West Virginia farmers looking for growing markets and new opportunities might find a whole new meaning forgetting their goat.

An agricultural economist and an animal scientist at West Virginia University have found the prospects of goat production in the Mountain State to be promising.

The meat goat industry is the fastest-growing animal industry in the United States,said Dee Singh-Knights, an assistant professor of agribusiness management and rural development in WVU s Davis College of Agriculture, Forestry and Consumer Sciences.

Sales of goat meat, or chevon, throughout the United States and particularly in the Northeast have risen dramatically since the early 1980s and are at an all-time high,Singh-Knights said.Demand comes from various sources including ethnic markets and the health and gourmet food sectors.

Singh-Knights and Marlon Knights, an assistant professor of animal and veterinary sciences, explored the market from many angles. They have developed aHandbook for Beginnersthat looks at the industry as a whole, management and marketing practices, breeding and reproductive management, and herd nutrition and health.

They also identified a number of advantages associated with goat production that producers in West Virginia can capitalize on:

-The U.S. demand for goat meat is increasing.

-The average annual price paid per pound of goat meat has increased over the last five years, rising by 15 cents in just the last two years.

-Compared with other livestock, goats require fewer resources, such as labor and buildings, which enables the small, part-time farmer to be efficient, competitive, and profitable.

-Goats are efficient converters of low-quality forages to meat, milk, and hide products, requiring less of other feed sources such as corn and other processed feed.

Ethnic groups that require live goats and goat meat for religious and cultural reasons are increasing. Ethnic restaurants, which commonly use goat meat, are a fast-growing segment of the food industry.

-Effective reproductive management can allow for year-round goat production.

-Goats also can be used to complement other livestock enterprises.

Multispecies grazing�€that is, the grazing of goats with another livestock species�€is widely used,said Knights.

Greater production and better pasture utilization are achieved when cattle and goats are grazed together as opposed to grazing either species alone, according to research studies. This is especially true in pastures where a diverse plant population exists.

Goat production can help revive some small family farms in the Appalachian region,Knights said.

The Divisions of Resource Management and Animal Sciences at WVU and the West Virginia Sheep Management Project are initiating several projects to capitalize on this burgeoning market.

Among these initiatives is a research survey of goat producers to collect information that will be used to help improve goat production and marketing alternatives in West Virginia. The survey will help identify producersneeds and concerns, and give them the opportunity to express their opinion regarding improvement alternatives.

The information provided will be used to analyze and evaluate various production and marketing opportunities and design research and educational programs to address problems specific to meat goat production in West Virginia.

Growth of the goat industry in West Virginia ultimately depends on helping the producer to better tailor product offering to consumer preferences,Singh-Knights said.

To participate in this survey, obtain a copy of the handbook, or for more information on research initiatives, contact Singh-Knights , 304-293-4832, ext. 4466, dosingh-knights@mail.wvu.edu