As JR listed in an earlier post, says they drove a trailer load of goats from Texas to New Hollland PA. What are the goat prices there? Is it worth the travel? The local market,( Lewisburg, WV) pays about $75/hd for mixed dairy wethers. Around 75 to 100 lbs live weight. Maybe my 1/2 Boer meat animals are worth more in PA? Any advice?

-- Terri Perry (stuperry@stargate.net), October 12, 2000

Answers

Hi Terri,

There uis a website I go to every now and then that lists the auction proces for the week. Although not current. Its via the VA st dept of ag website, I apologize, but I don't have the website addy handy and have to go to work soon. I'll try to find it later. Let me say this though about prices.

I am the secretary for the Mid-Atlantic Meat & Lamb Marketing Cooperative. We are located out of VA currently but have members from several surrounding states. We formed because of prices being very poor for producers selling independently. As for going to New Holland and expecting to get rich.... Hon.... set your eyes on and drive your truck to NYC.... thats where the money is at! You hear a lot of folks discuss the great prices at New Holland but its not always that spetacular when you break down the costs and you have to pay 8% commission as well, or used to a few months back. If it were so profitable we would not have formed our cooperative. If you ar einteresdted in our Coop please e-mail me privately, we get prices ranging from 90 cents a pound to 1.50. We will also be holding a commercial doe sale on 10/28. We hold sales monthly and so far our members are happy.

Bernice

-- Bernice (geminigoats@yahoo.com), October 12, 2000.

I know people who buy from New Holland then sell in New Jersey at a profit. They say that the people from out west get a better price for the goats in PA but they get a better price in NJ. Maybe you could come straight to NJ. Sorry, I don't know what they are getting for them. The sales are on Tues. They go through alot of goats. If I can get there next week, I'll check it out for you.

-- Dee (gdgtur@goes.com), October 13, 2000.

I am just posting this in reference to how many producers can be at the mercy of the market. In january, our meat goat cooperativwe approved the transport for sale of goats to new holland, PA for the easter sales. We were originally scheduled to go the very first weekned in April, however, a representative from their office called our manager and asked that we bring them the following weekend, or last weekend. We did, changed plans. The reason for this was he mentioned getting better prices. all our members were very enthusiatic about shipping goats as prices were fairly good. Then, when it came time for the sale there were way too many goats, approximately 4,000 head. This greatly impaced the price and several of our members lost their behinds so to speak on this shipment, myself included. We charged a fee to haul members' goats and a few members were in the red, very sad situation. But with the market overflooded such as it was there is little anyone can do. The moral of the story here is; New Holland, PA does have higher prices paid for animals, however, be cautious as the market flucuates. You don't want to loose your hard work and "underware" in the process. Our cooperative will be carefully scoping out the market there and following it closely. We are also thinking of moving into a different direction as well. Producers cannot continue to raise their animals and then give them away at sales. so, what is the answer? I would really be interested in how producers in other areas are doing with prices. thanks for listening to me mumble on.....

-- Bernice (geminigoats@yahoo.com), April 16, 2001.