New publication shares profitability of Iowa dairy goat industry

AMES — The Iowa State University Extension and Outreach dairy team has conducted a 2024 financial study examining the profitability of dairy milk production in Iowa. The findings are available in a new publication, “Profitability of Iowa Dairy Goat Production in 2024,” which can be downloaded from the ISU Extension Store.

Dairy goat producers are encouraged to review the findings and consider how they can use the data to strengthen decision-making and financial performance on their operations.

The study surveyed 16 Iowa dairy goat operations to determine the profitability of their farms. Like most industries, both higher-and-lower-profit producers were grouped by profit to benchmark their incomes and costs on a per milking doe basis. Additionally, many financial ratios were noted, along with their labor efficiencies, on a per-full-time-worker basis.

Larry Tranel, dairy field specialist with ISU Extension and Outreach and publication author, noted that Iowa is a leading state for dairy goat production and genetics, and that profitability is integral to meeting demand.

“There is a thirst for more dairy goat education and an unfilled demand for more goat milk in Iowa that fuels a need for increased understanding of the profitability of milking dairy goats,” he said.

For more information, access the publication or contact Tranel at tranel@iastate.edu.

The study was done as part of the Sustainable Dairy Goat Agri-Systems Grant. This work is supported by the Sustainable Agricultural Systems project award number 2024-68012-41749 from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture