Goat increasingly the meat of choice among some in Alabama The Associated Press 7/18/2003, 12:28 p.m. CT UNIONTOWN, Ala. (AP) -- He may be just a kid to most, but to Jacob Waddy he's a future burger. You want any fries to go with that goat? Goat meat is fast becoming the organic, gourmet meat of choice for some rural Alabamians and Latin, Carribean and African immigrants who have moved to the state. For small Black Belt farmers such as Waddy, goats may bring profit again from their vacant farmland and offer a farming alternative for those who couldn't afford or weren't accepted into the fraternity of catfish growers. "I would much rather raise a goat than to fool with cattle," Waddy, 61, said from his Uniontown farm. He can raise a cow and her calf on 1 1/2 acres of land. He can sell the calf for about $300. On that same 1 1/2 acres, two goats will produce 10 kids and he'll take home about $1,000 for them. Alabama's three agricultural universities are jointly hosting the first Black Belt Expo Saturday in Selma, where Waddy and others have been asked to bring a few goats to show and to cook. The Alabama Agricultural Land Grant Alliance's goal is to help Black Belt residents develop and market their products and to show others that the state's poorest area has much to offer, said Robert Zabawa of Tuskegee, an organizer of the event. The alliance is composed of Tuskegee University, Auburn University and Alabama A&M University. The expo will be held at the Innovation Center on U.S. 41, just east of Selma, and begins at 8 a.m. In addition to goats and goat meat, there'll be homemade syrup, specialty food items, including rabbit, and handmade gifts and crafts. Bonnie Holland of Goshen will be there. She preserves flowers from weddings, funerals and other events, using an all-natural process. But organizers expect the goat meat to be a sell-out. Ralph Noble, co-coordinator of the animal, poultry and veterinarian science program at Tuskegee, said that since 2000, stockyards in Alabama have sold nearly 90,000 goats. Most are bought for their meat. For certain immigrants, goat is a mainstay of their diets. They enjoy it, and they buy it when they can find it. That's why Black Belt farmers are being encouraged to add goats to their cattle herds or grow them on their own. The hilly, grassy fields are ideal for goats, Noble said. While dairy and angora goats have lost favor in the state, meat goats are growing in popularity. Waddy said he can barely keep a herd - and it's not just immigrants who enjoy the meat. He sold out during Fourth of July to people in Perry County and the surrounding area who bought goat for barbecues. He's already promised 15 goats to vendors who set up during the annual footwashing celebration that is held each September in Hale County. "I would rather have goat meat than beef," Waddy said. "The only reason I don't eat much as I used to, I've lost half my teeth."
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