Today green solutions to environmental problems are all the rage, and they often work better than more drastic methods. Invasive species control using goats is one fairly recent innovation (except in the deep south, where the goat has been known as the best kudzu control for decades.) Both public and private landowners are turning to these browsing animals for help with imported plants that want to take over their new world.
You know how commercial beekeepers move their hives from blooming mono-crop to blooming mono-crop, to boost the yields by increasing pollination? Well, now goat herders are doing the same mobile service kind of thing. Some people have from 30 to 700 goats and they rent them out to landowners with a problem. Herders travel with their herds, putting up temporary fences where needed and making sure the goal of eradication is reached.
The cost can be high, so often it's a public organization that engages the herd. Landfills, parks, and roadsides may be more easily cleared with animals than with manual labor or heavy equipment, and with far less disturbance to the ground. Firefighters have found that a herd of goats can quickly reduce the amount of underbrush around trees, cutting down the fire hazard. A goat never minds a steep hillside, either.
A private landowner may not have the budget for this. The answer might be to acquire a herd and use them to clear problem areas. Once the job is done, the animals can be sold to others with the same sort of problem. Anyone getting livestock should know about basic care and also be aware of plants that can harm grazing animals.
Many invasive species are not that troublesome. Queen Anne's Lace and Ox-eye Daisies are pretty in fallow fields, and Dame's Rocket is eye-catching when it blooms on roadside banks. Honeysuckle and multiflora rose perfume the summer air. It's when these plants begin to crowd out native species or take over the countryside that people begin to think enough is enough.
Goats are valuable for reclaiming marshes. In these fragile ecosystems, heavy equipment is just not feasible. Fast-growing water plants can take over, destroying the balance that allows native plants and wildlife to flourish. The animals don't like to wade, but they will happily find high ground and eat everything they can reach. Once they've removed most of the invaders, people can replant native vegetation or allow it to come back without overwhelming competition.
Controlling brush plants like Autumn or Russian olive, touch-me-not ones like poison ivy, or seemingly indestructible things like honeysuckle and kudzu without the use of herbicides is environmentally desirable. Often a herd owner will have a sideline meat production business to help off-set the expense of buying and keeping the animals. Especially in warmer areas with ample rainfall, where a goat can forage year-round, this can work.
A goat will eat almost anything of a weed, vine, or brush nature. They prefer variety, so sometimes they need to be penned in a problem area so they'll eat what needs to be eliminated. They are proving remarkably effective at helping people control overly vigorous plants.
You know how commercial beekeepers move their hives from blooming mono-crop to blooming mono-crop, to boost the yields by increasing pollination? Well, now goat herders are doing the same mobile service kind of thing. Some people have from 30 to 700 goats and they rent them out to landowners with a problem. Herders travel with their herds, putting up temporary fences where needed and making sure the goal of eradication is reached.
The cost can be high, so often it's a public organization that engages the herd. Landfills, parks, and roadsides may be more easily cleared with animals than with manual labor or heavy equipment, and with far less disturbance to the ground. Firefighters have found that a herd of goats can quickly reduce the amount of underbrush around trees, cutting down the fire hazard. A goat never minds a steep hillside, either.
A private landowner may not have the budget for this. The answer might be to acquire a herd and use them to clear problem areas. Once the job is done, the animals can be sold to others with the same sort of problem. Anyone getting livestock should know about basic care and also be aware of plants that can harm grazing animals.
Many invasive species are not that troublesome. Queen Anne's Lace and Ox-eye Daisies are pretty in fallow fields, and Dame's Rocket is eye-catching when it blooms on roadside banks. Honeysuckle and multiflora rose perfume the summer air. It's when these plants begin to crowd out native species or take over the countryside that people begin to think enough is enough.
Goats are valuable for reclaiming marshes. In these fragile ecosystems, heavy equipment is just not feasible. Fast-growing water plants can take over, destroying the balance that allows native plants and wildlife to flourish. The animals don't like to wade, but they will happily find high ground and eat everything they can reach. Once they've removed most of the invaders, people can replant native vegetation or allow it to come back without overwhelming competition.
Controlling brush plants like Autumn or Russian olive, touch-me-not ones like poison ivy, or seemingly indestructible things like honeysuckle and kudzu without the use of herbicides is environmentally desirable. Often a herd owner will have a sideline meat production business to help off-set the expense of buying and keeping the animals. Especially in warmer areas with ample rainfall, where a goat can forage year-round, this can work.
A goat will eat almost anything of a weed, vine, or brush nature. They prefer variety, so sometimes they need to be penned in a problem area so they'll eat what needs to be eliminated. They are proving remarkably effective at helping people control overly vigorous plants.
About the Author:
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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