Goats are a great tool in the toolbox of land management. In Loudoun County,most frequently at Banshee Reeks Nature Preserve, our herd of goats manage unwanted
vegetation naturally – by eating it.
If left alone, invasive plants can take over our woodlands,
strangling valuable trees and threatening important biodiversity. Open
grasslands and neighborhood backyards can become overrun, creating a loss of
habitat for birds and other wildlife, interfering with agricultural activities,
and limiting the enjoyment of outdoor space.
Goats are agile, light on their feet, gentler than machinery
and chemical free! Their ability to climb allows them to reach vines and stems
in otherwise hard-to-reach places. They will graze all day, going through very
dense material at about a quarter acre per several days per 10-20 goats,
fertilizing in the process.
Their narrow, triangular mouth allows them to crush what
they eat, so seeds that might otherwise get passed through to fertilization are
not viable. This is a true advantage, since machine cutting only encourages
further growth in the next growth cycle and does little to eliminate next
year's seed bank.
Special enzymes in the goats' guts allow them to eat plants
that are poisonous to other animals and even consume poison ivy! Weeds our
goats love to eat:
• Mile-A-Minute
• Japanese
Honeysuckle
• Kudzu
• Autumn
Olive
• Pokeweed
• Oriental
Bittersweet
• Japanese
Knotweed
• Poison
Ivy
• Canada
Thistle
• Tree of
Heaven
• Multiflora
Rose
• And Many
More!
