WYATT FERREIRA
ARTICLE BY TIFFANY SELCHOW PHOTOS BY TINA MEAD-RAMIREZ
I
n a deserted area of Pinal County, an unexpected sound greets your ears: the clamor of bleating goats and 700 sets of hooves cruising through the desert. If you're lucky enough to hear them, you might even catch a glimpse of something not often seen in Arizona, much less the United States. It's a large flock of goats with their shepherd patrolled by four Great Pyrenees working dogs. Wyatt Ferreira, who comes from a cattle business, is setting out on what you might call an adventure in the goat business. Goat meat, also called chevon and cabrito from adult goats, or capretto or kid from young animals, is a growing market. Ferreira says this was something he's always wanted to do and now the market is right. Growing up in California, goats were always an animal Ferreira enjoyed raising. His father PG. 4 :: FALL 2019
even experimented in the goat raising business for a stint, but predator issues required a dispersal. This time around, the goat business is mainly the junior Ferreira’s idea, but it's all in the family. Corriente cattle, used for ropings, are the mainstay of the Ferreira’s Roping Cattle business. The senior Ferreira had always wanted to live in Arizona. With the Grand Canyon State being a hot spot for wintertime ropings, the move from California to Arizona a few years ago made sense. Estimations stand that this is currently the largest flock of goats in Arizona and not only are they surviving, but they are also thriving in the harsh desert environment. While the stocking rate isn't specified, these animals require fewer inputs than other species and are willing to eat pretty much anything. Upon inspection of the land and forage deeded to the goat grazing,
