Milk money flows as North American palettes change.

It does not take long for the 50 or so goats in the pen to notice the pall of feed in Gisele Henderson's hands.

"Hopefully this is going to work," she says as the goats start corralling her toward the corner of the building. "Is this going to make a good picture?" she asks as the animals begin nuzzling at the bucket from their hind legs.

For the last two years, Henderson and a dozen other farmers in the West Nipissing and Sudbury East region have been producing goat milk as part of a co-operative, suppling Woolwich Dairy in Orangeville, Ont.

Since March 2001, the Northeastern Ontario Goat Milk Producers Association (NOGMPA) has sent 16,000 litres of milk weekly to the dairy.

"We are the first pioneers in this area, and people want to see us succeed," says Henderson about the NOGMPA. "There is money here, but it will take some time before we see it."

"We went into this to succeed, not to fail," she adds from her desk in the nearly built milking facility she and her husband constructed in 2001.

"Each goat can produce two litres a day," explains Henderson. "Goats are smaller, friendly and once-trained it is very simple to milk them. One publication I read about goats compares them to dogs in how friendly they are, and says goats were one of the first animals to be tamed."

"Managing the herd is the key," she says, adding at any one time a third of the herd will be milking, a third resting, and a third expecting kids.

Henderson says her desire to succeed in the industry began in 1997 when a flyer announcing the creation of the co-operative was placed in her mailbox.

"It was always our dream to be able to have a business on our land," she explains. "I needed to make darn sure this is what I wanted to do. I wanted to make sure that if we invested we would succeed."

Henderson did research on her own to ensure there was a market for the product, and along with other interested farmers and non-farmers in the community, began attending workshops on agricultural diversity.

A feasibility study followed in September of 1997, showing promising results and convincing many of the interested residents to get involved.

"A lot of education about goat milk needs to be done, but there absolutely is a goat market, otherwise I wouldn't be in business," she says.

According to a Statistics Canada report on alternative livestock, released in October 2002, "goat numbers continue to show good growth since 1986 in response to the demand for goat milk and meat."

Between 1986 and 2001, the number of animals in Ontario increased from 45,000 to 62,000. While the population decreased 29 per cent between 1981 and 1986, it increased 38 per cent between 1996 and 2001.

Michael Domingus, marketing manager with Woolwich Dairy, says the goat milk market is growing at a rate of 15 to 20 per cent a year.

"More people are becoming aware of the health benefits of goat milk because they are becoming more aware of their own health," he says. "Goat milk can lower your cholesterol, it breaks down, and is easier for people with lactose intolerance."

According to the Ontario Goat Milk Producers Association, goat milk contains 13 per cent less lactose than cow milk, and contains smaller milk-fat particles, making it easier to digest.

"There is a big difference between goat and cows milk; you can't compare them," says Henderson.

Domingus says another reason goat milk is attracting attention is "a big trend in fancy gourmet eating," where more and more Canadian restaurants are using goat cheese instead of traditional cow cheese.

"The palette of North America is changing," he notes, adding immigration from countries in Eastern Europe and Asia is creating a larger North American market.

The agriculture ministry for the province of Newfoundland and Labrador estimates 75 per cent of the world's population drinks goats milk.

Woolwich is producing not only traditional cheese varieties associated with goats, like Feta, but also Brie, Cheddar, Mozzarella and Gouda.

Henderson says the goat industry does not end with milks and cheeses. She says some of the area producers are having yarn spun from their wool, and using it to knit homemade sweaters, mitts and socks, while another is using her milk to make soap and shampoo.

As well, she points out goat meat is also growing in popularity, and the local co-operative has even formed a partnership with Laurentian University to supply goat manure to test a system which uses a mechanical and biological process to turn agricultural waste into compost.