Sioux Center, Iowa — Goat milk production is the focus of a seminar by the Iowa State University Extension Department on Saturday at Dordt College in Sioux Center.
Extension Dairy specialist Fred Hall says Iowa is third in the country in dairy goat production, but it’s hard to calculate how many pounds of milk are produced.
Hall says dairy goats produce between four to four-and-a-half pounds of milk each day, compared to the 80 to 95 pounds of milk or more produced by the average dairy cow. He says the dairy goat production is distributed in much the same way as the dairy cow industry.
Goat milk production is more localized in southern Iowa.
Hall says western Iowa does see a lot of products made and sold from the goat milk.
Hall says smaller producers will have around 25 goats, while the largest has 350. He says one of the draws of milking goats is the price for a pound of milk allows you to do well with a small herd.
Hall says the seminar at Dordt this Saturday will address some of the key issues facing goat producers and try to answer any questions they have. The event runs from 9:30 a.m. to 3:15 p.m.
