People all throughout Kentucky are breeding and showing dairy goats, but before you think about getting into the dairy goat business, you need to know that it can become an obsession!
The most popular dairy breeds include Nubians, Alpines, LaManchas and Toggenburgs. A lesser-known breed is the Oberhasli, but these goats are very scarce in Kentucky.
At this time, there are no Grade A goat dairies in the state, though several people are in the process of trying to get legal facilities set up to sell milk and make goat cheese. There is an awful lot of good goat milk going to waste, but the only way to buy milk legally is to have in hand a doctor’s written prescription which could be provided to a patient with certain medical conditions that might be improved by consuming goat milk.
In order to set up a legal dairy, a prospective dairyman in any state must follow the Pasteurized Milk Ordinance (PMO) guidelines set up by the FDA, have construction plans approved by the state and be inspected on a regular basis. For information about getting set up in Kentucky, see article, "Milk Inspectors Discuss Dairy Setup".
The predominant reason there are no legal dairies or cheesemakers in the state is because high start up costs for equipment and facilities are nearly prohibitive. However, some funding for dairy facilities may be available through the Goat Diversification program. In February of 2004 an amendment was added to the program that now includes funding for dairy facilities for goats. To get information about this Diversification Program, contact the extension agent in your county or your local goat association.
For information about buying dairy goats or setting up a dairy or cheesemaking facility contact Susan Miller, househounds@msn.com. For information about cheesemaking, visit www.smalldairy.com and www.cheesemaking.com Both sites have a wealth of information about cheesemaking, equipment and supplies, workshops, references and more.