By Butler Cain, Alabama Public Radio
http://stream.publicbroadcasting.net/production/mp3/wual/local-wual-471190.mp3
Think Global Alabama -- Monday Report
Undated, AL – This week, Alabama Public Radio joins other public radio stations across the nation that are producing reports about how globalization is affecting our listeners locally. We begin our series this morning with a look at an emerging agricultural product that's responding to the wants of Alabama's immigrant population. Butler Cain reports.
Alabama's Hispanic population is increasing. As a result, more ethnic food markets have been established to cater to their culinary wants and needs. Goat meat is quite popular, and Alabama's farmers have begun taking notice. State Agriculture Commissioner Ron Sparks....
"It is a growing market, it is a good market that is at the very beginning of its stages because there has been some demand for the goat meat...the Hispanic population that we have, with agricultural workers throughout the South. So, yes it is a positive market, and some of our farmers are doing very well."
Sparks says even though goat farming is a niche market, the Agriculture Department continues to support it. He says statistics suggests the consumption of goat meat has been increasing during the past few years. There are about 16-hundred goat farms in the state with around 28-thousand goats total. The meat sells for about three dollars a pound and is sold mainly at ethnic grocery stores.
For the Alabama Report, I'm Butler Cain.