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Introduction
The challenge : creating sustainable and
profitable enterprises to allow your farm to
prosper in today’s marketplace
I am Renard Turner, president of
Vanguard Ranch Ltd. Natural Gourmet Products
located in Gordonsville,Virginia
Our farm is based upon sustainable all natural
organic practices.
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Topics of Discussion
Why value added production?
Marketing our way
Raising all natural meat goats
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Value Added Production
Why value added production?
Provides a greater return on your investments in
time and labor.
Creates a unique identity for your product line
Allows you to tap into niche markets.
No settling for slaughter market prices!
Whole Foods, a national natural foods store chain
has announced it will start to carry goat meat in its
stores. This is a good indicator of the growing
acceptance for goat meat.
The future of value added production is in the
development of non traditional marketing venues.
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MARKETING OUR WAY
Marketing our way
Our goats are slaughtered and processed at a USDA
approved facility.
We retain ownership of all of our product which we then
cook and sell as ready to eat gourmet goat burgers,
goat kabobs and curried goat .We use our mobile
concession trailer to market our product.
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Mobile Concession
We attend food
festivals, state
and county
fairs,specialty
food events and
do mobile
catering. We
have catered two
meat goat
conventions!
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VENDING PICTURES
Who eats goat?
Lets take a look!!
MOST PEOPLE
WILL EAT GOAT!
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RAISING NATURAL GOATS
Raising all natural meat goats
free ranged ,with shelter provided
native and improved forages
organic mineral free choice
forage based diet, automatic watering
Experience very little to no illness
Natural kidding, no pens
No overcrowding , keep it simple!
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SOME OF OUR HERD
We started with Kiko and
Spanish cross does and
bred them to purebred Kiko
bucks to create a Kiko
based maternal herd. The
progeny of our original
does is still the nucleus of
our herd. We have added
Spanish does and have
bred to Myotonic bucks to
Produce our commercial
goats.
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OUR MYOTONIC BUCK
Magic Man is a
registered
Myotonic buck
that produces
thick muscled
hardy kids that
grow out well.
We expect an
additional 6 % to
10% increase in
muscle!
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A NICE SPANISH DOE
This Spanish doe
Is an excellent producer.
maintains excellent body
condition year round has not
needed any medications ever
and has consistently
produced structurally sound
and healthy kids.
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SOME OF OUR KIKOS
Kiko goats are
where we started,
they are still our
maternal base.
Excellent
maternal traits
Easy keepers
No kidding
problems
Good commercial
cross does.
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We have observed that goats will thrive best
when allowed free range and not crowded.
Marketing our way allows us to process kids at
6-7 months old ,with the goal being 6 months.
We do not have to feed most of the year , we will
supplement with round bales of hay and corn
gluten pellets/ cracked corn for lactation and in
the winter months.
Goats provide great manure for organic market
gardens too!
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WHY MEAT GOATS?
Commercial meat goat production in this country
is still in its infancy, the market will continue to
grow and demand will continue to be greater than
domestic supply.
Commercial meat goats are an excellent choice
for smaller family farms and an excellent choice
for sustainable production systems.
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OBSERVATIONS
Goats should be raised naturally on forage based
diets and free ranged at all times.
Goats should be provided with adequate
protection from the elements, well ventilated run
in sheds are fine if kept dry.
Crowding is to be avoided
The general public WILL EAT GOAT
Value added production is the way to go!!
Be creative in marketing….retain ownership!!