There's continuing interest in green ways to handle environmental problems. Achieving invasive species control using goats is one method that is growing in popularity. These browsing animals have been used in southern states for decades to keep kudzu vines (excellent livestock feed, which is why it was introduced) from overwhelming the landscape.
Commercial beekeepers lease their hives to growers who need pollinators for their crops. When one crop has finished flowering, the bees are moved to another area. In the same way, goat herders take their herds where the weeds are. The herders put up temporary fencing when needed. Some of these entrepreneurs live like nomads, staying with their goats while they're on the road.
Public enterprises, like road maintenance departments, parks, and landfills, have the budgets to undertake the expense of renting these voracious animals. Areas where underbrush is growing too fast in woodlands, causing a fire hazard, can benefit from the herds, too. The goat does less damage than a bulldozer and is more easily controlled than a burn.
Private landowners may not be able to afford to lease a herd, but they can own their own. Penning goats in an area to be cleared is relatively simple. The animals don't need much more than the forage they're clearing and they can be sold to meat producers once the project is finished. Those without goat raising experience should learn about basic care and read up on plants that might be poisonous to livestock.
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.
Some of the worst offenders are aquatic plants. Marshes are sensitive areas, and wetlands are very important for wildlife and for watershed protection. Goats aren't much use in standing water, but they will hop from tussock to tussock and quickly reduce the problem to manageable proportions. Native species can be given a chance to recover and re-planting efforts can succeed.
Autumn or Russian olive, poison ivy, kudzu, and many more plants are like candy to a goat. Getting rid of these pesky plants without herbicides is a win for the planet. Goats can grow to market size on this kind of forage, although they may need finishing on hay. In temperate regions where the animals can forage year-round, combining clearing with meat production works.
Goats prefer vines, bushes, and weeds over grass pasture. They like a variety of browse, so it may be necessary to confine them to one small area of vegetation at a time if you want a thorough clearing. Being able to clear an area without using herbicides is good for the planet, and the herd can save a lot of human labor, too.
Commercial beekeepers lease their hives to growers who need pollinators for their crops. When one crop has finished flowering, the bees are moved to another area. In the same way, goat herders take their herds where the weeds are. The herders put up temporary fencing when needed. Some of these entrepreneurs live like nomads, staying with their goats while they're on the road.
Public enterprises, like road maintenance departments, parks, and landfills, have the budgets to undertake the expense of renting these voracious animals. Areas where underbrush is growing too fast in woodlands, causing a fire hazard, can benefit from the herds, too. The goat does less damage than a bulldozer and is more easily controlled than a burn.
Private landowners may not be able to afford to lease a herd, but they can own their own. Penning goats in an area to be cleared is relatively simple. The animals don't need much more than the forage they're clearing and they can be sold to meat producers once the project is finished. Those without goat raising experience should learn about basic care and read up on plants that might be poisonous to livestock.
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.
Some of the worst offenders are aquatic plants. Marshes are sensitive areas, and wetlands are very important for wildlife and for watershed protection. Goats aren't much use in standing water, but they will hop from tussock to tussock and quickly reduce the problem to manageable proportions. Native species can be given a chance to recover and re-planting efforts can succeed.
Autumn or Russian olive, poison ivy, kudzu, and many more plants are like candy to a goat. Getting rid of these pesky plants without herbicides is a win for the planet. Goats can grow to market size on this kind of forage, although they may need finishing on hay. In temperate regions where the animals can forage year-round, combining clearing with meat production works.
Goats prefer vines, bushes, and weeds over grass pasture. They like a variety of browse, so it may be necessary to confine them to one small area of vegetation at a time if you want a thorough clearing. Being able to clear an area without using herbicides is good for the planet, and the herd can save a lot of human labor, too.
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.
No comments:
Post a Comment