To do otherwise could lead to frustration and financial loss. Processors and brokers marketing other animals could possibly expand into goat marketing with requisite planning and execution. In any case, there seems little question that the demand for both high and lesser quality goats is such that many more animals could be taken. Figure 3 shows the current ranking of southern meat goat producing states. There are apparent discrepancies between goat inventories, auction runs and slaughter numbers reported.
Supply is more than simply an amount.
The concept of economic supply can be used to predict how a change in goat prices, for instance, would cause adjustments over time in the number of goats being produced. Because the meat goat industry is rapidly developing, and because useful price data is as yet largely unreported, any estimates of economic supply would necessarily be poorly documented. Currently, the supply of goats seems to be expanding, mainly in response to an increase in demand and to improved potential for producer profits. Figure 4 provides evidence of this expanding supply in federally inspected slaughter numbers. However, there is also evidence that demand for both slaughter and breeding stock in certain production areas has reduced farm inventories, particularly in Texas.