I am tossing around the idea of adding a couple of milkgoats (I am partial to the size and temperment of Kinders) to our farm. I am trying to figure out if it would be economically sound on a very limited budget. I only have minimal experience with goats, but know enough that fencing and feed/pasture is pretty high on the list of things to get correct from the start. I would like to sell their milk and was curious what type of market others are experiencing. Here in north MS, there are a few people selling for five dollars a gallon. There "appears" to be more demand than supply here, thus my curiosity. Thanks.

-- Sonya (msmenagerie@yahoo.com), July 02, 2000

Answers

There is a girl In 4h here[ calif] who sells hers for 5 dollars a gallon also, she sells mostly through 4h contacts and she sells out to , she sold all her milk this year to a appy horse breeder for a foal which needed it.

-- kathy h (saddlebronc@msn.com), July 02, 2000.

Here is an interesting website: http://www.realmilk.com/realmilk.html

-- R. (thor610@yahoo.com), July 02, 2000.

We have a friend who makes goat cheese. She milks about 40 goats a day, and the demand for her cheese exceeds her production. Several folks have stopped by our farm to ask us to sell goat milk to them. Since we don't want to bother getting certified to sell goat milk, we always offer to give them milk if they bring their own container. We have never advertised that we have goat milk to sell (we don't), but word of mouth has folks coming over because folks know we are milking our goats. We are happy to share since we get much more than we can consume (we currently have four does in milk). From what we have seen, if we actually did get into the goat milk business (unlikely at this time), there would be a ready market in this area. We currently have too many projects in progress to add another venture as time- consuming as goat dairying.

-- Liz Rhein (merhein@shentel.net), July 02, 2000.

Here in Iowa it is impossible to get certified to sell goat milk for human consumption. Most of the goat milk that is produced is shipped to Wisc for cheese making (can't do that in Iowa either).

People that sell goat milk have a disclaimer that it is for animal consumption only. They can't help if a human takes a drink or two once it is off their property.

Definitely check on what your local regs are before you start up. You don't want to end up in a mess with the authorities.

-- beckie (sunshine_horses@yahoo.com), July 03, 2000.

Regulations differ from state to state so be sure and check what it would entail in your state before starting. I had to sell mine just by word of mouth as "not for human consumtion" because there was no way I could have afforded the cost of becoming certified/licensed. Some of the regulations were resonable and I would have done them anyway, (sanitation, cleaning, etc.) but more did not make sense than did.

For example, I had to have a completely separate building for washing the equipment and storing the milk, (couldn't use the kitchen in the house for anything connected to the dairy, couldn't even put extra refrigerators in the back room for the milk) and I had to have a separate septic system, (couldn't use the one that the house goes to).

-- Marci (ajourend@libby.org), July 03, 2000.

Here in VA., we are heavily regulated with the sales of raw goat milk and the products due to a political snafu that is still unresolved. Its been going on for over 20 yrs and heading for the supreme court at that. In our state you can be arrested and charged with a misdemeanor for selling raw milk or its products. Now,,, cheese is a loophole as when the idiotic assembly wrote the regulations they never thought about cheese. We can legally sell cheese at farmers markets. We are in the process of getting certified and its a chore, but will be well worth it.

Bernice

-- Bernice (geminigoats@yahoo.com), July 03, 2000.

Sonya, since Mississippi is pretty much unique in allowing the sale of raw goats milk without regulation (if you're milking under 9 does,isn't it?), I think you'll have to ask around locally. The rest of us are under so much tighter regulation that our input would be less meaningful than you need.

-- Julia (farmer@westco.net), July 03, 2000.

Hi Sonya!

My husband won't let me have any goats(yet),and I've been searching for someone willing to sell raw goat's milk to me(for myself and my children).I surely can't speak for everyone else,but I would gladly be a customer-if only I lived near you.However,I live in se OH... [If anyone in my area would like a regular customer,please contact me.]Well,gotta go...God bless!I hope you get your goats!! ~~~~Tracy Jo~~~~

-- Tracy Jo Neff (tntneff@ifriendly.com), July 07, 2000.