October 24th, 2006
New Goats, Old Tricks
The British Goat Society makes its first appearance at next week’s Dairy Event. Caroline Stocks visited one producer who has already made the switch from cows
For most people, mention dairy farming and the first thing that comes to mind is cows. But for one Staffordshire farmer, dairying has taken on a whole new meaning.
Nick Brandon has swapped his herd of 160 pedigree Holsteins for more than 800 goats and, almost 10 years after diversifying, he is reaping the benefits of daring to be different.
Falling milk prices in traditional dairying first encouraged Mr Brandon to consider alternatives to traditional dairying. After speaking to a friend who was considering diversifying into goats, he decided to try the enterprise himself.
“Goats’ milk was double the price of cows’, so it seemed like a good idea,” Mr Brandon says. “We decided to talk to a milk buyer to see if there was a market for the product.”
Mr Brandon secured a contract with local dairy Delamere and bought 150 goats to farm alongside his Holstein herd on his 162ha (400-acre) farm. He quickly realised, however, that milking both cows and goats was too much work.
“They are both enterprises that need running well,” Mr Brandon says. “You’ve got to be on the ball with both and that was proving difficult.”
Accepting the business was too complicated, he decided to sell his cows to concentrate on goats. “I never thought I’d give up on cows, but I’m happy now,” he says. “Trying not to spend money investing in cows was not the way to carry on. It’s not an enjoyable way to farm.”
Mr Brandon expects to have 1000 goats by spring and hopes to double that number by the end of next year. The farm’s cow sheds have been converted, while accommodation for another 100 goats is being built. An 88-point rotary is under construction and expected to be completed by December.
While the price of goats’ milk is higher than cows, it has remained the same since Mr Brandon first started the venture, at about 36p/litre. “Although in real terms the price has gone down, it’s still a viable business,” he says. “The market is sound and demand is there.”
Despite having healthy demand and reasonable profits, Mr Brandon warns diversifying is not easy and is not for everyone. “If you think you want to get out of cows because you are losing money, and you can’t afford to invest, don’t think it will be any different with goats.”
Mr Brandon says equipment has proved expensive. “We have also had to go to the bank for an awful lot of money to be able to afford the new parlour.” He also pays a premium of £120-150 for a milking goat because “there aren’t many spare ones about”.
Goat dairying has revealed other difficulties. “There aren’t the specialist places to go for vet advice and there are very few licensed vet products. One of the biggest things was being overwhelmed by the sheer number of animals. We weren’t ready for the complexity of feeding and veterinary problems.”
Mr Brandon says the key to goat farming is being aware of what’s happening in the industry and securing a milk contract before buying animals.”We started producing for Delamere because they needed more milk. Our expansion has always been led by demand.”
Diversifying into goats is certainly not for the faint-hearted, he says. “We have made every mistake there is to make, but we’ve learnt from them. My only regret is that I didn’t make the change sooner.”
DAIRY EVENT 2006
* The Dairy Event takes place at Stoneleigh Park, Stoneleigh, Warwickshire, on 20 and 21 September. More details from RABDF 0845 458 2711 or www.dairyevent.co.uk.
BRANDON’S TOP GOAT TIPS
* Find a market and secure a contract before starting
* Create a detailed veterinary and feeding plan and stick to it
* Learn as much as you can about the industry
THINGS TO CONSIDER BEFORE DIVERSIFYING
* Considering alternative dairying opportunities could stop some farmers from going out of business, says RABDF chief executive Nick Everington.
However, dairy farmers need to identify a market and secure a contract before they move away from traditional dairying.
“It doesn’t suit everyone to diversify, but the important thing is to find a market and get a contract sorted first,” he says.
Mr Everington says the British Goat Society will be at the Dairy Event for the first time to give farmers advice on the potential of diversifying. “There’s quite a demand for goats’ milk and other products and we are trying to show the opportunities available,” he says.
As well as goats, Mr Everington says farmers should consider other types of dairying, such as buffaloes and ewes.
“We need to bring in alternatives and address the needs of the livestock industry,” he adds.
By: Stocks, Caroline, Farmers Weekly, 9/15/2006