If we can raise them, there is a market somewhere for them. And I think this thing is growing so fast it is the wave of the future. There are many people who are either raising or poised to raise meat goats, Davis said. We've got a lot of goat producers out there right now. The problem is trying to coordinate those efforts where they're raising the right type of breed.
Goats are the oldest domesticated animal in the world, except for dogs.
I think the problem is being able to increase the size to 110 pounds at one year of age and be able to furnish a plumper, fuller carcass to the industry. If you're going to case-ready cuts, you're going to have to furnish a larger, leaner cut. One way to do this is to crossbreed goats, he said. Among those crosses being investigated are the crossing of traditional meat breeds with the large South African Boer goat. Meat goats could be a lucrative option for West Texas sheep and goat producers who have lost governmental incentives, according to Dr. Frank Craddock, Extension sheep and goat specialist.