Today, there are relatively few purebred Spanish goats in the United States. In the Southeast, Spanish goats are also called brush, woods, and scrub goats, and these terms may include both purebred and crossbred animals. Conservation of Spanish goats has also been hindered because the breed has no registry or association. Fieldwork in the United States has been helpful in describing the various strains of Spanish goats and in encouraging the development of a formal network of breeders. Interest in Spanish goats is increasing with the growth of the goat meat industry and with increased recognition of the breed's production qualities.
Spanish goats are hardy and rugged, thriving on rough forage and in difficult environments.
The does are long lived and prolific. The breed has secured a production niche in Texas, and the largest number of Spanish goat herds are found in this state. Even in Texas, however, it has become common for Spanish goats to be crossbred for meat production, especially with the Boer goat, a meat breed from South Africa. This cross shows superb hybrid vigor, but the overuse of crossbreeding could threaten the survival of pure Spanish populations. Pure Spanish goats are also being crossbred for the production of cashmere, another useful application of their characteristics but one which also removes animals from the purebred breeding group.