Iowa ranked third in total milk goats in 2019, which tied with numbers coming out of Texas. Wisconsin ranked first in dairy goat population, with 82,0000 — which was up from 72,000 in 2019.

A 2020 census of goats across the U.S. shows the number of milk goats and kids came in at 440,000, up from 430,000 in 2019. Milk breeding goats came in at 395,000, up from 385,000 across the U.S. in 2019. Replacement kids and does under one year both showed increases, while bucks one year and older remained the same at 27,000.

Leo Timms, dairy specialist and associate professor at Iowa State University, said that while Iowa’s dairy goat numbers plateaued four or five years ago and are lessening somewhat, the dairy goat industry in Iowa has come a long way from where it was just a few years ago.

“Some got out because of economics and some because of the demand, but we’re still far ahead of many other states,” said Timms.

-Submitted photo by Dave Peffers
OFFICIALS INVOLVED in the dairy goat industry say across the board that goats make good 4-H projects because they take less feed and require less restrictive facilities.

Timms said 12 or 15 years ago there was some demand for goat milk, specifically in Ontario and Quebec, where they couldn’t get any. A Canadian company then built a plant in Wisconsin.

“When that plant was built, we saw lots of people get interested and saw some conversion of dairy farms,” said Timms, adding that 95 percent (or so) of the local dairy doe herds have typically been Amish and Mennonite.

“We’ve been at second or third in the nation for four or five years now, and we’re pretty steady,” said Timms, saying there is room for expansion in the industry if the demand for the product is there. “Those in the industry are concerned about having so much milk that all of a sudden there’s too much, depressing the price.”

Timms said Wisconsin remains the leader in the dairy goat industry, with large dairy goat herds keeping those numbers up.

Iowa had once peaked out at 250 commercial dairy herds. Today there are roughly 217 commercial dairy herds that run from 40 or 50 does to upwards of 800 does per herd.

Dave Peffers is president of the Iowa Dairy Goat Association and lives near Pella in southeast Iowa. He said between 2007 and 2017, dairy goat production increased by 62 percent.

“There are more people who want to be self-sufficient,” he said “People are wanting (more) to grow or raise their own food, and in this case, milk.”

Peffers said the dairy goat industry has struggled recently, attributing it to selling their milk to larger corporations who are also struggling.

“That can come back to bite the bottom guy,” said Peffers.

Timms said the dairy goat industry may possibly be driven by those who are looking for an alternative to cow’s milk, but he thought that would be a small number of people.

“I don’t think goat milk could compete in the fluid milk market. People aren’t necessarily looking for it as a milk product; they are mostly looking for it in products like cheese,” said Timms. “When you talk about feta cheese or Roquefort cheese, they are specific cheeses made out of goat milk, and they have very distinct flavors.”

Timms said some countries use goats as their primary source of milk — such as France. He said from the standpoint of the percentages of fats, proteins and sugars, it’s “almost exactly like cow milk.”

“There are some differences in the percentages, but the two milks are pretty similar,” said Timms.

Peffers said his family likes to drink goat milk better than cow’s milk because of the taste. But he said different goats produce milks that taste different because the fat content varies, just like in cows.

“They say it tastes like melted vanilla ice cream,” he said of the milk produced by the breed of goats they have.

Peffers added that one of the hardest things to overcome is the public’s general perception of goat milk.

“Sometimes people will talk about an odor around goat milk, but that usually comes when it’s not handled quickly or processed properly,” said Peffers. “Handling it quickly increases the longevity of the milk, so we can have it in our (personal) refrigerator for two weeks, with no odor at all.”

Peffers said there are many positives about goat milk, including its easy digestibility due to the difference in its globulins; and the fact that it is naturally homogenized.

A different mindset

Fred Hall, dairy specialist with Iowa State University Extension and Outreach, said Iowa has always had a strong dairy goat presence.

“We’ve got over 200 licensed dairy goat dairies, but the center is along the Mississippi River in northeast Iowa because that’s where the market is,” said Hall.

He said he has around 50 dairy goat producers in his area in northwest Iowa, but that part of the state does not have a raw milk market for them. The nearest dairy milk market is in central Minnesota.

“They don’t really produce enough for sale, but they make cheese, soaps and lotions, so it’s a different mindset,” said Hall.

He said no survey had been done for dairy goat producers in Iowa for a few years, until a grant came along to put one together this past year. Hall and a group from ISU Extension and Outreach met with a group of 60 dairy goat producers from the Orange City area and Elkader area, located in central Clayton County in northeast Iowa.

Results from those meetings showed that those producers represented 2,395 milking goats, averaging 7.3 pounds of milk each day, raising 1,220 goat kids and farming 2,811 acres to raise feed for those dairy goats.

That group had been milking goats an average of 13 years, with more than 55 percent planning on expanding their business within the next five years.

Hall said many factors are contributing to dairy goat numbers possibly rising in Iowa.

“I think people are concerned about where their food is coming from. I think they like knowing the milk on the table has been followed through from the goat kidding, to being milked, to being on the table,” he said.

He added that goats are a good 4-H youth project.

“If you talk to some of these dairy goat producers, a lot of them started with a 4-H dairy goat and it just kept going,” said Hall.

He also said some of those producers wanted to diversify and add to their business, rather than simply drink the milk their goats were producing.

“They wanted to do something additional, so they made soaps and lotions. It’s a growing thing. Many of them are participating in farmer’s markets so they can develop a business out of it, and people like having their hands in nature,” said Hall, adding that if this trend continues, there may be more of a market in northwest Iowa for goat milk.

Hall said, in a perfect world, he would like to see a dairy goat milk market happen within the next two years.

“I think we could build the producer volume and be ready to go,” he said, saying he thinks it would be possible to have a short milk route that is viable.

Peffers said it’s difficult to market raw goat milk in Iowa, since it’s a “No Raw Milk” state.

“The only way you can sell it is if you’re a licensed dairy,” he said, saying most people that get involved in dairy milk production do it for their own consumption or to make products. “It costs a lot to have a licensed dairy; there are restrictions for facilities, and you have to have inspections. “

What’s ahead for milk goats?

Peffers said the biggest trends he sees are producers trying to keep healthier animals and working to improve goat genetics.

“That might be straighter top lines, better legs, better feet, slender necks and better mammary form and milk production,” he said. “You want to have a better quality of animal across the board, because if everybody has better animals, it makes the whole industry better.”

Timms said the dairy goat industry will always be about supply and demand, and price.

“We see lots of people get in, lots of people get out … and the markets go up and then they stabilize (like other livestock industries),” said Timms. “What I find fascinating is that we’re seeing people get into it because we’re doing a lot with the industry in Iowa; we’re educating and getting people interested.”

Timms concluded that there are many excellent producers in Iowa who are hungry for information on the dairy goat industry — how they can produce high-quality milk and make a living doing it.

“The dairy goat industry is made up of some good, progressive people, and they are also really hungry for information,” said Timms. “There are 217 people out there who want to make a good living producing a high-quality product, and what better place to do that than in Iowa?”

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