Jamaica's number-one goat farmer

DENBIGH, Clarendon:GOAT FARMER Devon Sayers made his mark at the recently concluded Denbigh Agricultural, Industrial and Food Show when one of his prized animals won the coveted title of Best Native-Bred Female Goat over two years old.

His goat, which he calls Girl Giant, is a local native breed. She is two years old and looks very powerful for her age.

"It feels good to know that you defeated some big goat farmers and became number one in your first year. It's very encouraging for next year," Sayers told Rural Express.

The young man started his goat-farming business in 2005 at his home in Bannister district in Old Harbour, St Catherine. Shortly after graduating from teachers' college and temporarily out of a job, Sayers decided to get involved in goat farming instead of sitting at home doing nothing.

"I started out with four local females and crossbred them with high-breed Anglo-nubians and built up my herd from there," he explained.

Sayers now has a herd of 125 goats and has been doing good business as a goat farmer. He is recognised as one of the top farmers in his area.

"Goat farming is very interesting because it can be a profitable thing. Goat farming is what I used to pay for my master's (degree in business administration)."

FIRST-TIMER

The teacher, who works at Old Harbour High School, was participating at the Denbigh show for the first year.

"I joined the Goat Farmers' Association of Jamaica, where I am the second vice-president, so that was what prompted me to participate this year," he said.

Sayers said goat farming is good business for people to get involved in. "It is a good experience. It is a learning process," he said. "It is not something that you just jump into because goats are very sensitive animals. You just can't buy 100 goats and say you're gonna start farm. No. You have to build a herd from a small stock and expand it because goats are really fickle."

He added: "We (goat farmers) are doing different things in the goat-farming business. We are trying to encourage young people to be goat farmers. We have started to diversify - like make things like goat compost, goat cheese, those things which are areas where we can bring in more revenue."

He said there needs to be much more improvement in goat farming in Jamaica. "The present state of goat farming is not where it should be, we don't have enough herd," Sayers disclosed. "I think we are producing nine to 10 per cent of what we eat in Jamaica. We import most of our goat meat, that is cause for concern.

What we need to do is treat goat farming and agriculture on a whole as a business. Sometimes people have a few head of goats and say they are raising it and not treating it as a business. They need to be more organised, keeping proper records and increasing the production level."

- D.L.