Why Goats?

A well designed goat grazing plan will aim at having the goats on the plants as they are in flower. However, Goats have been eating weeds for 1,000’s of years, and their digestive system has developed special traits that break the seeds down. Their molars are very sharp, and they have specialized enzymes in their stomachs that break seed casings down. Because they regurgitate the plant matter, they chew and chew and re-chew it several times before it moves on in their digestive system. ​Note: There is a small percentage of accidental spread of invasive plant seeds regardless of what ever control method is being used (chemical, hand-pulling, goats, bio-control releases). Invasive plants are here to stay, which is why its called Invasive Plant “Control” and not “Eradication.”

No, they are comparable in price. Winter seasons for keeping goats is a higher cost because you can’t just store the goats into the chemical shed, but the target grazing industry is working to make the sure the costs are comparable. If land owners (private, municipal, industrial, commercial alike) that share borders were to get together, transportation costs will go down.

It would be nice, but not a reality right now. Few too many goats and way too many weeds!! With the millions of acres infested across Canada and more being opened up with the recreation and forestry industries every year we need all the methods of invasive plant control we have. Target grazing with goats presents the opportunity to bring back a true Integrated Pest Management and offers a non-chemical method that is as effective and efficient. The Target Grazing industry is growing in Canada, with the skills being trained in already two University programs. As it becomes more available we will be able to use less chemicals.