Goats Tackling Invasive Species!
My Vacation at Heckrodt told by Climby, the Goat.
It was a beautifully sunny day at Glorious Goat Ranch when our owner Stephanie came out with a big bucket of treats and gathered up 8 of us goats to head off to Heckrodt. At first, we all looked around at each other wondering what this Heckrodt place was, but Stephanie threw some treats in the trailer that we could not resist. So, Flower, Bertha, Eatie, a few others and I (Climby) all jumped into the trailer. It was a bit of a bumpy ride, but we finally made it to this Heckrodt place. As Stephanie pulled into the driveway, we could smell the fresh air and could hear the excitement of the Heckrodt staff saying the goats are here, the goats are here! Stephanie finally stopped the truck, and we stood up to stretch our legs from the drive. I jumped up to look out the trailer window and to my surprise there was green everywhere! I thought I was dreaming; I had never been somewhere with as much green as I was seeing. Finally, the door opened, and I realized I wasn’t dreaming but this was reality. Stephanie called us out of the trailer calling, “here goaty, goaty”. She led us over to an area that looked like an all you can eat buffet. It was filled with Buckthorn, Reed Canary Grass and Honeysuckle, all the plants that a goat could want. It was then that I knew we would definitely enjoy our stay at Heckrodt!
More Invasive Information
Why do we use goats?
Using Goats allows us to reduce our herbicide use. Goats also leave little disturbance on the soil because of their small size. Additionally, Goats eat the Buckthorn seeds and less than 2% of the seeds are added back to the soil.
What are the goats eating?
The Goats are eating woody invasive species such as Buckthorn. These plants outcompete native vegetation. By removing these plants, it will allow the native plants to grow and thrive.
How does this affect the goats?
Goats have very powerful stomachs. Their stomachs are able to digest leaves, thorns and seeds. Their powerful stomachs kill the seeds from these plants which stops them from regenerating.
