The primary species that are produced are swine, goats, sheep and chickens. The two sheep breeds most prevalent in the Virgin Islands are the Virgin Islands White Hair Sheep , developed on St. Croix, and the Barbados Blackbelly sheep. Both sheep breeds are used in the tropics for meat production and do not grow the heavy wool coat necessary for colder climates. The goat breeds used locally are primarily Anglo-Nubian, Creole and their crosses. Recently, a small number of Boer goats were imported to improve the local stock.
Information is provided on management, feeding and selection.
The breeders exchange program of the Cooperative Extension Service is a locator service offered to all of the livestock farmers in the Virgin Islands and the nearby Caribbean. It deals with all species of livestock. This service keeps record of farmers that have livestock to sell and farmers who are searching for livestock. The animal science staff then works to put the two together. This locator service is offered at no cost to the two parties and will accomodate requests for a single animal up to an entire herd or flock .