeff and Becky Smith, who supply milk to a plant at Hagersville, a short drive from their farm near Caledonia.
“My grandmother always said, ‘the money is in the milk.’ She was talking cows. I’m talking goats,” Jeff Smith said.
“We had to make a call, either getting big into sheep, which wouldn’t have supported it, or milk goats.”
The couple works full time on the farm with 330 milking goats, which are the equivalent of 33 cows, and 400 acres of farmland.
They say good husbandry is essential to their success. Goats are intelligent but also vulnerable to disease. Clean water, good feed and an observant eye are essential to success.
Terry McNeeley, a director with Ontario Goat, which represents dairy and meat goat producers, said the demand for goat milk is strong, but there have been challenges for producers focusing on meat production.
“There are well over 200 dairy goat farmers in Ontario. There are many more meat goat farmers, but they tend to be small herds.”
McNeely said the U.S market for Ontario goat meat has dried up since the BSE crisis of the early 2000s. It’s still possible to ship to the United States, but disease-free standards are required.
Meat producers also face competition from the milk side of the goat industry because milk producers market their male kids for meat.
McNeely said he been involved in both sides of the goat industry. He used to manage a large dairy but today keeps 100 Boer females as well as sheep.
