Tennessee meat goat processing: Opportunities and constraints
Abstract
The new paradigm shift towards health foods and the continued demand by the immigrant population in the United States necessitates that meat goat producers adopt a more holistic approach to production. This involves incorporating value added processes and efficient distribution channels into their business models in order to become prominent players in the meat market. For Tennessee meat goat producers and processors, the opportunity to harness the growing attraction of the local food movement becomes more feasible as processing and improving the quality of goat meat could enhance consumer choices and adoption. Meeting market requirements means access to certified processing facilities and adequate business know-how. As such the availability of certified processing facilities and access to business tools and information through farmer groups become more important. The objectives of this study were to: (1) Identify goat meat processing plants in Tennessee and assess their capacity to process goat meat (2) Assess opportunities and constraints faced by meat goat processors in Tennessee (3) Identify factors that influence the willingness of Tennessee meat processors to receive and process goat meat. Data for the study were collected using a mail questionnaire survey of selected meat processors in Tennessee. The Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) was used in analyzing primary data collected. Results of data analysis showed that more than fifty percent of processors surveyed had the capacity to process goat meat in Tennessee. Ordinary Least Squares (OLS) regression model estimated showed that, at the 5 percent level of significance, there was a positive relationship between the amount of goat meat processed and the capacity of the processing facility. There was a negative relationship between the amount of goat meat processed and the time to clean up as the processor switched from processing different animal species. These results were also significant at the 5 percent level.
Subject Area
Food Science|Management|Agricultural economics
Recommended Citation
Clarence Pongo,
"Tennessee meat goat processing: Opportunities and constraints"
(2014).
ETD Collection for Tennessee State University.
Paper AAI1567572.
https://digitalscholarship.tnstate.edu/dissertations/AAI1567572