There aren’t many businesses that draw crowds, but when a park in southwest Green Bay is filled with the bleating of goats, that’s exactly what’s happening.
Recently, cars lined the road near He-Nis-Ra Park when people heard the call of bleating goats and walked down a hill to see a field with about 40 goats, several sheep and a donkey. And while those watching the animals may have thought the herd was simply grazing in the tall grass, there were actually many more.
“It’s targeted grazing,” said Stephanie Bowers, whose family owns Goats on the Go of Green Bay. “The biggest challenge is controlling invasive species like buckthorn. It comes out earlier than other plants and kills our native species. Goats can go where people can’t go safely, and they’re a vegetation solution that people can get excited about.”
The work at the park for the City of Green Bay aimed to eradicate invasive species to create a prairie-like environment in the center of the park. This work required well-trained goats, and for Bowers, it was the culmination of the time he spent with the herd that made this possible.
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But back to the beginning: It all started with a goat. She had nine years of experience running a successful nonprofit and was ready for a new challenge. At the same time, there were changes on the family farm.
She said: “My husband and his brother ran a dairy farm together for 34 years. When it was time for his brother to step down, they sold their cows in June. They still have 400 acres of farmland and will continue with it for a few more years, but I think the goats are taking over.”
The first goat was bought in 2021 and it was love at first goat.
“We knew the cows were going, and our plan was to come up with a fun 4-H project for our sons, Austin and Jake,” Bowers said.
One goat led to another, and then when her family heard about an endangered species, the San Clemente Island goats, they decided to save this breed from extinction. They found a breeder near her parent’s home in New York.
“We loaded up the minivan and drove to New York, where we picked up three goats, put them in the back of the minivan and brought them back to Kaukauna in dog carriers,” she said. Then they drove to Illinois and picked up another one.
The herd began growing with a combination of San Clemente Island goats and a more traditional pasture-raised breed. In December 2022, they joined Goats on the Go (gloriousgoatranch.com) as a partner. A partner operation is similar to a franchise, but differs in that the business model allows for much greater flexibility in ownership.
Bowers said, “I heard about Goats on the Go and found a network of people who are just as crazy as I am. As a partner of Goats on the Go, I have marketing advantages and a network of more than 50 other people in the country who I can call with questions and who provide me with a study group.”
The network is a huge advantage when questions about training or herd management arise. Bowers, who works full-time as a regional dairy educator, has a master’s degree in ruminant nutrition (it’s like a cow dietitian), but goats present a new challenge. Training requires a lot of time and effort.
“They need to be used to fences and have nutritional knowledge,” she noted. “They need to know what to eat and what not to eat, and they need to be all-terrain goats.”
In addition, Bowers and her sons, who are transporting goods using a large trailer, must be able to load and unload the goods.
“It’s a lot harder than you think,” she added.
The goats are fitted with satellite tracking devices so they can be tracked if one runs away. The collars are fitted with audible signals to keep the goats within the fence that is erected for each operation. Bowers can reset the collars at any time from her phone and then knows where the goats are to within ten feet.
And none of it is cheap. There are costs for transport, fencing and installation, feed on the farm, training, health checks, insurance, and housing and care in winter.
She said: “We do everything by the book. We are currently working with towns and villages to pass an ordinance that allows short-term grazing. There are laws that prohibit goats in the cities.”
As the family works to demand changes to those laws, they are operating from a “living business plan” that is constantly updated as things change. Bowers said much of it is trial and error. The business model involves two main sources of income – raising goats and selling goat meat.
She pointed out that goat meat is also widely consumed outside the United States.
“Other cultures are used to it,” Bowers said.
There are currently about 400 goats, and with the upcoming ethnic holidays that use goat meat, that number will be reduced. For the meat, she works with a local processor and says she talks about honoring the goats in a humane way.
The goats are also part of the 4-H training.
Bowers said, “I grew up in 4-H and it’s a great way to grow up and gain confidence. We are currently part of a non-goat 4-H goat club where a group can use our goats and show them at the fair. This year, 21 people will bring 29 of our animals to the fair.”
This means extra work, but Bowers is used to it.
“We are farmers and we don’t know how to slow down. Farmers are generally wired differently,” she said. “When you grow up on a farm, grit and persistence are the most important things.”
With the cows gone, the barns are being converted to house the goat herd. Bowers said her goals are to maintain a herd of about 300 goats, gain more wholesale contracts and grow the business to increase income. She knows what it will take to achieve that goal.
She said: “My advice to a new business owner would be to work lean and be persistent. Cash is king and debt is no fun. There is a lot of risk in any business and you need to know what level of risk you are comfortable with.”
Tina Dettman-Bielefeldt is co-owner of DB Commercial Real Estate in Green Bay and former district manager of SCORE, Wisconsin.
