Noxious Weed, Tree and Brush Control Using Goats

 

Goats are very suitable as vegetation management tools because of their ability to consume many types of forages and their apparent resistance to many plant toxins.

 

Goats can be used effectively to control weeds and woody plants, such as: Sumac, Dogwood, Buck Brush, Honey Locust, Hedge, Sericea Lespedeza, Johnson Grass, and many other tree and plant species that are not utilized by grazing cattle. Additionally, goats seem to be a good choice in multi-species grazing systems as they tend to integrate well with other farm animals. In fact, one or two goats per cow could be grazed together in a herd without adversely affecting the well-being of neither the cattle nor the goats.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

By suppressing or eliminating the weeds, trees, and brush, goats reduce the need for herbicides and reduce competition for scarce soil nutrients, which could ultimately result in an increase in pasture yield. Apart from being environmentally-friendly, using goats to control brushes and weeds will save money for the farmer by decreasing the amount of money spent on purchasing herbicides and other weed control devices.