The Relationship of Consuming Populations to Meat-Goat Production in the United States

Abstract

The goat (Capra hircus) industry in the United States is still in its infancy, but with a promising trend for growth (Gelaye and Amoah 1991). The consumption of goat meat, known as chevon or cabrito, in the United States has grown sharply in recent years (Getz 1998; Gipson 1999). The increase is driven by the popularity of chevon with the diverse ethnic groups that immigrate yearly to the United States. In the past, the scarcity of chevon and the pressure to integrate into society in the United States discouraged immigrants from holding onto culinary traditions. In recent years, there has been a switch in philosophy to one that encourages people to celebrate their diverse cultural backgrounds. This has led to the rediscovery of traditional foods involving chevon, creating the need for increased supply. The demand for chevon has drawn producers to the fl edgling industry. Currently, a major part of demand is met by imports, mainly from Australia and New Zealand (Stanton 2003). This paper determines the relationship between the increase in immigrant population and the increase in meat-goat production in the United States between 1987 and 1997. Data from the U.S. Census of Agriculture (2002) and the U.S. Census Bureau (1997) were used for this analysis. The main concern was the relatively thin body of published literature regarding chevon demand, the level of production of meat goats, and prices received by producers. The data available for meat goats produced in the United States are too limited to allow extensive analysis. The following sections are devoted to a discussion of the product (meat goat), supply, producers, chevon demand, the consumer, and consumer demographics.