Case studies on the adoption of dairy goat milking systems in New Zealand

Abstract

The dairy goat milking sector in New Zealand is a developing industry. It is predominantly clustered in the Waikato and consists of both indoor and outdoor systems. This dissertation investigates the key drivers, planning, limitations and benefits surrounding the adoption of goat milking systems for six established case studies in New Zealand. All six case studies are located in the Waikato and supply the Dairy Goat Co-operative (DGC). Five of the case studies are indoor systems and one is an outdoor system. Key drivers behind the dairy goat system adoption were influenced by individual circumstances and constraints of their initial systems. They included the financial returns involved, including a consistent payout; also farm ownership opportunities, lifestyle changes and being forced out of their original systems due to a lack of profitability. The case studies utilised established farms as a source of information during the planning and establishment phases. The case studies were identified as early adopters. The main benefit surrounding the adoption was the financial returns, they exceeded expectations and added stability to their income. The main limitation was highlighted to be the cap on shares, which limited growth but was beneficial to the consistency of their payout. The case studies were positive about the future of the dairy goat industry. Each case study stated they will continue to be a part of the industry with plans for growth when opportunities arise to improve their systems.