ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) – A rising, immigrant-fueled demand for goat meat and dairy products has led to a mini-boom in the number of farmers nationwide who are capitalizing on the cheaper and easier-to-raise livestock.

The growth trend is especially true in New York and other Eastern seaboard states where immigrant groups from the Middle East, Africa, eastern Europe and southern Asia are settling, said Duncan Hilchey, an agricultural development specialist at Cornell University.

“Of the top 20 immigrant groups into New York City, 18 or 19 come from goat meat-eating countries,” Hilchey said. “Immigrants are bringing their food traditions to the Northeast and that’s creating opportunity.”

The number of goat farms in New York rose 50 percent to 2,473 in 2002, from 1,646 farms in 1997, according to the 2002 Census of Agriculture. The number of goats raised in the state grew to 33,130 in 2002, a 76 percent increase from five years earlier.

Nationally, the number of goat farms rose 19.5 percent to 91,462 in 2002 from 76,543 in 1997. The number of goats jumped to 2.53 million from 2.25 million.

“Goat meat just has the highest demand right now,” said Dennis Hamm, who in 1999 converted his cattle and horse farm in Lindley, 82 miles south of Rochester, to a goat-raising operation. “We have no trouble selling it. We’re about at our maximum right now.”

Goat meat fetches $1.70 to $2.25 a pound in the live markets in New York City and $4 to $6 a pound in retail grocers, according to Lisa Boyle, a goat breeder and marketer in Middletown.

It has 50 percent to 65 percent less fat than similarly prepared beef and has up to 60 percent less fat than lamb. The cholesterol content of goat meat, also called chevon, is similar to that of beef, lamb, pork, and chicken and much lower than some dairy, poultry products and some seafoods, according to various researchers.

Hilchey said 30 to 40 live markets have sprung up in New York City in which consumers can pick out the animal they want and have it slaughtered to their specifications – religious or otherwise. Hamm sends most of his animals to a Vermont company that supplies high-end restaurants in Boston and New York.

The switch to goat farming is painless for many farmers since the animals are adaptable to a wide range of environmental conditions and are easy to raise compared to other livestock.

“Our area doesn’t have the greatest land,” said Hamm, vice president of the Empire State Meat Goat Producers Association. Raising goats “takes advantage of the kind of land that is suitable for pasture land. It’s hilly, with a lot of brush.”

Tatiana Stanton is an extension associate with the Northeast Sheep & Goat Marketing Program at Cornell University. The program helps connect goat buyers and producers.

Stanton said the smaller goats are easier to handle than beef cattle or dairy cows and require less capital investment and equipment. The meat has higher cholesterol but less fat than most red meats.

“It’s something children can help with and they’re easy for people who don’t have a lot of animal background,” she said. “Goats bond well with people, even though they can be mischievous animals and can be good escape artists. It’s nothing like running a dairy farm.”

Still, most meat goats are raised outside New York where cheaper land, energy and other production costs make it more economical, Hilchey said. Texas ranks as the biggest goat-raising state in the country with 17,411 goat farms and almost 1.2 million head.

States like New York, Pennsylvania and Virginia have an advantage in their proximity to major markets. Goats traveling from Texas or Tennessee, the No. 2 goat-producing state, may lose weight and be in poorer condition when they get to market than those raised in the east, Hilchey said. About 48 percent of U.S.-grown meat goats are slaughtered in the Northeast, according to Department of Agriculture statistics.

Steve Ropel, the director of agricultural statistics for New York, said the increase in goat farming has also coincided with a rise in the number of small farms – those with less than $10,000 in sales – to 9,575 in 2002 from 8,723 in 1997.

Ollie Oliver, of LaFayette, 10 miles south Syracuse, started raising goats about five years ago. His farm is now “almost 100 percent” devoted to raising goats. He owns just under 50 head.

“It’s not my primary source of income yet, but we’re on track to get it to that point,” Oliver said. “I think we can continue to grow. As the ethnic population continues to grow, we’re going to grow with it.”

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On the Net:

Empire State Meat Goat Producers: www.esmgpa.com

National Agricultural Statistics Service: www.nass.usda.gov

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