The Farm Beat: In Defense of Goats

Today’s oddball e-mail comes from a group called SuperGoat.org, which promotes goat milk. The occasion is the release of “The Men Who Stare at Goats,” a movie about U.S. military personnel trying mind-control techniques against potential enemies in the 1970s. This includes, yes, trying to kill goats by staring at them. The e-mail quotes a Sonoma County milk producer eager to set the record straight. “Even though the movie portrays goats as susceptible to mind control experiments, in real life it would be quite the opposite. Once you look into a goat’s eyes, it’s more likely they’ll have control over you,” said Jennifer Bice, Owner, Redwood Hill Farm & Creamery, home to 350 goats, and Founding Member of SuperGoat.org. “Goats are sweet, loving, intelligent creatures who contribute much to society.” The e-mail goes on to note that goat milk has many health benefits and that it is consumed in greater volume worldwide than cow milk. I knew that already, having researched the product for a story a few years back on Meyenberg Goat Milk Products in Turlock. It is the nation’s largest processor of goat milk, though it’s just a drop in the bucket compared to our cow milk industry. The e-mail didn’t mention goats raised for meat, which is important in many parts of the world and a niche industry around here. This gets me wondering, what would be the most humane way of slaughtering a goat? Staring at it, right? Are you with me here? ... Hello?