goat cheese
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The high prices of dairy farming have turned many farmers toward a new animal: the goat. And with the growing demand for goat cheese, many farmers find themselves in a lucrative business, selling their goats' milk to local cheesemakers, who make a variety of cheese in an artisanal style, taking cues from Europe, which has been making goat cheese for centuries.

Chris Lekberg, who converted his dairy cow farm in Vermont to a goat farm after 2002, sells his goats' milk to Blue Ledge Farm, which produces 40,000 pounds of chevres, Gouda-style, and aged cheeses. The cheeses are sold in New England and New York.

Wisconsin and California have the most dairy goats, but the industry is growing in New England. Vermont, known for its dairy cow farming, is the next best place to benefit from dairy goat farming. In the past 20 years, more than a thousand dairy cow farms have closed in Vermont because of high feed costs. Since the feed for one cow equals the feed for seven or eight goats, goat farming is the less expensive business. Still goats produce less milk per year than cows, 3,000 pounds compared to 27,000 for cows.

"Nationwide, the number of dairy goats has been slowly but steadily increasing, from nearly 335,000 in 2007 to 360,000 in 2011, according to the USDA's National Agricultural Statistics Service. The growth reflects increases in goat cheese production seen by the American Cheese Society. Last year, fresh goat cheese was the largest category at its annual competition with 139 entries, compared to 2009 when cheddars (from any milk) were king." (AP)

Vermont is now home to 26 goat dairies. As the artisanal cheese industry grows, some Vermont creameries, like Vermont Butter and Cheese Creamery, hope to use a larger supply of goats' milk from Vermont dairies. Switching to dairy goats doesn't work for every farm though and the demand for goats' milk is low compared to cows' milk. But as more and more consumers are interested in artisanal cheese, there's definitely a chance for the industry to grow. A recent grant from the USDA will help goat farmers and would-be goat farmers carve their place in the industry.

Do you prefer goat cheese or cow cheese? Let us know in the comments below.

If you're a lover of goat cheese, check out the following recipes.

Goat Cheese Phyllo Stack with Crushed Olives
Roasted Asparagus and Goat Cheese Tarts
Goat Cheese Crostini with Pickled Peppers
Mushroom and Goat Cheese Bechamel Pizzas
Grilled Beet Salad with Balsamic and Goat Cheese
Goat Cheese Puddings

Related Video

Watch the Video to learn about cheesemaking from goat farmers Gayle and Jim Tanner.