16 | nzdairy DAIRY GOATS » Tiddy Partnership Demand for infant Russell Fredric It has been a good decade for a Morrinsville family to make a buck in the dairy goat industry, but the global impact of the covid panedmic is creating some caution around future demand. Accountant Joseph Tiddy is a co-director with his father and mother, Howard and Irene Tiddy, in Dubs Farm which leases the 39 hectare block it operates on from his parents. Former cow farmers, they have been able to develop a successful goat milking business, initially running from the 39 hectares since it was established in 1999, Joseph says. “It has been a fantastic way for existing dairy farmers to diversify away from cows and that’s happened a lot.” While the burgeoning dairy goat industry has had a good run during the past ten years, the current mood is not “super-positive”, he says. While most dairy goat farms run an indoor system, from October 2021 Dubs Farm has been dedicated to supplying New Image Nutritionals from its outdoor grass-fed system. There are pros and cons with both systems in terms of production, animal health and public perception, Joseph says. Genetically, goat farming is the same as any other livestock, with a focus on good producers in balance with other traits. Former cow farmers, the Tiddy’s have been able to develop a successful goat milking business. “You are also selecting for good feet, goats hooves require trimming and that can really affect their health.” Reproduction is entirely through natural mating, which is the case for most New Zealand goat farms, as artificial insemination in the industry is not widely established, Joseph says. Joseph is unambigious about the effect of the covid pandemic on an industry that has been oriented around producing infant milk formula; every single dairy goat producer would have been very heavily impacted by the reduction in demand. “It has been really fantastic for a lot of suppliers. Mum and Dad have been able to build a pretty successful farming operation off the back of the dairy goat coop (DGC) and others too, but the impact of covid on the market for infant milk formula has been pretty rough.” “It’s certainly a limiting factor right now; if there’s a limit to demand for your product then there’s going to be a limit in your ability to accommodate any expansion.” Through NIG there is the possibility of a liquid milk market supplied by goats farmed outdoors and the potential of attracting a premium for the milk from these, Joseph says. While the ability to expand through existing supply channels appears to be constrained, he believes NIG’s push to expand into different product categories will benefit the industry as a whole. “It’s certainly a limiting factor right now; if there’s a limit to demand for your product then there’s going to be a limit in your ability to accommodate any expansion.”
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