CAES Newswire

 College of Agricultural & Environmental Sciences UGA Cooperative Extension
Menu
Published on 05/15/01

Goat Group to Start Slaughter-plant Co-op

When you think "ranch" or "livestock" or even "meat," you probably don't think "goat." But a group of goat ranchers in the Washington County, Ga., area are hoping to change that.

They've taken some big steps toward starting a goat slaughter-plant cooperative that would provide farmers a stable market and supply quality meat to a growing market of ethnic consumers.

The facility, Sunbelt Goat Producers Cooperative, would be run as a new-generation co-op, said Sidney Law, Washington County coordinator of the University of Georgia Extension Service. The goat ranchers themselves would own and control it.

Feasibility Study

An economic study by the UGA Center for Agribusiness and Economic Development determined that the slaughter-plant co-op is feasible.

The co-op would give growers a stable market, Law said. And goats delivered to the slaughter plant would draw a premium price.

An organizational meeting has been set for 10 a.m. June 23 at the Washington County Farm Bureau Agriculture Center in Tennille, Ga.

Co-op members will adopt bylaws and elect officers and a board of directors at the meeting. Only members will be able to vote or become officers or board members.

Interested in Joining?

Anyone interested in joining the co-op can get an application from the Washington County Extension Service at P.O. Box 310, Sandersville, GA 31082, or from Washington County Meat Goat Association President Charles Batten at P.O. Box 934, Sandersville, GA 31082. The membership fee is $20.

Law and Batten will tell about the slaughter plant co-op June 2 at the annual Dairy Goat Show in Clarksville, Ga., at 9 a.m. at the Habersham County Fair Grounds.

For more information, call Law at (478) 552-2011 or Batten at (478) 552-1471. Or e-mail Law at uge3303@uga.edu.

Dan Rahn is a news editor with the University of Georgia College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences.

Experts/Sources:
Sidney Law
The holiday season can be a time of anticipation and joy, but balancing multiple commitments and personalities across families and friends can be a source of stress for hosts and visitors alike. Like preparing parts of the meal ahead of time to spend more of the holiday with guests, taking time ahead of the day to set expectations can go a long way to ensuring enjoyable gatherings, said Ted Futris, University of Georgia Cooperative Extension specialist and professor of human development and family science in the College of Family and Consumer Sciences. CAES News
Manage holiday stress with kindness, boundaries 11/21/24 Maria M. Lameiras
The holiday season can be a time of anticipation and joy, but balancing multiple commitments and personalities across families and friends can be a source of stress for hosts and visitors alike. Much like preparing parts of the meal ahead of time allows you to spend more of the holiday with guests, setting expectations ahead of the celebration can go a long way to ensuring enjoyable gatherings, said Ted Futris, University of Georgia Cooperative Extension specialist and professor of human development and family science.
Conner Hall CAES News
CAES welcomes 2024 cohort of Rural Scholars 11/20/24 Maria M. Lameiras
The University of Georgia College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences welcomed its fourth cohort of students chosen for the CAES Rural Scholars Program this fall just weeks after celebrating the program's first graduation. Georgia Orman, one of four inaugural Rural Scholars in CAES, graduated in May with a bachelor’s degree in agricultural education. The new scholars for 2024, all from Georgia, are Ela Ash of Ocilla, Lauren E. Coley of Cochran, Amelia Housley of Canon, and London O’Steen of Ambrose.
Women play a vital role in rural American farming, but much of that work is "invisible," like raising children or household chores, according to a new UGA study. (Getty Images) CAES News
The women and stress behind rural farming in America 11/19/24 Leigh Hataway
Recent research from the University of Georgia suggests the unique stresses from farm life may be taking a toll on one of the pillars of the families that make your dinners possible: the women who keep farming families running. “If we don’t control our food sources, we don’t control our health and safety,” said Anna Scheyett, lead author of the study and a professor in UGA’s School of Social Work. “It’s a matter of national security that farmers survive in the United States. And one of the big factors in helping farms survive is women.”
Mergoum at Creature Comforts CAES News
That's the spirit! 11/18/24 Maria M. Lameiras, Claire Sanders Kinnard
Wheat breeders spend years meticulously crossing varieties to coax the best traits out of each species, carefully propagating plant varieties that are healthier, heartier and better suited for the environments where they are grown. Professional brewmasters are equally painstaking when choosing the components that will give their beers a specific flavor profile.
Contest-winning concept becomes viable business for alumnus who developed solar-powered, self-propelled chicken coop as a student. CAES News
Poultry in motion 11/14/24 Sean Montgomery
Chris Ayers emerged from his orange and black rough-terrain vehicle with an ear-to-ear grin. “This is Chiktopia,” he said, sweeping his arm wide to indicate the back half of a 3,600-square-foot warehouse on his family’s farm in Ball Ground, Georgia. “This is where I manufacture and assemble the chicken coops. Everything is done entirely from over here.”
UGA Grand Farm Site Plan web CAES News
UGA Grand Farm wins stage two of 2024 Growth Accelerator Fund competition 11/13/24 Jordan Powers
Startups in the agricultural technology sector face significant barriers on the path to establishment, including access to training and capital. These barriers are heightened for underrepresented entrepreneurs seeking to start new companies. The University of Georgia Grand Farm, part of a historic partnership between the University of Georgia and Fargo, North Dakota-based Grand Farm, aims to change that.