Did you know Wisconsin leads the nation in the number of dairy goats? That’s right! America’s Dairyland is home to 74,000 of them!

In comparison, our lead is ahead of California with 37,000, Texas with 26,000 and Iowa with 22,000 dairy goats. As of January 1, 2024, Wisconsin had 333 licensed dairy goat herds with more added monthly. Calumet County has the highest concentration of dairy goats in the United States.

With that being said, many amazing goat milk products are being made in our state. Let’s take a look at some of their benefits.

What makes a high-quality goat milk product?

It doesn’t make any difference if you are talking milk from cows, goats or sheep; quality taste comes down to the basics of the following factors:

The well-balanced diet of the animal.
Clean milking equipment.
How quickly milk is cooled below 40 degrees Fahrenheit.
How rapidly the milk is made into its end-product.

Milk from goats has a clean, fresh milky taste that is very similar to that of cow’s milk. Some people have a hard time telling them apart, while some will comment it has a bit sweeter taste than that of cow’s milk.

What are the nutritional benefits of goat milk?

With fat particles five times smaller than cow’s milk, goat’s milk is naturally homogenized. Thus, it is easy to digest and spends less time in the digestive tract. It is also slightly lower in lactose.

The milk protein casein is A2 in goat milk, which is an easier-to-digest variant that is better tolerated by those with lactose intolerance or milk protein allergies. Thus, those with sensitivities can, many times, continue to enjoy dairy goat products!

Some additional facts to keep in mind:

It has about as much potassium as a banana.
It is whiter in color. Even butter made from goat milk cream is white!
It has medium to short fatty acid chains which makes it heart-friendly.
Over 70% of the world’s population drinks goat’s milk and eats goat meat.

What are the benefits of goat milk products?

The properties of goat milk carry over into the products it is made into. These products include ice cream, butter, caramels, butter toffee, mac and cheese, cheeses and more.

Wisconsin is home to many amazing artisan goat milk cheeses including anything from hard cheeses to blue cheese to chevre. Chevre, otherwise known simply as goat cheese, is a soft, spreadable cheese similar to cream cheese. It can also be found as crumbles.

Since it’s pH is similar to that of your skin, it also makes amazing skincare products as bar soap, liquid soap and lotion.

As we celebrate Goat Cheese Month this August, I hope you will take the opportunity to try a goat milk product near you!