Packers, Brewers, Cheese – and Goats?

PIPE, Wis. (AP) — Wisconsin is leading the way in dairy goat farming in the U.S. and will soon be home to two of the largest goat dairies in the world.

The industry has grown considerably in the past decade, with the number of goat farms in Wisconsin doubling over the past decade to 267. The state has the most dairy goats in the U.S., closely followed by California.

Industry experts say both states are doing well in the goat industry because they already had robust dairy cow infrastructure.

But farmers and experts also caution that there is little goat-specific research and products like medicine and feed, which could be problematic when goats fall ill or farmers decide to expand or try a new practice.