Benefits
Strong Fibre Returns
Cashmere fibre ranges from $75 per kilo to $150 per kilo with less inputs than wool production - no crutching, dipping, fly and weed control. The addition of goats to the farming system a true asset, rather than detractor of labor, costs and time.
Weed Control
Goats thrive on a varied diet, targeting most weeds before clover or “better quality” pasture. Cashmere goats are hardy, bred for New Zealand conditions, they are agile enough to graze hard-to-reach places, graze up to 2m in height and have a tolerance for more bitter compounds which deters other livestock from consuming rougher pasture or weeds. Particularly, Cashmere goats are an economic and environmentally friendly way to address weed issues; dramatically reducing chemical usage and the traditional farm weed management costs all whilst offering revenue opportunities in meat and fibre.
Genetic Gain
Goats have incredibly high heritability of traits meaning you’ll enjoy significant and rapid genetic gain within your own breeding programme. Within each generation, you will see improvement in the form of finer fibre. Since the downturn of the industry in the 1990’s only sound, productive and good fibre goats were retained. Today, after 35 years of breeding and genetic gain, the New Zealand Cashmere goat is a far superior animal in fibre and suitability to NZ conditions than those farmed in the 1980’s and 1990’s.
Start your flock from foundation does or begin your journey with mated or unmated cashmere does. A limited number of Cashmere bucks with EBVs available too.
Improve Capital Stock
Adding goats into your farming system enables better production from capital stock and pasture utilisation without decreasing stock units. Goats graze differently than sheep and cattle, they enjoy a varied diet, enjoying weeds and eating pasture top down, removing seed heads and other fibrous material. Under goat grazed pastures, clover thrives. Studies show capital stock finish faster and produce more kg’s of meat per ha when the grazing system is integrated with goats.
Goats and lamb growth weights
Goats and bull growth weights
Alternative to trees
Forget carbon farming and look at cashmere farming. Keep farming and utilise your harder country with goats rather than tying up your land in trees. Cashmere goats are well suited to harder hill country enabling your farm to produce high value produce (fibre and meat) across country that has been unproductive or low performing previously.
Secure Market
Cashmere makes up $4 billion of the $60 billion global luxury apparel market. The highly sought after fibre is become even more rare as traditional growing nations suffer degradation of native grasslands and genetic issues, the opportunity for New Zealand to step in to meet this demand with a “clean, green New Zealand grown” story is huge. Due to the partnership with Woolyarns, the processor and buyer is already secured for cashmere fibre, the supply chain is transparent and steady - what we need is the supply and lots of it.