B
116-Lancasler Farming, Saturday, May 19,1990
LOU ANN GOOD
Lancaster Farming Staff
SELLERSVILLE (Bucks Co.)
When it comes to animals,
Dawn Jermigan likes the unusual.
On her 13-acre Sellersville farm,
she raises both Fainting and Cash
mere goats.
“Fainting goats are small, won
derful, gentle, and have a mild
temperment,” Jermigan said.
Tire Fainting goats are pigmy
size, come in all colors, and breed
year around, but the most unusual
thing about the rare breed is that
they actually faint when
frightened.
This happens from a genetically
myatonia condition that causes the
goats’ muscles to become very
hard and stiff when frightened.
Generally, they stiffen up in the
rear legs and are unable to walk for
a few seconds, but if badly fright
ened, the whole body stiffens and
they fall over and are unable to get
up for a few seconds.
The breed, which originated in
Tennessee during the 1880 s,
became almost extinct. One of the
reasons for their declining num
bers resulted from farmers who
place the Fainting goats with their
sheep flocks. When coyote attack,
the goats faint and the predators
attack them instead of the lambs.
About five years ago the Ten
nessee Fainting Goat Association
began promoting and registering
the breed. The numbers have
increased rapidly and about 600
are now registered. But the most
important thing is that people are
recognizing the breed for their
gentle qualities as pets and they
now carry a $3OO price tag.
“People usually buy them in
pairs,” Jermigan said. “Otherwise,
the goats cry. They do not make
good solitary animals.”
Jermigan had begun raising
dairy goats about 15 years ago. “It
was when homesteading was
popular and I wanted to live off the
land,” she said.
But she soon discovered that
required too much work so, by day,
she works as an executive secret
ary, and in off hours, she concen
trates on raising good looking ani
mals that she displays on the show
circuit.
“I can raise five Fainting goats
. ■'(» *■ ■
Moonlighter, a black Cashmere buck, will be used for
breeding stock and to produce cashmere wool.
New Profits Possible From
Fainting And Cashmere Goats
on what it costs to raise a dairy
goat,” she said.
Currently, Jermigan has 10 does
and 4 bucks of the Fainting goats.
In addition to raising them for
breeding animals and for pets, she
is crossbreeding them to raise
cashmere.
Cashmere goats
Recently Jermigan imported a
black Cashmere buck from Austra
lia and some crossbred does. In
June, she will be getting some
white Cashmere does from
Australia.
According to Jermigan, U.S.
cashmere processors had been
importing cashmere from other
countries. The industry could not
find enough cashmere to meet the
demand. In some cases the govern
ment gave grants to Cashmere
breeders to test the feastibility of
having a U.S. cashmere industry.
Jermigan believes that cross
breeding Cashmere and Fainting
goats produces at high quality
cashmere. Goats are graded for the
cashmere they produce on a scale
that ranges from IS to 18 microns,
with ISbeing the finer cashmeres.
“My goal is to breed quality ani
mals with a fine micron count and
good yields,” Jermigan said. ‘To
do this I will use my buck. Moon
lighter, who has a fine micron
count of 15.13, as well as using
artificial insemination with semen
from some of the best Australian
bucks.”
Although Cashmere goats can
be crossed with various breeds,
Jermigan cautions that mixing and
Angora and Cashmere breeds
makes the fleece worthless.
Once a year, usually in the
spring, Jertnigan collects the cash
mere hair by combing or by sheer
ing. The fine cashmere is protected
by guard hairs, and if sheered the
cashmere fleece must be dehaired.
Cashmere processor
Forte, a luxury wool processing
company, guarantees to purchase
all cashmere produced in this
country during 1990. They pay
S4S per pound for cashmere with a
micron count under 16. Cashmere
with a micron count of 16 to 19
receives a $35 payment.
Hugh Hopkins, Forte general
*1
The Fainting goat breed has gained popularity among pet lovers who find that the
small, sweet-tempered goats make excellent pets.
manager, said it is important that
producers realize these prices are
for cashmere only. Reece that is
sent in is dehaired. If someone
sends a two pound fleece, it may
weigh only one pound after it is
dehaired. Hopkins said, they
will reimburse farmers for any
amount of cashmere even one
handful and there is no charge for
those who want them to critique a
fleece.
Primarily, the world’s cashmere
is produced 50 percent by the Peo
ple’s Republic of China, 25 per
cent by Outer Mongolia, and 25
percent by Iran and Afghanistan
with fringe amounts produced in
Australia and New Zealand.
Four years ago, Forte, a 62-year
old company that began in Boston,
looked atU.S. goats particularly in
Texas and found that the wild
Spanish meat goat was producing
significant quantities of cashmere.
In an effort to develop U.S.
markets. Forte purchased some
Spanish goat fleeces to extract the
cashmere.
In an effort to improve the cash
mere, a few people imported Aus
tralian goats and crossbred them
with other breeds.
Last year, Forte looked at 850
fleeces. They rejected 130 fleeces
and ended up with 65 pounds of
cashmere.
This year, so far, they have
looked at 2,000 fleeces and
rejected only 10.
“The people have a better under
standing of what we are looking
for, and we are finding magnifi
cent, domesticated goats that are
producing far better cashmere than
that imported,” Hopkins said.
At the same time, Hopkins cau
tions. “Cashmere growers survive
only if cashmere is not the predom
inate source of income. Fortunate
ly, the U.S. has a strong goat meat
market and if producers sheer the
goats before selling to the meat
market that is money in their
pockets.”
Some farmers combine wool
growing with grazing. “Goats are
fantastic weed eaters,” Hopkins
said. “Since herbicides are
frowned upon, many are looking to
goats to control weeds. In fact, in
some western states the govern
ment is paying a bounty for people
to use goats as weed eaters.”
Although Hopkins is not aware
of goats being used for weed con
trol in the East, he is optimistic of
research breakthroughs. He said,
‘Through experimentation, far
mers may find goals can control
weeds in the East Research is
Dawn Jermlgan holds one of her Fainting Goats.
changing the industry.”
For those considering raising
cashmere goats, Hopkins encour
ages them to join Cashmere Pro
ducers of America, P.O. Box 443,
Longmount, Col. 80502.
Of those interested in entering
the cashmere market, Hopkins
said, “Research, learn all you can
about the industry. Unfortunately
there are too many looking for a
quick dollar that want to get in and
get out of the market quickly. It
won’t happen that way.”
Forte offers to send fanners an
informational packet for potential
producers to examine. Send to
Forte, P.O. Box 869, Woonsock
et, R.I. 02895, or call (401)
762-2000 or fax 401 769-9645.