By DEBORAH BEHRENDS
Illinois Correspondent

PRINCEVILLE, Ill. — Goat meat is becoming more popular in the American melting pot, and one partnership in Peoria County, Ill., hopes to feed that popularity.

Producers in the United States provide only 9 percent of the goat meat consumed in the country, according to research done by partners Justin and Rosalee Weber and Don and Keri Martindale. The quartet, owners of Bernez Farms, started raising goats several months ago, first on the Martindales’ property, and now on the Webers’.

According to Don Martindale, the other 91 percent comes from free-range, feral animals in Australia and New Zealand. “They just go out and round ‘em up for slaughter,” he said.

He said the partners did a great deal of research before deciding to get into the goat business.

“We learned we don’t need nearly as much acreage to raise goats, and they kid twice a year,” Martindale said. He added that it’s common to have two kids at a time, and often three. And he said it only takes four to five months to get them to market weight.

“We’ll never have a problem selling goats,” Justin Weber said.
Martindale said the meat is leaner and lower in fat than beef. While a number of ethnic groups eat goat meat, he said it’s slowly become more mainstream as Americans become better educated about the health benefits.

“It’s very similar to deer meat, but without the gamey taste,” Weber said. He added ground goat meat is a good substitute for hamburger, and barbecued and pulled goat is just as good as pulled pork.

In the U.S., producers raise primarily three breeds for meat: Boer, Kiko and fainting goats. Bernez Farms has purchased Boer and Kiko, and they are cross-breeding them to get the best characteristics from both.

“Cross-breeding is the way to go. You want a broad chest and wide loin. It should look like a mini-steer,” said Rosalee Weber. “Show goats are bred for different characteristics.”

The quartet admits they’ve made mistakes, such as initially buying every animal they could at auction. Now they have better ideas about which characteristics are more desirable. And, Martindale said, like any other producer, they’re learning as they become more experienced.

They’re taking advantage of a learning experience offered by Western Illinois University in Macomb. And they entered a Boer in a rate-of-gain study at WIU. Although the study is not yet complete, their entry has nearly doubled its weight in 63 days. At 42 pounds when delivered in July, at Day 63 it weighed in at 80 pounds.