Wisconsin’s dairy goat industry also contributes to the state’s nickname of America’s Dairyland.
The Wisconsin Dairy Goat Association traces its roots back to the 1930s. Association Vice President Anna Thompson Hajdik says Wisconsin’s dairy goat heritage has gotten a new light in the last decade or so thanks to the development of new products.
“You can find goat milk in everything from your conventional cheeses to now ice creams, gelatos, there’s exciting work going on in the creation of formula for babies,” she says. “There’s yogurt, kiefers, and other growing segments of dairy goat products, so it’s an exciting time.”
Wisconsin will be showing off its dairy goat heritage this fall. The American Dairy Goat Association is hosting its national convention October 19-25 in Lake Geneva.
Thompson Hajdik, who also serves as a regional director for the ADGA, says the last time Wisconsin hosted the convention was in 2006 in Milwaukee. Before that, it was 1994 in Madison.
“This year, it’ll be down in Lake Geneva, which we’re very excited about because we have so many goat dairies down in that region,” she says. “That will bring people from all over the country and all over the world. We have people coming from as far away as Nepal, Germany, Australia, and The Netherlands, so we’re going to have some international presence.”
Thompson Hajdik says the attractions at the annual convention range from an animal auction to educational programming for producers.
“Programming will run the gamut on issues that are really relevant right now in the agricultural world… sustainability and dairy goats…. the commercial world… hands-on workshops, as well,” she lists. “It’s a whole week of programming and then it caps off with a sale of really high-quality live animals.”
You can learn more at convention.adga.org
