Source : PortMac.News | Street :
Source : PortMac.News | Street | News Story:
News Story Summary:
A couple from Cobar have rewritten the record books by paying the new top national price for a goat.
"Goats have always been a part of our livestock mix and have been tremendously good to us over the years," Ms Mosely said.
The Moselys run sheep, cattle, and goats, and have invested in exclusion fencing so they could isolate their herd from wild goats and work on genetics.
"He's a very nice goat and we see value adding him to our operation," Ms Mosely said.
The $21,000 goat is already out with the does and the couple will be hoping to get plenty of bang for their buck.
"Go forth and multiply Marrakesh!!" Ms Mosely posted on Facebook.
Goats were once considered a pest but have developed into a profitable industry in western New South Wales with domestic and international demand.
Andrew Mosely has been in the goat industry for more than 20 years and said there has a very bright future ahead.
"When we were kids it was pocket money [selling goats] … they weren't worth a lot," he said.
"There are some pretty exciting things happening right now. I think if you want to buy those top animals you need to be prepared to pay for it.
"Goats sold for $3 or $4. Now we're selling young goats for $180. It's all changing and maturing. Goats are going to be a key industry going forward."
Low maintenance and profitable:
Even though the Moselys also run sheep and cattle, they say goats are of huge value to their business.
"The goats are certainly right up there with profitability," he said.
"They're very low maintenance without huge input costs and a high gross margin. They really suit the environment we're in."
For years they have run a semi-managed goat operation rather than harvesting wild goats and selling them straight to market.
"We've spent the last 20 years putting in total grazing pressure fencing which is around 90 per cent of the property now," Mr Mosely said.
"We don't run them intensely but they are in big paddocks and moved around from time to time, depending on feed availability.
"We can see the benefit of adding some better genetics to add some extra kilos and tidy the type of animal up."
Story By | Lucy Thackray & Hugh Hogan