Dairy Goat Production and Management
- Skill Level
- Beginner Intermediate
- Length Content Access
- 365
- Sections
- 8
- Length
- 20 hours
- Language
- English
- Note
- This course offers a certificate of completion.
Goats can be fun and rewarding animals to raise; however, it is important to provide the best care for them while making sound business decisions to ensure that your operation is profitable.
In this self-paced course, you'll use a combination of readings, educational videos, and worksheets to learn about basic production, operations, facilities for goats, goat physical characteristics, and specific dairy goat breeds. Additionally, the course covers goat reproduction with details on the reproductive cycle, preparing your bucks and does for breeding, and kidding practices. You will learn about proper goat nutritional management and how feed affects does, bucks, and kids. The course also discusses milking management including procedures, machine setup and maintenance, troubleshooting problems, and mastitis identification and management. You will learn how to market your product with marketing plans, pricing practices, and direct and indirect marketing. The course concludes with a review of financial information, including farm business analysis, balance sheets, and cash flow plans.
You can download and print worksheets to use during video segments of the course. This course also offers a robust host of resources. Knowledge check questions will help you review what you learn, and each section provides you the opportunity to reflect on how to incorporate what you've learned into your operation. There are short quizzes at the end of each section, and you will need a score of 80% or higher on each quiz to successfully earn your certificate of completion.
- Farmers starting a dairy goat operation
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Producers looking to improve their dairy goat operation
You will learn how to:
- understand the basics of dairy goat production
- select the type of dairy goat to best meet your needs
- identify how to feed to meet the nutritional needs of dairy goats
- understand the reproductive process and implement appropriate management strategies
- identify the health needs and issues of dairy goats and utilize ways to correct health problems
- describe effective ways to market your dairy goat and products
- handle financial issues related to dairy goat production
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Certificates are available for some courses, but not all courses. When applicable, certificates are issued upon successful course completion with a passing grade. The definition of a passing grade varies from course to course.
Some courses also provide credits that can go towards professional certifications. None of the online courses offer credits that can go on a college transcript.
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