Sheep and beef farmers can test the profitability of cashmere goats on their farms in a project run by New Zealand Cashmere and AgFirstNZ.
NZC business development manager Olivia Sanders said NZC is looking for sheep and beef farmers, in both the North and South Islands, that are centrally located, have over 300 hectares, and are curious about what cashmere can add to their business.
The two-year project aims to showcase the productivity, profitability and environmental benefits when diversifying with cashmere goats in traditional sheep and beef systems.
Farmers who partake will run 100-plus does, provided by New Zealand Cashmere, for two years.
They will retain female progeny to build their own flock, receive premium fibre returns and take advantage of both NZC and AgFirst’s consultancy services.
Farmers will receive $110-$150/kg of fibre, dependent on quality.
Farms will need 30ha or more of good sheep fencing, and be able to run the cashmere goats from September 2024 to 2026.
Sanders said most farms needed to diversify their income streams. Cashmere goats integrate well into sheep, beef and deer systems, she said.
Farmers who add up to 10% of stock units in cashmere goats do not need to change the way they produce, Sanders said.
Cashmere goats controlled weeds, which in turn reduces inputs.
“You can reduce the time and money spent on chemical sprays or mechanical topping. You’re basically turning those weeds into feed and turning the weeds into cash because you’re growing up cashmere.”
Research in the 1980s showed that by adding cashmere goats to a system, pastures improve and there are daily liveweight gain improvements in lambs, she said.
Goats improve pasture by browsing weeds, seed heads and the fibrous tops of pastures.
When goats eliminate weeds they open up the pasture and expose bare ground, which helps improve clover content by up to 30%, Sanders said.
Better pasture means improved liveweight gain which means farmers can get stock off land quicker, she said.
“Where else do you have an opportunity to add in another livestock unit without needing to remove anything else out of your system?”
Sanders said New Zealand-grown cashmere is so highly in demand that the NZC buyer will take every gram of fibre produced locally.
