Progress 01/15/08 to 01/14/13

Outputs
Target Audience: Meat goat producers, Goat meat consumers, researchers, goat meat processors, students and interested individuals in the goat industry. Changes/Problems: Nothing Reported What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided? Made two presentations at the annual Southeast Kiko Goat Association meetings in Perry Georgia. About 20 students had the opportunity to learn how to collect andanalyze survey data. They also learned how topresent research findings on goat meat consumption in Georgia both in a classroom setting and at conferences. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest? The results have been desseminated through publications, conferences, workshops, and producer association meetings. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals? Nothing Reported

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? Muslims in the meropolitan-Atlanta area were surveyed to determine goat meat consumer preferences and their willingness to pay a premium price for halal goat meat. The research findings were presented at conferences and workshops and also published in both Fort Valley State University research magazine and the Journal of Food and Research Society. Both meat goat producers and at least one processor (GOTCHA Goat LLC) utilized the research findings in their business decisions. Almost 1000 people sat through the seminars, conference and workshop presentations. Also, almost 3000 people (2631 on Ibrahim, "A Pilot Study of Halal Goat-Meat Consumption in Atlanta, Georgia."http://ageconsearch.umn.edu/handle/55614; 147 on "Consumer Willingness to a Premium for Halal Goat-Meat: A Case from Atlanta, Georgia." http://ageconsearch.umn.edu/handle/139299) downloaded or read research findings of the project. A state survey on goat meat consumption was conducted in 2012. Numerous attempts were made to either participate in meat goat producer survey or participate in a case studybut none was successful.The meat goat market is,in a major part controlled by theinformalsector and particpants in this sector were found not willing to particpate in our project or answer questions.

Publications

• Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2008 Citation: Ibrahim, Mohammed, Liu, Xuanli, and Mack, K. Nelson. (2008). A Pilot Study of Halal Goat-Meat Consumption in Atlanta, Georgia. Journal of Food Distribution Research. Volume XXXIX, Number 1, March 2008.
• Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Accepted Year Published: 2009 Citation: Campbell, T., M. Ibrahim, and J. Whitehead. 2009. Will Muslim Consumers Pay More for the Halal Attribute A Survey Analysis. Presented at the 67th Annual Professional Agricultural Workers Conference, Tuskegee, AL, December 6, 2009.
• Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Accepted Year Published: 2009 Citation: Ibrahim, M. 2009. Predicting Willingness to Pay a Premium for Halal Goat Meat in Atlanta, Georgia. Presented at the Association of Social and Behavioral Scientists Annual Meeting, Macon, GA, March 18 -21, 2009.
• Type: Other Status: Published Year Published: 2010 Citation: Mohammed Ibrahim. 2010. "Finding a niche Market in the goat meat Market." Fort Valley State University Research Report 2010, page 23.
• Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Accepted Year Published: 2010 Citation: Mohammed Ibrahim. 2010. "Consumer Willingness to Pay a Premium for Halal Goat Meat: A case from Atlanta, Georgia." Presented at the Food Distribution and Research Society Meeting, Sandestin, FL, October 16 -20, 2010.
• Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Accepted Year Published: 2010 Citation: Mohammed Ibrahim. 2010. "Marketing Options for Meat Goats." Presented at the Southeast Kiko Goat Association Meeting held in Perry, GA, June, 11, 2010.
• Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Accepted Year Published: 2011 Citation: LaShondra Hooks. 2011. "Halal Market as a Niche for Goat Meat in Atlanta: A logistic Approach." Presented at the ARD 16th Biennial Research Symposium, Atlanta, Georgia. April 10 -13, 2011.
• Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Accepted Year Published: 2011 Citation: Audrianna Marzette. 2011. "The Influence of Demographics on Goat Meat Consumption." Presented at the ARD 16th Biennial Research Symposium, Atlanta, Georgia. April 10 -13, 2011.
• Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2011 Citation: Mohammed Ibrahim. 2011. "Consumer Willingness to a Premium for Halal Goat-Meat: A Case from Atlanta, Georgia." Journal of Food Distribution Research. Volume XLII, Number 1, March 2011.
• Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Accepted Year Published: 2011 Citation: Marzette, A., J. E. Davis, J. Whitehead, M. Ibrahim and E. Styles. The Influence of Demographics on Goat Meat Consumption. Paper Presented at MANRRS Conference, Kansas. March, 2011.
• Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Accepted Year Published: 2012 Citation: Mohammed Ibrahim Consumers Perception of Goat Meat: Summary of Preliminary Results from Georgia. Presented at Food Distribution and Research Society Meeting, San Juan, Puerto Rico, October 13-17, 2012.
• Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Accepted Year Published: 2013 Citation: Millicent Cosby, Mohammed Ibrahim and Jackie Whitehead. Consumers Perception and willingness to buy Goat Meat. Presented at the 17th Biennial Research Symposium organized by the 1890 Association of Research Directors (ARD) in Jacksonville, Florida, April 2013.
• Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Accepted Year Published: 2013 Citation: Mohammed Ibrahim, Current Trends and Future Strategies for Marketing Goat Meat Invited Speaker at the 2013 ADSA-ASAS Joint Annual Meeting Indianapolis, Indiana July 10, 2013.
• Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Accepted Year Published: 2013 Citation: Mohammed Ibrahim, Current Trends and Future Strategies for Marketing Goat Meat Presented at the FVSU College of Agriculture, Family Science and Technology Monthly Seminar, ONeal Building Auditorium, November 21, 2013
• Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Accepted Year Published: 2013 Citation: Mohammed Ibrahim. Consumer Attitudes toward Goat Meat: A Georgia Survey. Presented at the 71st Public Agricultural Workers Conference at Tuskegee University, Alabama, December 8-10, 2013.
• Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Accepted Year Published: 2013 Citation: Mohammed Ibrahim. Goat Meat Markets and Consumer Preferences. Presented at the Georgia Extension In-Service Training for County Agents, April 18, 2013.

Progress 01/01/12 to 09/30/12

Outputs
Target Audience: Meat goat producers, goat meat consumers, researchers, studentsand those interested in the goat industry. Efforts: 1. Conducted seminars on meat goat production and goat meat consumption in both the U.S. and the State of Georgia to Georgia extension agents and the Southeast Kiko Goat Association. 2. Students collected and analyzed survey dataon goat meat and goat milk ice cream taste test at the annual agricultural Exposition held at Moultrie, GA as part of their research Methods assignments. 3. Responded to goat producers and processors questions on meat goat marketing. Changes/Problems: Farmer who agreed to participate in collecting production data went out of business. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided? Nothing Reported How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest? Resutls of study presented at the Food Distribution and Reseach Society meeting. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals? Nothing Reported

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? Studies have shown that majority of goat meat consumers are foreign-born. These consumers are mostly economic migrants and therefore sensitive to prices. Also, domestic goat meat prices are higher than imported goat meat which comes mostly from Australia and New Zealand. For the goat industry to be sustainable domestic producers must be able to adopt new marketing strategies to earn premium prices in order to remain viable. For example, the preliminary results of the Georgia Goat Meat Consumer Survey suggest that majority of non-goat meat eaters in Georgia will try the product if made available. Respondents felt that domestic goat meat was safer than imported goat meat. Producers can therefore market their goats as “US produced,” “grass-fed,” and/or “locally grown.” Other possible value added products include sausage, jerky, burgers and patties.

Publications

• Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Accepted Year Published: 2012 Citation: Mohammed Ibrahim Consumers Perception of Goat Meat: Summary of Preliminary Results from Georgia. Presented at Food Distribution and Research Society Meeting, San Juan, Puerto Rico, October 13-17, 2012.

Progress 01/01/11 to 12/31/11

Outputs
OUTPUTS: 1. Surveyed goat meat consumers at the 2011 Fort Valley State University Field Day. 2. Surveyed goat meat consumers at the 2011 Ag Expo in Moultrie, GA. 3. A student presented the survey results at the 26th Minorities in Agriculture Natural Resources and Related Sciences (MANRRS) conference held in Kansas. 4. Two students participated in student paper competition at the 16th Biennial Research Symposium organized by the 1890 Association of Directors (ARD) in Atlanta. 5. Dr. Ibrahim recruited a farmer to participate in a case study. A paper was published in the Journal of Food Distribution Review (JFDR). 6. Survey Data collected at both Field Day and Expo were analyzed and presented by students in a research methods class at a seminar organized by the PI. 7. Dr. Ibrahim also advised both farmers and businesses trying to get into the goat market about the goat meat market in Atlanta, Georgia. 8. Dr. Ibrahim drafted goat meat consumer survey to be used in a statewide survey. PARTICIPANTS: Fort Valley State Agricultural Economics faculty and students. TARGET AUDIENCES: Meat goat producers, goat meat consumers and those interested in the goat industry. PROJECT MODIFICATIONS: Not relevant to this project.

Impacts
A total of about 50 people (students and professionals) attended the student competition session at the ARD organized Symposium in Atlanta. Also, a total of over 500 people tasted goat meat and goat meat products at both the 2011 Fort Valley State University Field Day and 2011 Ag Expo in Moultrie, GA. About 24 people (students and Fort Valley State University researchers) attended the student seminar held at FVSU Research Station. Four farmers called in for information and one business (GOTCHA GOAT LLC) contacted the PI for information. GOTCHA GOAT LLC now supplies some local Kroger grocery stores in metro Atlanta and middle Georgia with goat meat.

Publications

• LaShondra Hooks. 2011. "Halal Market as a Niche for Goat Meat in Atlanta: A logistic Approach." Presented at the ARD 16th Biennial Research Symposium, Atlanta, Georgia. April 10 -13, 2011.
• Audrianna Marzette. 2011. "The Influence of Demographics on Goat Meat Consumption." Presented at the ARD 16th Biennial Research Symposium, Atlanta, Georgia. April 10 -13, 2011.
• Mohammed Ibrahim. 2011. "Consumer Willingness to a Premium for Halal Goat-Meat: A Case from Atlanta, Georgia." Journal of Food Distribution Research. Volume XLII, Number 1, March 2011.

Progress 01/01/10 to 12/31/10

Outputs
OUTPUTS: 1. Conducted survey of meat goat producers through mail. 2. Surveyed goat meat consumers at the Fort Valley State University Field Day. 3. Surveyed goat meat consumers at the 2010 Ag Expo in Moultrie, GA. 4. Presented a paper on marketing options for meat goats at the Southeast Kiko Goat Association Meeting held in Perry, GA. 4. Presented research findings at the Food Distribution and Research Society Meeting held in Sandestin, Florida. PARTICIPANTS: Fort Valley State Agricultural Economics faculty and students. TARGET AUDIENCES: Meat goat producers, goat meat consumers and those interested in the goat industry. PROJECT MODIFICATIONS: Not relevant to this project.

Impacts
In recent years the consumption of goat meat in the United States has more than tripled. The influx of immigrants from countries where goat meat is traditionally consumed is the primary source of the increase in demand. On the supply side, almost all of the producers are native born and most of them do not understand the traditions, customs and religious practices of the consumers. Because this is not a mainstream industry, meat goat producers must give considerable thought into consumer preferences for specific attributes prior to making production decisions. More research is therefore needed to assist meat goat producers in determining potential profitability of selling their goats by responding to consumer demands. The primary purpose of this research is to determine the supply-chain and consumer preferences of meat goats and goat meat in Georgia. The objectives of this project are in concert with the USDA-NIFA priority area of keeping American Agriculture competitive while ending world hunger. The expected major impact of the project is the establishment of meat goat producer and goat meat consumer preference information available to all the goat industry stakeholders. A total of about 100 people attended the session on Marketing Options for Meat Goats at the Southeast Kiko Goat Association Meeting held in Perry, GA. Also, a total of over 200 people tasted goat meat and goat meat products at both the Fort Valley State University Field Day and Ag Expo in Moultrie, GA.

Publications

• Mohammed Ibrahim. 2010. "Finding a niche Market in the goat meat Market." Fort Valley State University Research Report 2010, page 23.
• Mohammed Ibrahim. 2010. "Consumer Willingness to Pay a Premium for Halal Goat Meat: A case from Atlanta, Georgia." Presented at the Food Distribution and Research Society Meeting, Sandestin, FL, October 16 -20, 2010.
• Mohammed Ibrahim. 2010. "Marketing Options for Meat Goats." Presented at the Southeast Kiko Goat Association Meeting held in Perry, GA, June, 11, 2010.

Progress 01/01/09 to 12/31/09

Outputs
OUTPUTS: 1. A list of goat meat processors in Georgia was put together. Mail surveys will be constructed and mailed to the processors to complete. 2. Meat goat breeders and commercial goat producers were surveyed at the 2009 Goat-A-Rama in Sandersville, Georgia. The objective of the survey was to determine what producers look for when they pick their breeding stock. 3. Organized both a paper presentation session and a panel discussion on meat goat and goat meat marketing at Association of Social and Behavioral Scientists (ASBS ) Conference in Georgia. 4. A student presented a paper entitled "Will Muslim Consumers Pay More for the Halal Attribute A Survey Analysis" in a student competition at the 67th Annual Professional Agricultural Workers Conference (PAWC) held in Tuskegee, Alabama. 5. Visited a goat auction in Reynolds, GA. The purpose of the visit was to observe one of channels used by meat goat producer to market their goats. PARTICIPANTS: Fort Valley State Agricultural Economics faculty and students. TARGET AUDIENCES: Meat goat producers, goat meat consumers and those interested in the goat industry. PROJECT MODIFICATIONS: Not relevant to this project.

Impacts
In recent years the consumption of goat meat in the United States has more than tripled. The influx of immigrant from countries where goat meat is traditionally consumed is the primary source of the increase in demand. On the supply side, almost all of the producers are native born and most of them do not understand the traditions, customs and religious practices of the consumers. Because this is not a mainstream industry, meat goat producers must give considerable thought into consumer preferences for specific attributes prior to making production decisions. More research is therefore needed to assist meat goat producers in determining potential profitability of selling their goats by responding to consumer demands. The primary purpose of this research is to determine the supply-chain and consumer preferences of meat goats and goat meat in Georgia. A paper "A Pilot Study of Halal Goat-Meat Consumption in Atlanta, Georgia" published in the Journal of Food Distribution Research (Vol. 39, number 1, March 2009) received 14 downloads in December 2009 alone on AqEcon search website. Also, a total of about 50 people attended the panel discussion and paper presentations at both the ASBS meeting and the 67th Annual Professional Agricultural Workers Conference.

Publications

• Campbell, T., M. Ibrahim, and J. Whitehead. 2009. Will Muslim Consumers Pay More for the Halal Attribute A Survey Analysis. Presented at the 67th Annual Professional Agricultural Workers Conference, Tuskegee, AL, December 6, 2009.
• Ibrahim, M. 2009. Predicting Willingness to Pay a Premium for Halal Goat Meat in Atlanta, Georgia. Presented at the Association of Social and Behavioral Scientists Annual Meeting, Macon, GA, March 18 -21, 2009.

Progress 01/01/08 to 12/31/08

Outputs
OUTPUTS: Georgia is one of the states with the fastest growing meat goat industry in the country. Information on the industry as a whole is still a little bit sketchy. To understand the goat industry in Georgia, we proposed to divide the project into production, marketing and consumption. It is our goal to tie all these sub-projects together by the end of the project to give a better understanding of the meat goat supply chain and consumption. To have an overview of the meat goat industry in Georgia, a number of stakeholders in the industry, namely, meat goat producers and extension agents were consulted. The information derived was used to create a producer survey instrument. This instrument will be used to solicit producer participation in data collection. To get a snapshot of the marketing channel, visits were made to a number of ethnic grocery stores in metro Atlanta that sell goat meat. I also visited two livestock auctions in the middle Georgia area where meat goats are auctioned off. During the summer of 2008 an undergraduate student analyzed data that were collected at the Georgia Sunbelt Expo on consumer purchasing decisions locally grown products. The student presented a poster from the study entitled "Do Locally Grown Labels Matter to Georgia Consumers Evidence from Georgia Sunbelt Agricultural Exposition," at the Food Distribution Research Society Annual Meeting in Columbus, OH (October 11 - 15, 2008). PARTICIPANTS: Mohammed Ibrahim, Project PI, Stephanie King, student. TARGET AUDIENCES: Meat goat producers, purveyors, processors, retailers and consumers. PROJECT MODIFICATIONS: Nothing significant to report during this reporting period.

Impacts
Anecdotally, meat goat producers have limited information about the goat meat consumers. As such, there is the need for an educational program to educate producers about the various goat meat consumer segments and their characteristics. For example, the pilot study results suggest that goat meat eating Muslims in the metro Atlanta area are willing to pay more for Islamically prescribed method of slaughtering an animal (halal), freshness, and quality. Also, a walk through the ethnic meat markets (Halal meat stores) in Atlanta shows that retailers get their meat supply from middlemen and not directly from the processors. Educating goat producers about existing niche markets will have a tremendous impact on their marketing decision making.

Publications

• Ibrahim, Mohammed, Liu, Xuanli, and Mack, K. Nelson. (2008). A Pilot Study of Halal Goat-Meat Consumption in Atlanta, Georgia. Journal of Food Distribution Research. Volume XXXIX, Number 1, March 2008.