Have You Herd?
Grazing Goats are the Green Way to Go in Land Management
Unless you live on a property that is completely hardscaped or managed by an outside maintenance company, land management chores are most definitely on your to-do list! For some regions with limited or no snowfall, this means cutting the grass and tending to bushes, trees, and garden plants year-round. Not only can this be labour-intensive, but it can also be expensive, damaging to the environment, and time-consuming.
A growing trend in the landscaping sphere is expanding sustainable and more environmentally friendly options for home and business owners to explore—and that’s where a herd of hungry goats comes in.
Despite the common myth, goats are not garbage disposals—they are grazing animals that prefer dense weeds and brush-filled landscapes, and they will also eat grass if it’s on the menu. Using a herd of goats as part of a weed and brush management practice offers several benefits that traditional landscaping simply cannot.
While grazing, goats provide a source of manure fertilizer which they work into the soil with their hooves. Grazing also improves soil health by incorporating carbon and other nutrients from decomposing plant-life back into the land, creating more fertile soil and helping to reduce water runoff and erosion. Because of the contents in the goats’ digestive system, goats’ natural fertilizer can also act as an herbicide that will help to prevent the spread of weeds. With hungry goats around, you can say goodbye to seasonal fertilizer schedules and chemical weedkillers.
Goats are also excellent at accessing difficult terrain that landscaping machinery cannot safely tackle. These nimble munchers cause minimal disruption to the topsoil, but they do pack it down slightly—this is especially great for banks and sloped ground where access is challenging and erosion is more likely. Goats can even help remove invasive plant species that are difficult for humans to access but necessary to eliminate.
Another fantastic ecological benefit of goats is their ability to boost biodiversity. Grazing goats can increase the biodiversity of an area upwards of 40% since their manure adds nutrients to the soil that is attractive to insects and other animals. While they graze on one food source, goats will trample other surrounding plants, making it difficult for any one plant species to propagate to the point of landscape dominance.
And, with a growing concern around the increase in large-scale wildfires, goat grazing can help to deposit moisture-dense organic matter into the soil and reduce the amount of flammable vegetation in fields and forested areas. In doing so, goats can help to cut down grass and brush fires that often fuel larger, catastrophic blazes. In fact, five-hundred goats in California’s Simi Valley helped firefighters protect the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library and Museum in 2019 when a wildfire that burned over 1,800 acres descended upon the institution. Their big appetites helped to keep the fire within thirty yards of the building and protected priceless historic artifacts.
As if these environmental benefits weren’t enough, goat scaping is also a more cost-effective solution than traditional landscaping and excavation services. In most cases, goat scaping does not require post-landscaping debris hauling. You also won’t need a crew of specialized workers—in fact, goats are often more efficient than their human counterparts, with sixty goats able to clear one acre of vegetation in just a few days. And with the current cost of fuel, goats offer a welcome reprieve from the pump! Traditional landscaping and excavating machinery requires fuel, maintenance, and charging time, but a good night’s sleep is all a herd needs to tackle their next land maintenance assignment!
The possibilities are endless when it comes to the implementation of goat grazing. Herds can help homeowners with poison oak, erratic blackberry bushes, ivy, and otherwise overgrown properties. Goats are also perfect for sensitive areas such as wetlands and water retention ponds, including locations where city regulations require only green management solutions. If goats grazed at more local parks and schools, we’d be better assured that our children are playing on healthier, chemical-free playgrounds and fields.
Commercial businesses can even benefit from grazing goats as a low-cost method to safely maintain swales and natural areas, while demonstrating to their surrounding community that they are actively contributing to a greener world. And by partnering with local farms and ranchers—or by purchasing the services of a goat rental company—local businesses can work together to strengthen community bonds.
Even with these impressive environmental, financial, and private sector benefits, grazing goats are simply an entertaining, relaxing, and educational experience to behold! In the U.S, goats are often only seen on farms or in petting zoos, so observing a herd in your neighbourhood or at your local business park is a fantastic opportunity to learn about the animals and the benefits of grazing. Local businesses can even use social media, press releases, and community events to advertise their use of goat scaping and to share other conservation projects they’ve undertaken or are bringing to the community in the future.
Goats are certainly adorable, but raising your own requires a lot of work and dedication. If you want to enjoy the company of goats without the daily chores, start a property maintenance schedule with grazing goats! To be sure you’re ready to begin and that the goats have a safe and healthy buffet, request a quote from your local farmer or goat owner and have them sweep your property for plants that could be poisonous to the goats before they get to work. If you don’t have a fence on your property, a temporary portable one will be provided by the goat owners, and then you’re ready to have grazing goats on your land!
So, the next time your landscaping chores start to pile up, give your weed trimmer and hedge clippers a rest, say “goodbye” to chemical herbicides, check your local listings for grazing goat rentals near you, and trade the drone of machinery for quiet, happy chewing!
Daniel Kordan grew up south of Moscow, in a breathtaking region dotted with lakes and brimming with pure, wild nature.