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Niobrara farmer tries his hand at goat farming
NIOBRARA, Neb. (AP)--In northern Knox County, along the Niobrara River where the hills are sprinkled with cattle, elk and buffalo, goats are the "new kid on the block."
Into only his second year as a goat raiser, Steve Kreycik admits it's been a learning experience. He farms and ranches with his parents, Chris and Kenard.
Numerous problems cropped up in the first year, but there was a small profit and a determination to try it again.
Last spring, 140 head of does, mostly Nubian crossbreds, and 200 head of feeder goats were brought in from Texas. The animals weren't accustomed to grain or good quality forage.
"They were just free-ranged in Texas where they ate a lot of sagebrush," Steve Kreycik said. "We were trying to force-feed them for faster gain and they couldn't take it."
The family sold some of the feeder goats for breeding stock and kept 40 head to add to their own herd, with the remaining goats sold through an auction market.
Since then, Steve Kreycik has developed a support group that includes a veterinarian in Texas and other producers.
"There are a lot of magazines out there now that focus on goat production and I read what I can to learn as much as I can," he said.
The goat meat market is growing because of developing numbers of ethnic communities.
"I've learned that different religious or ethnic groups celebrate differently and at different types of the year," Kreycik said.
The second year for goats and kidding on the Kreycik ranch is off to a good start.
Five percent of the does have had single births. Of the remaining does, half of them delivered triplets and the other half twins.
Kreycik focuses on genetics as the key to increasing both the birth and selling weight, using purebred Boer bucks.
"The word Boer translates to English as farmer," Kreycik said. "Boer goats are intended to be raised for meat and they grow more rapidly than other goat breeds."
Kreycik plans to pasture the does and kids as long as the grass holds out. He also will pasture two llamas with them as protection from coyotes.
He has planted the cattle yards at the ranch to oats to add additional grass. It is said that seven goats and their kids can be managed in the same area required for one cow-calf pair.
"We will see how this year's crop sells before I commit to increasing my herd size," Kreycik said. "I think it will be a vital market for the future."
Date: 6/24/04
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