According to the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) goats have a lower environmental impact than cows when raised for dairy or meat (1).
However, that doesn’t mean that there is zero impact from raising goats. The Environmental Working Group states that raising goats still produces methane, can pollute waterways, and have a carbon footprint from their feed sources (2).
Luckily, there are lots of new studies that show different ways to reduce the carbon footprint of raising goats. Here’s an overview of what you can do to raise goats sustainably on your homestead.
Goat Total carbon footprint:
Goat production accounts for 174.5 tonnes CO2e globally each year.
Goat Milk carbon footprint:
Per 1kg of goat milk, 5.2kg CO2e is released
Goat Meat carbon footprint:
Per 1kg of goat meat, 23.5kg CO2e is released.
Goat Meat vs. Cow Meat:
1kg of beef emits 99.48 kg CO2e, while 1kg of goat meat releases 23.5kg of CO2e
source: FAO, Statista
When you are choosing to raise your own sustainable meat and dairy, it's important to understand the carbon footprint of the animal you choose to work with.
According to the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) goats have a lower environmental impact than cows when raised for dairy or meat.
Globally, sheep and goats contribute 9.44 mt of methane, while dairy cattle contribute 15mt and other cattle contribute 50mt (1).
There are researched ways that you can reduce the carbon footprint of your goats, if you're raising them on your own homestead.
These sustainable goat-raising tips will work whether you're raising dairy goats or meat goats.
One way to reduce the carbon footprint of your goat's feed is to find a locally produced, preferably organic, goat feed. This means that the feed would not have to travel long distances, which reduces transportation emissions, and would also be less likely to contain harmful chemicals used in commercial feed production. Additionally, supporting local goat feed producers can also help small farmers in the area.
Pacific Northwest: Scratch n’ Peck feeds, Organic (our favorite for our goats) (As much as possible is sourced in Washington State, some items are not)(3).
California:
East Coast:
Green Mountain Feeds (vermont)
Reedy Fork Farm (north carolina)
Midwest:
I’m very interested in ways that scientists are finding reduce the methane emissions of goats, and am excited to see research being done on ways that do not harm goats and their natural way of digesting food.
There are several ways that goat feed can be tailored to reduce methane emissions.
I should note that I am not a veterinarian and cannot comment on how these changes impact the health of goats. Talk to your goats’ vet before implementing any of these options.
One study has shown that adding fumaric acid to goat feed can decrease their methane emissions by 40% (4).
It has also been found that high quality fodder can reduce the methane emissions of goats, as well as grazing them on “new” pastures that aren’t fully matured. In fact, high quality pasture can reduce digestive methane production by around 50%. A study found, for example, that timothy grass in the heading stage (not yet flowering) provided a lower methane production in goats (5).
American Farm Publications states that certain feed additives such as ionophores help goats to digest fiber better and in turn reduce their methane emissions (6).
Other experiments are being done with cows, where probiotics added to their diet can help reduce methane by 50%. In New Zealand, they are breeding sheep that have genetically less methane emissions (7).
It may be that there are parallels between the science happening in these ruminants that can be applied to goats in the future.
When goats have access to an outside area, they are able to source some of their food from the land. While they’re at it, their manure fertilizes the soil to support existing plants within the system.
When goats are allowed in areas close to the garden, or in the garden areas before a crop is planted or after it is removed, they can help remove unwanted weeds.
Rotation of your herd helps keep plants on the ground so that the ground is never exposed. When soil is exposed, carbon is released.
While this information applies to cows, it should be noted that a study found that rotational grazing reduces emissions by 19% in the first two years, and then there is a 35% total reduction after more than two years. It can be assumed that a similar system for goats would also cause a reduction in CO2e emissions compared to keeping goats in one spot continuously (8).
A study found in the Journal of Environmental Management states that when goats grazed an area in a rotational system for three years, the pasture had a marked increase in organic matter, nitrogen, phosphorus, and vegetation cover. The goats did not cause any erosion, and kept plant populations in tact (9).
We compare the best options for goat fencing in terms of strength, effectiveness, and cost in this article which may interest you.
Overall, the best option for rotational grazing is portable electric fencing, but it does come with some caveats.
Portable electric fencing can work, but it can also get your goats injured as well. That’s what happened to me - a goat got stuck in the fencing and luckily we were home to rescue her. Many people never have a problem with it. I leave it to you whether you take that risk.
Portable electric fencing is an affordable option as instead of fencing your whole property, you're enclosing a smaller area. Many people want to have portable areas where they keep their goats. This makes rotational grazing much easier than with fixed fencing. Nothing else will work as well for that purpose for this kind of cost.
This fence is flexible, and comes with stakes that you can tap into the ground and remove them with ease. It's really quick to put up, take down, and move.
Since these fences usually rely on solar power for their electric charge, you don't need direct power source to plug it in.
It is essential to train your goats on the electric fencing, and even then I want to reiterate that it can still be a hazard for them.
Sometimes, if they went up against the fence and got shocked, they'd run forward through the fence instead of backwards away from it. This would usually rip down the fencing, which either renders the fence ineffective or the goat could get tangled in it.
So it's the best for portability, but might also prove to be ineffective or even harmful to your goats.
In our experience, the goats broke through the electric portable fencing in one way or another at least weekly. Eventually we just installed cattle panel fencing that divides our property. It's permanent so the pastures are set in place and not flexible, but it works well for us...as long as we remember to close the gate :)
If you’re practicing cover cropping as a part of your farm or garden, goats can help you clear out the crop while providing additional fertilizer for the area (x).
According to the University of Georgia Extension, the following crops can be planted for goat forage in the United States:
These crops are high in protein and other nutrients that goats need in their diet. It's important to choose crops that are well-suited to your climate and soil type, and to rotate your crops to maintain soil health and prevent disease (10).
The breed of goat that produces the most milk is the Saanan, followed by Alpine, Sable, La Mancha, Toggenburg, and Nubian (11).
In our experience, buying dairy goats from good milk producing lines is the key to efficient milk production. When we were milking Nigerian Dwarf goats, we really saw a difference in quantity produced by our goats versus those with a higher quality dairy pedigree.
Our first-year Nubians from extremely good milking lines now produce a quantity of milk on par with some Saanans, but with a higher butterfat and protein percentage. While they cost more than other Nubians available due to the prize-winning qualities of their foremothers, for us it was worth it because it meant we could get more milk with less goats. This means we need to feed less goats and the land needs to carry less goats in order for us to have a steady milk supply. It also means that we can give our girls time off from pregnancy and breeding, giving them a year off each from breeding, unlike intensive dairy operations who may breed their goats twice a year.
For meat producing goats, the Boer tops the charts for their weight and meat output.
The hanging weight of goats is about 40-50% of their live weight, and the amount that you get packaged home from the butcher is around another 60% of that. A young 60 pound goat could provide you with a hanging weight of 25 lbs and and end result of 15 lbs of meat, for example.
A Sapelo Farm gives the following as an average output from one of their 60lb wether goats:
"Family Style" goat yielded the following (note that this is a sample and yields will vary depending on the size of the goat):
- 4 hams
- 9 packages of goat chops
- 2 packages ribs
- 6-8 1lb packages of ground meat (12).
It should be noted that a full grown Boer goat can weigh upwards of 300 pounds, meaning that your end result would be 75 lbs of meat.
Raise just enough animals to meet your needs, and see if you can reduce your overall meat eating. The smaller the herd size, the smaller the environmental impact (13).
There are many environmental benefits of goat manure.
In terms of nutrients, it contains high amounts of nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium, the NPK that you typically see in store-bought fertilizers. Replacing sythetic fertilizers with composted goat manure helps us to be more self-sufficient and kinder to the land.
It’s been shown that goat manure improves the quality of soil, crop yields, and helps keep more carbon in the soil. When composted manure is added to the soil, it holds more water, which in turn saves energy and precious water resources (14).
To work with goat manure safely in your garden, it's important to compost the manure before applying it to crops.
When goat manure is raw or uncomposted, it can be full of bacteria and parasites.
Because of this, be sure to wear gloves and a good quality mask when you move goat manure. Then, combine the manure with organic straw to help compost the manure. The compost should go for at least 4 months.
The best time to apply composted manure to your garden is in the fall to allow for additional aging and integration into the soil.
Of course, wash any food before eating if it’s been grown with any kind of manure.
It is important to note that any manure as a fertilizer may cause health issues if not handled properly (15, 16).
In summary, there are a few techniques you can apply to how you raise your goats to increase sustainability and environmental benefits.
Key takeaways are to source goat feed locally, feed goats grubs, and let goats eat in a pasture-rotation system or a compost pile system.
Let the goat manure be an asset to your farm and garden by swapping composted manure with any inorganic fertilizer that you might be currently applying. Remember to always follow best practices and guidelines when working with goat manure to ensure that it is used safely and effectively.
Incorporate these sustainable practices into your goat care, and you can raise healthy and happy goats while also tending to the land and environment.
Check out our full guide to raising sustainable livestock
Also, try our handy goat gestation calculator here to find the due date of your pregnant does.
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