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Abstract
Excerpts: As part of the effort to collect information on goat management, NAHMS requested producers who milked any dairy does in the previous 12 months and had five or more dry or in-milk dairy does on September 1, 2019, complete a dairy-specific questionnaire. This information brief covers the milking procedures, milk quality, and dry doe procedures on these dairy goat operations. -- Goat milk production in the United States has experienced continuous expansion over the last decade. Specifically, the dairy goat inventory increased by 60.7 percent from 334,754 head in 2007 to 537,799 head in 2017. Furthermore, the number of farms raising dairy goats has grown from 27,481 in 2007 to 35,682 farms in 2017. Goat milk has many uses, such as feeding goat kids, lambs, veal calves, piglets, and human consumption. The demand for goat milk and goat milk products, such as cheese, yogurt, candy, soaps, and lotions, has increased in the United States. Due to goat milk’s unique nutritional and biochemical properties, consumption of goat milk is climbing, especially by people with cow milk allergies or gastrointestinal disorders. Management and biosecurity practices are typically more rigorous on dairy goat operations than meat or other goat operations due to the more intensive management required for milk production. Enhanced management and biosecurity practices help to ensure milk quality and goat health.