Alcorn State University
Where Knowledge and Character Matter ®

Goat and Sheep Production

School of Agriculture and & Applied Sciences

Department: Extension

Program area: Small Ruminant ( Sheep and Goat Production)

Overview: Alcon State University, Department of Agriculture & Applied Sciences is committed in to provide research-based information and training small –scale stakeholders, women, veterans, limited-resources and other minorities groups, students and the general public interested in small ruminant production (goats and sheep).

Why Goats?: The demand for goat meat (chevon or goat meat) is growing in the U.S. because of increasing ethnic diversity. The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) reported that over 1 million pounds of meat goats are imported annually from Australia into the United States in the form of carcasses and processed meat (USDA, 2018). The demand for goat meat has increased due to the recent rise in ethnic populations, with many ethnicities consuming goat meat as a part of their traditional diets. In the US, meat goat production is an emerging class of livestock offering U.S. farmers a new option for on-farm revenue; it’s also very attractive option for landowners with limited resources.

What is unappreciated by the general public in the U.S. is the favorable nutritional value of chevon, when compared to other widely consumed meats.

Goat meat offers better nutritional value compared to beef, pork and poultry meat.

Table1. Compares the nutrient values of goat meat and other species.

Sources: (USDA, 2012).

Table 1. Nutrient values for various meat types per 100 g of roasted product

Calories, kcal

Protein, g

Fat, g

Saturated fat, g

Goat meat

143

27.1

3.0

0.93

Beef, loin

228

27.0

12.9

4.36

Beef, round

168

29.1

4.9

1.72

Lamb

258

25.6

16.5

6.89

Chicken, whole

239

27.3

13.6

3.79

Chicken, skin

190

28.9

7.4

2.04










Program Focuses: Outreach programs will provide research-based information on small ruminant health issues, such as prevalent diseases of small ruminants from A to Z, symptoms, diagnosis, treatment and prevention, information on biological and FDA labeled products, gastro-intestinal parasitism and management, and all general small ruminant management including genetics, biosecurity measures, forages and marketing strategies.

ASU team of Agri. specialists develop and coordinate outreach programs focused on the dissemination of peer-reviewed scientific manuscripts and fact-sheets on meat goat production, train student and stakeholders on the general management an

Maria L. Leite-Browning, DVM, Animal Sciences Specialist, Extension Program
mlbrowning@alcorn.edu