PRAIRIE VIEW, Texas (July 6, 2023) — Prairie View A&M University is among the vanguard for its renowned agricultural research and educational programs. And as one of the nation’s 1890 Land Grant Universities, it has a critical duty to develop robust cooperative extension programs that make their findings accessible and available to individuals, organizations, and businesses beyond campus.
Since establishing its Cooperative Extension Program (CEP) in 1914, PVAMU has provided scientifically-sound research and information tailored to meet the specific characteristics and concerns of their surrounding communities. Now, with a $175,000 grant from the 1890 Universities Foundation, CEP researchers are extending their industry-advancing insights to help sheep, goat, and beef cattle producers grow both locally and beyond.
The Ranch Commodities, Processes, and Systems Project was proposed by Clarence Bunch, the CEP’s Agriculture & Natural Resource program leader, to help producers of small ruminants – such as sheep and goats – achieve a diversified, profitable, sustainable production system and marketing plan that would position them, and the industry at-large, to meet growing consumer demand.
Clarence Bunch, Agriculture & Natural Resource
“Many industries and interconnected areas of the supply chain – from ranchers and farmers to industrial processors and food purveyors – depend on the work of agricultural researchers to innovate new ways for industry to thrive,” PVAMU Vice President of Research and Innovation Magesh Rajan, Ph.D., P.E., MBA said. “The agricultural researchers at Prairie View continue to provide the academic basis for them to build on.”
According to 2019 data, demographic shifts indicated that approximately 53 million people in the U.S. have a preference for goat meat. Consumption trends suggested that demand for goat would exceed inventory by 160 percent, and that there are more than 2 million available market goals. Helping producers diversify and develop niche marketing plans that appeal to a variety of populations – while creating added value for businesses and consumers – would position them to pounce on this opportune period within the industry. Not only could better production and marketing practices help scale the market, but they could also create space for more farmers and entrepreneurs to flourish in the field.
Though business opportunities abound within the small ruminant sector, they are not without their challenges. Producers must realize that their markets depend upon demographics, cultural preferences, and supply and demand. Understanding those cultural differences; educating consumers, producers, and other stakeholders; and having adequate places for harvest are key to uncovering their potential. The objectives of the Ranch Commodities, Processes, and Systems Project correlate and correspond with each.
Bunch plans to establish an Extension-Research working group that will develop a database and website of previous, on-going, and potential research projects on small ruminants; provide leadership to the National Goat Conference; encourage collaborative research and extension activities; and provide system-wide workshop opportunities with Continuing Education Credits for small ruminant producers.
The first manifestations of the project are a two-day, in-person Goat Industry Community of Practice conference, which will serve as a formal working group that also connects producers and speakers with sponsorships for the National Goat Conference, and the construction of a database of activities.
“Not only does this project meet the CEP’s mission to conduct educational outreach that disseminates research-based knowledge to agricultural producers,” Bunch said, “This helps small ruminant ranchers and farmers meet market demand in a self-sustaining and profitable way.”
By Jada Smith