Goat prices double as the big dry sets in

Kieran Smith from Local Land Services Western ran the NSW Government’s Going Ahead with Goats project and is now running Our Ruminants in the Rangelands project, focusing on livestock productivity and Ag Tech adoption in the rangelands. Photo kieran Smith

Story: Kristin Murdock – kmurdock@outbackradio.com.au and Rod Corfe

With dry conditions tightening across western New South Wales and water sources drying up, landholders in the Bourke, Brewarrina and Walgett districts are being encouraged to reassess goat numbers, particularly with prices now sitting at their strongest levels in years.

Senior Agriculture Advisor Kieran Smith from Local Land Services Western said the region was facing what he described as a “perfect storm”, but with a significant upside for farmers.

“There’s dry times and water drying up, but on the plus side goat prices have picked up recently,” Mr Smith said. “We’ve seen a doubling of goat prices from this time last year, which is a positive for the industry.”

Prices are currently sitting between $5 and $7 per kilogram carcass weight, depending on timing and market conditions, following a lift in mutton prices and a tightening of supply.

“Now is essentially a good time to consider offloading a few goats from a place to try and reduce demand for feed and water resources,” he said. […]

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