A Review of Southeastern Farmers’ Perspectives on the Nutritional Systems and Parasite Management Strategies of Dairy Goats

Abstract

This qualitative phenomenology evaluates nutritional systems in the context of dairy goat health and production in the Southeastern United States amid climatic pressures to enhance the understanding of farmer perspectives, including cost benefit analyses and operation-specific prioritizations, in this region. This study parses through interviews with dairy goat farmers across the Southeast who differ greatly in their systems of feeding and managing health, as well as in their operational goals. Insights offered by these farmers into their personal and financial decision-making highlight the opportunity costs of small ruminant nutritional systems, as well as the challenges currently facing dairy goat farmers. The discussion attempts to understand the optimal nutritional system for prioritizing production and health in dairy goats, while considering the environmental benefits of ruminant rotational grazing, and the practical balance of meeting the operational needs and preferences of individual farmers.