Goats vs. chemicals

     Why should you use goats rather than herbicides?  Glad you asked!  Chemicals actually treat the symptom, not the cause of weeds. The results with herbicides are unpredictable and undesirable. When a targeted weed is chemically removed, other noxious weeds can form. Frequently, applying chemicals for weed control can cause mutations of the plant, and the result is a strange, often stronger weed. Another common problem highlighting the ineffectiveness of chemicals: some weeds don't have the leaf surface area to accept the herbicide sprayed on them, so all treatment is wasted.  

So, what is the solution to your weed problem? The stress or niche that is open on your land is begging for something beneficial, something productive that you WANT.  Fill that niche with goat-grazing and you have a three-way benefit: environmental, economic, and social. 

     The environmental gain comes from reducing the chemicals in the soil and adding what grazing goats naturally leave behind: ready-to-use manure for pasture grasses and wooded areas. Their brush-clearing efforts allow trees to flourish without competition, thus reducing the likelihood of fires.  The economic impact comes from putting people to work - elementary students, high school kids, college students.  The social aspect: goats are fun to watch! They draw a crowd and teach people about weeds while they work.