The Australian goatmeat industry has experienced strong growth over the past 20 years with over 1.5 million goats processed annually. This growth has been largely supported by the sale of goats sourced from the rangelands which accounts for more than 90 percent of production.
To support further growth in the rangeland goat industry, Meat & Livestock Australia (MLA) has released a new tool, the Going into Goats: A practical guide to producing goats in the rangelands.
The guide has been developed by producers for producers with consultative workshops held during its production across Australia’s rangelands, including at Yalgoo and Shark Bay in Western Australia, Longreach in Queensland and at Broken Hill in New South Wales.
During these workshops, rangeland producers identified the specific production issues that influence their productivity and profitability and detailed the processes and procedures that they use to maximise the potential of their enterprises. This guide focuses on these issues so that producers can learn from other producers’ experiences.
Rick Gates from the Goat Industry Council of Australia and a rangeland goat producer in his own right said of the guide; “Improving the productivity and profitability of the rangeland goat production sector promises to deliver significant benefit to the broader industry, including non-rangeland goat producers, through the creation of a more robust and resilient industry. This resource aims to do just that.”
The guide has been developed as an e-learning tool meaning it can be updated whenever new information becomes available. It can also be downloaded as a pdf and printed.
The guide deals with the key issues that contribute to running a successful goat production enterprise in the rangelands as identified by leading producers from around the country. These issues are grouped into five sections within the guide:
- Business management
- Infrastructure
- Animal health and welfare
- Grazing management
- Marketing
The inclusion of 20 case studies illustrating the key issues covered within the guide brings together this valuable resource.
The Practical guide to producing goats in the rangelands will be launched in Perth on 14 November followed by a technical workshop covering some of the key topics from the guide. This will include presentations from some of the local producers involved in bringing the guide together.
Other events heralding the launch of the guide will be held on a property near Wilcannia, New South Wales, on 22 November and Charleville, Queensland on 30 November.
For further details and to register for one of these events, contact the people below:
- Western Australia, Tony Grant, 08 9956 8552
- New South Wales, Jennifer Sandow, Western CMA, 02 6872 2144
- Queensland, Angela Schuster, 02 6887 3780