KAHEIM: A 15 Year-Old Jamaican Goat Farmer

It is exciting to see the next generation of farmers emerge, as the world looks to them to be the future players in the global food security drive.

Kaheim Jauvae McLune is only 15 years old and he is already an established farmer. This ambitious youngster keeps rabbits, ducks and goats. He attends Oberlin High School in West Rural St Andrew, Jamaica and his favourite subjects are mathematics and ... you guessed it … agricultural science!

Grown at Home was happy to connect with this teen entrepreneur to ask him about his farming experiences.

GAH: Kaheim, can you tell us what led to your interest in goats?

KJM: I got started in goat farming when I was five or six years old because that was when my mom bought me my first goat. That goat gave me one kid. Then, Mr Katon Black, who is a good steward of my community, gave me a brown and white native goat1. Five months later, she had a baby buck.

GAH: How many goats do you have?

KJM: At one stage, I had five goats but now I have only two goats. Some had kids and some were sold. I once experienced a great loss of three graded2 kids. The kind of goats I now have are a graded Nubian goat and a native mother goat.

GAH: Do you raise goats for milk or meat?

KJM: I raise them for meat and my goal is also to get into genetics

GAH: Was there a transition between when you first started to keep goats and now?

KJM: I am constantly undergoing transition because farming is a process. My knowledge has increased and I have matured. I remember when I had to sell my first goat, I cried, but now I can make my own decisions concerning the business of goat farming and its future.

GAH: Do you enjoy goat farming and why?

KJM: I enjoy goat farming because I love goats and I like caring for them. I am an outdoor person and farming is a type of relaxation for me.

GAH: What is your typical day like?

KJM: My typical day contains activities such as checking on my livestock, grazing the goats, cutting grass, preparing feeding bags and watching them feed.

GAH: What is entailed in maintaining healthy goats?

KJM: To maintain health, I have to ensure that their environment is clean. I have to make sure that no feed is left in their trough overnight. I have to change their water daily, trim their hooves when needed, and make sure they are dewormed.

GAH: Are you involved in finding a market for your goats?

KJM: Yes, I market my own goats. There are butcher shops in my community, so I don’t have a problem marketing my goods.

GAH: Do you have a mentor from whom you can get advice?

KJM: I get a lot of advice from people in the Belmont community, starting with my family. My brother and uncle are both farmers, and

my mother is involved in farming on the side. In addition, I am a member of New Belmont Farm Club and I watch a lot of vlogs by Farmer Khalil. Mr Khalil Brown is an animal nutritionist, researcher and farmer. I also keep in contact with Mr Bernard of the Small Ruminants Association of Jamaica and I am a member of Emmanuel Apostolic Church. The congregation is a big support system to my life.

GAH: Do you find goat farming financially beneficial?

KJM: I see farming as a financially beneficial business but it takes great passion and patience. I am currently adjusting my business and pushing to make more space so that I can produce more stock. If I do that, it can be even more financially beneficial.

GAH: What advice would you give to a youngster who is interested in farming?

KJM: My advice would be not to think of agriculture as a dirty job. It is good to be next to nature and to be learning at the same time. There are a lot of jobs created in agriculture so do not allow yourself to be discouraged.

FOOTNOTES

1. Native goats are those that have been around from colonial times. They breed without any formal breeding programme and survive naturally in Jamaica’s physical environment.

2. Graded goats are those that are made up of more than one breed of goat.

3. Raising goats for genetics is when quality stock is sold to farmers for breeding purposes. These animals will help to upgrade the breed variations on other farmers’ goat operations.