Goats for Brush Clearing
A great deal of resources and energy are expended every year by land managers to control weeds, brush and other undesirable plants from fields, fence rows, woodlots and other land. This process involves alot of cost, labor and time and sometimes chemicals and large machinery to do the job.
Goats can do the same job with less management, a little bit more time, less impact on the soil and they are cute to boot! In a matter of weeks, goats can make areas that were once impassable, able to be passed and cleared enabling cattle to graze land that was once over grown or enabling a landowner access to a previously inaccesible portion of their land.
Since our pasture space on our own farm is quite limited, we have been working with local farmers and land owners to clear land with goats. We can do this for as a fee-service for the farmer or in-trade for the ability to use the land on rotation for a period of time. Fencing often needs to be improved, as goats are quite adventurous animals and need to be kept in. We work closely with the land owner/farmer on these projects and help with expenses in trade for longer term use of the land.
If you own fields or land that you need to have cleared, please contact us - we would be more than happy to introduce you to our goats, show you fields that have been cleared by our goats and answer any questions that you have.
Here are some photos of a field the goats cleared a few years back:

Here is an impassable fence row.

We come in and help to fix the fencing and clearing through tougher hurdles

We bring in the goats and some temporary shelter and let them have at it.

The goats do their job, clear the land and are ready to come home for the winter. Although the two pictures were taken in different seasons, notice the undergrowth below the trees in this picture vs. the first one above. The goats completely cleared off the hanging plants on the fence as well as the understory.
At the end of the season, we bring the goats home and they stay there until spring until we move them again to another site or sites.




