MILTON, WI (SPECTRUM NEWS) — Wisconsin is the nationwide leader in dairy goats.

The state has 72,000 goats, up from 67,000 in 2018. Wisconsin lead the nation in dairy goats in 2018 as well.

California is second in the number of dairy goats, however they are 30,000 behind Wisconsin. Nationwide there are 430,000. The total across the country went up 10,000 goats from 2018, to 2019. Half of that increase happened in Wisconsin according to the United States Department of Agriculture.

The Wisconsin Dairy Goat Association says that the prominence of goat dairy has been noticeable over the past decade.

“I think the industry is being taken a lot more seriously,” said Randy Adamson, president of WDGA.

Adamson said feed companies have products specifically for goats now, cheese plants have expanded and there is more of a customer base. Adamson said this is especially clear in grocery stores, where products from dairy from goats are more available than they used to be.

“15 years ago you didn't see it in a grocery store hardly at all and it's very common now, so as the industry grows there will be more opportunities out there,” Adamson said.

Adamson has run a commercial goat dairy for 10 years. He'd been working with goats for 15 years before that. He said prices for goat milk have been pretty steady in that time.

Norm Monsen, dairy development specialist for the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection, has seen this trend too over the past two decades.

“Starting around the year 2000 things really started to take off. Then we got to around 2010 then there were some significant investments in the dairy goat milk plants,” Monsen said.

Monsen said while nobody can predict if the trend will continue, he thinks there's reasons to be optimistic about goat dairy's growth to continue.

If the growth does continue, it does open the door for someone looking to get into the industry. Especially, Monsen says, because it is much cheaper to produce goat milk than traditional milk.

“It offers a way for a young person, or a newcomer into dairy to get into dairy, to be a farmer, so that is exciting,” Monsen said.

Adamson said the industry does a good job at self-regulating. There are times when processors are looking for more producers, and other stretches when they are not.

“As the cheese plants, the goat cheese plants, need more milk and more product to make cheese, they'll add a few more farms,” Adamson said.

Though he thinks the future of dairy goats in Wisconsin will see more processors and goats.

“I think the dairy goat industry still's got room to grow,” Adamson said.