Do You Know The Worldwide Trend Of Goat Numbers?

 

 

 

Although known as The Poor Man’s Cow, the worldwide number of goats has more than doubled (+109%) during the last 30 years, attesting to the importance of that livestock species to the livelihood of million of families. Conversely, during that same period the number of sheep and cattle only increased by 20 and 4%, respectively.

 

 

 

 

Thus, due to the increased importance of goats worldwide, the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) is dedicated to eradicating rural poverty in developing countries, recently requested the International Goat Association (IGA) to undertake a study  to sensitize policy- and decision-makers about the impact of small ruminants in development, using rigorous case studies and economic analysis.

 

 

Video: Michigan Cover Crop Decision Tool Update 2026

Abigail Smith, NRCS State Agronomist, Monica Jean, MSU Extension Field Crops Educator, and Madelyn Cleovsky, MSU Extension Conservation Agronomist Educator, discuss 2025 updates made to MCCC’s Cover Crop Decision Tool for Michigan.

This material is based upon work that is supported by the National Institute of Food and Agriculture, U.S. Department of Agriculture, under agreement number 2023-38640-39573 through the North Central Region SARE program under project number ENC23-226. USDA is an equal opportunity employer and service provider. Any opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this publication are those of the author(s) and should not be construed to represent any official USDA or U.S. Government determination or policy.