Meat and Livestock Australia

4 Introduction This report was developed as a succession to case studies that were produced in 2012 by Department of Primary Industries (DPI) Livestock Graduate Officer, Allie Jones. It was prepared to gain insight into western NSW goat enterprises, provide a resource for other producers within or entering the industry, identify challenges and opportunities faced by producers, and propose recommendations for further development of the goat industry. Revisiting producers five years after the original report was developed has allowed the opportunity to identify how their businesses and the broader industry have evolved during this time. This includes identifying the degree to which past recommendations have been addressed or priorities changed. Methodology In undertaking this updated case study report, the same seven enterprises within western NSW were contacted. Of the original seven landholders involved, the Homfray’s from Fairmount Station have since sold their property, so were not available. Therefore, six of the seven businesses originally studied are included in this report. An additional two business were also included to gain the further perspective of newer entrants into the goat industry. A producer questionnaire was developed as the basis for gathering information during property visits. The questionnaire captured information such as livestock breeding and selection, animal husbandry, land management, marketing, infrastructure and producer views on the future of the industry. The author met with producers on their properties, using the questionnaire as a basis for discussion. Information was gathered to give a holistic overview of each business and allow changes and developments over the past five years to be seen. This information is presented as business based case studies. Producer’s comments and other information gained from the study were used to form the SWOT analysis. This allowed some assessment to be made as to the viability of a future rangeland goat industry and the synthesis of recommendations for future industry success.