The Feasibility of Meat Goats in Minnesota
Summary Report

Brokers

The marketing channel for goat meat within Minnesota has a number of "brokers" filling important positions within the channels.  Two types of brokers exist in the marketing channel – the "livestock broker" and the "meat broker."   The livestock broker makes and maintains contact with individual producers in an attempt to purchase excess young stock or cull animals.  The broker then transports the goats to major markets within the state (primarily Minneapolis and St. Paul) as well as surrounding metropolitan areas (e.g., Chicago and New York).  The activities of the livestock broker focus around the holiday seasons (Christmas and Greek Easter, and Ramadan).  The livestock broker will often travel large distances organizing, concentrating, and delivering large numbers of live goats to slaughtering facilities near major markets.  Prices paid for live animals (weighing no more than 50 pounds) by livestock brokers range between $1.02 and $1.30 depending on the season and condition of the animals.

The second type of brokers found in the Minnesota goat meat marketing channel is the meat broker.  The meat broker is primarily a wholesaler of goat meat (as opposed to live animals).  His or her source of product may come from an importer, an auction market, or a livestock broker.  Most of the goat meat entering the Minnesota market makes its way to the (ethnic) consumer through an importer by way of a meat broker.  These brokers (usually from the ethnic population that they are serving) are familiar with both ethnic retail store owners/operators as well as the final consumer.   The number of meat brokers, like the number of livestock brokers, is limited.  It is estimated that the number of brokers actively participating in the goat meat marketing channel in the Twin Cities area is less than six (Ahmal 1999).  Prices paid by meat brokers for domestic meat is related to current import prices.  Prices paid for whole carcasses (carcass weights near 30 pounds) range from $1.70 during the months of April through September and up to $2.00 during the months of November to March.

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