Status of Goat Farms in the U.S. II:Dairy and Meat Goats
The number of U.S. dairy goat farms increased by 45 percent, and dairy goat numbers increased by 52.5 percent from 1997 to 2002. The number of farms selling them increased by 71 percent, and the number of goats sold increased 57 percent (Table 4). According to the 2007 USDA-NASS sample data, dairy goats gained another 5 percent in numbers from the 2002 USDA census.
Table 4. Changes in dairy goat industry from 1997 to 2007 in the United States.
| 1997 | 2002 | 2007* | Most Recent % of 1997 | |
| Number of farms | 15,451 | 22,389 | 145 | |
| Number of goats | 190,588 | 290,789 | 305,000 | 160.0* |
| Number of farm selling goats | 5,163 | 8,850 | 171.4 | |
| Number of Dairy goats sold | 72,307 | 113,654 | 157.2 |
- Reflects the 2007 USDA-NASS sample data.
The number of meat goat farms increased by 18 percent, and the number of meat goats increased more than 57 percent from 1997 to 2002 (Table 5). The number of farms selling meat goats increased by 48 percent, with more than an 108-percent increase in meat goats. Although there was a drastic reduction in Angora goat numbers and sales, the increase in total goat population in the United States can be attributed partially to a small increase in the numbers of dairy goats and a major increase in the number of meat goats. The 71-percent increase in the number of dairy goats sold may have also contributed to the rise in the meat goat market. According to the 2007 USDA-NASS sample data, meat goat population was up another 29 percent from the 2002 USDA census.
Table 5. Changes in meat goat farming from 1997 to 2007 in the United States.
| 1997 | 2002 | 2007* | % of 1997 | |
| Number of farms | 63,422 | 74,980 | 118.2 | |
| Number of goats | 1,231,762 | 1,938,924 | 2,500,000 | 203.0* |
| Number of farm selling goats | 24,539 | 36,403 | 148.3 | |
| Number of goats sold | 532,792 | 1,109,619 | 208.3 |
- Reflects the 2007 USDA-NASS sample data.
