There's continuing interest in green ways to handle environmental problems. Achieving invasive species control using goats is one method that is growing in popularity. These browsing animals have been used in southern states for decades to keep kudzu vines (excellent livestock feed, which is why it was introduced) from overwhelming the landscape.
In the same way that commercial beekeepers move their busy pollinators from field to field, goat herders are beginning to offer a traveling clearing service. Some herders have small bands of several dozen animals, while others may have 500 or more. Some of these entrepreneurs live with their flock, like nomads of the deserts. They put up temporary fencing as part of the clearing service.
The cost of leasing ground-clearing herds is fairly high, so many clients are public facilities, like parks, landfills, wetlands, or roads. Goats can clear areas that are virtually inaccessible to heavy equipment, and they work cheaper than day laborers. They are useful in fire prevention, too; they eat the underbrush that grows in immature forests, thereby eliminating a fire hazard.
Private landowners may not be able to afford to lease a herd, but they can own their own. Penning goats in an area to be cleared is relatively simple. The animals don't need much more than the forage they're clearing and they can be sold to meat producers once the project is finished. Those without goat raising experience should learn about basic care and read up on plants that might be poisonous to livestock.
Many of our favorite plants are actually imported and can be invasive. Queen Anne's Lace and daisies are pretty in a field, and Dame's Rocket can be spectacular along a roadside. The scent of honeysuckle and multiflora rose on a summer's night is heavenly. However, many a gardener knows to nip the first honeysuckle vine in the bud and that that pretty flowering hedge rose can take over a neglected area faster than you'd think.
Goats are even being used to reclaim marshes, where exotic species are ruining the habitat of native plants, animals, and fish. A goat doesn't like wading around in water, but the herd will browse on the exposed tussocks and can eliminate as much as 80 percent of undesirable vegetation. This will give the original plants a window of opportunity to come back, or re-planting efforts a chance to succeed.
Goats love to browse on tree leaves and think honeysuckle and kudzu are ambrosia. They do a great job on poison ivy, a plant few want to clear by hand. A goat can live on this kind of nuisance plants, although those being prepared for the meat market might need a few months on alfalfa hay before the sale. In warmer areas where the goat can forage year round, it's easier to turn a profit.
Goats prefer vines, bushes, and weeds over grass pasture. They like a variety of browse, so it may be necessary to confine them to one small area of vegetation at a time if you want a thorough clearing. Being able to clear an area without using herbicides is good for the planet, and the herd can save a lot of human labor, too.
In the same way that commercial beekeepers move their busy pollinators from field to field, goat herders are beginning to offer a traveling clearing service. Some herders have small bands of several dozen animals, while others may have 500 or more. Some of these entrepreneurs live with their flock, like nomads of the deserts. They put up temporary fencing as part of the clearing service.
The cost of leasing ground-clearing herds is fairly high, so many clients are public facilities, like parks, landfills, wetlands, or roads. Goats can clear areas that are virtually inaccessible to heavy equipment, and they work cheaper than day laborers. They are useful in fire prevention, too; they eat the underbrush that grows in immature forests, thereby eliminating a fire hazard.
Private landowners may not be able to afford to lease a herd, but they can own their own. Penning goats in an area to be cleared is relatively simple. The animals don't need much more than the forage they're clearing and they can be sold to meat producers once the project is finished. Those without goat raising experience should learn about basic care and read up on plants that might be poisonous to livestock.
Many of our favorite plants are actually imported and can be invasive. Queen Anne's Lace and daisies are pretty in a field, and Dame's Rocket can be spectacular along a roadside. The scent of honeysuckle and multiflora rose on a summer's night is heavenly. However, many a gardener knows to nip the first honeysuckle vine in the bud and that that pretty flowering hedge rose can take over a neglected area faster than you'd think.
Goats are even being used to reclaim marshes, where exotic species are ruining the habitat of native plants, animals, and fish. A goat doesn't like wading around in water, but the herd will browse on the exposed tussocks and can eliminate as much as 80 percent of undesirable vegetation. This will give the original plants a window of opportunity to come back, or re-planting efforts a chance to succeed.
Goats love to browse on tree leaves and think honeysuckle and kudzu are ambrosia. They do a great job on poison ivy, a plant few want to clear by hand. A goat can live on this kind of nuisance plants, although those being prepared for the meat market might need a few months on alfalfa hay before the sale. In warmer areas where the goat can forage year round, it's easier to turn a profit.
Goats prefer vines, bushes, and weeds over grass pasture. They like a variety of browse, so it may be necessary to confine them to one small area of vegetation at a time if you want a thorough clearing. Being able to clear an area without using herbicides is good for the planet, and the herd can save a lot of human labor, too.
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Find an overview of the benefits of invasive species control using goats and more info about a reliable goat breeder at http://browsinggreengoats.com today.
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