Doug Muck has two Akbash dogs, Josie and Mary, and a Great Pyrenees (not shown) that protect Lariat Ranch's goats from coyotes, cougars and other predators.
Posted on 03/16/2010 12:53:59 PM PDT by nickcarraway
Hundreds of goats browse through a field, nibbling and foraging through the available fare. These aren't just any goats, though — they are the work force of Lariat Ranch Ecological Ser- vices.
The business, based in Powell Butte, owns nearly 400 head of Spanish Boer and San Clemente goats. The goats' job is to pursue their love of eating. Their tastes include noxious weeds found on the High Desert, such as medusahead, hemlock and Russian thistle.
Lariat Ranch is the only prescribed grazing company in Central Oregon. Prescribed grazing is a green way to clear fields without using chemical herbicides. A certain number of goats are placed in a fenced area and eat the noxious weeds that have overtaken the normal ecosystem.
Noxious weeds are non-native, invasive and sometimes toxic plants that easily seed and destroy the natural ecosystem. Nationally, it's estimated that invasive weeds are taking over 4,600 acres of land every day, or 1.5 million acres a year, according to research conducted by the University of Idaho.
“Noxious weeds are up there with global warming and depletion of water,” said Rachel Jones, 35, owner of the company. “This is actually a huge deal, but it's on the back burner because people don't understand that we are losing our native habitat.”
Lariat Ranch incorporated as a business last year after the Central Oregon Irrigation District approached Jones and her husband, Doug Muck, 44, to experiment with prescribed grazing on a small piece of land next to an irrigation canal.
“I like to experiment with all methods of noxious weed treatment,” said Larry Roofener, COID operations manager. “That includes chemical application, mowing and biological methods that I would consider the goat operation to be.”
(Excerpt) Read more at bendbulletin.com ...
Doug Muck has two Akbash dogs, Josie and Mary, and a Great Pyrenees (not shown) that protect Lariat Ranch's goats from coyotes, cougars and other predators.
But animal farts are killing the planet!
Goat poop is chemicals.....
They are like gubmint workers.They generate work to justify their jobs.The goats eat the weeds and crap everywhere thus fertilizing the growth of new weeds.See how that works.
Nice dogs.
I have a friend in MN who lives in an underground house. Most of the roof is grass. For many years he kept a herd of goats who ate the roof and my friend sold the milk.
I wish that I had a couple of goats, but they are hard to contain. They climb fences and would destroy my vegetable garden, I fear.
Nice dogs.
I have a friend in MN who lives in an underground house. Most of the roof is grass. For many years he kept a herd of goats who ate the roof and my friend sold the milk.
I wish that I had a couple of goats, but they are hard to contain. They climb fences and would destroy my vegetable garden, I fear.
So are the goats pinned in just where the weeds are located? Is that how they direct them to only fill up on weeds and not other vegetation?
What about free range goats?
Its a darn good idea! Besides that Bar-B-Que goat is the best there is!
The goats eat the weeds and crap everywhere thus fertilizing the growth of new weeds.See how that works.
Well, I would say it works exatly the way that God intended it to work. God made plants, He made them to grow. God made animals and certain ones eat the plants. Plants grow again, animals eat more. Everyone is happy... LOL ...
It sounds like a plan to me...
It can't be effectively controlled with chemicals.
I have fleas on mine and they are doing a great job.
One neighbor petitioned for the use of goats (our covenants do not allow goats) for 30 days. They did a good job, but had to be brought in every night so the bobcats would not eat them.
The goats can usually clear an area in 2-3 days and are rounded up each evening.
Some people just look for opportunities to complain.
They also love to eat (like candy) poison ivy. They are immune to the toxins.
My dad was the first eco friendly shop owner here in town with his two goats.The city would raise hell with him and he had a running battle that he eventually won.The city got tired of him showing up at city meetings and raising hell so they called a truce.The goats also loved lucky strike cigs.
LOL... those goats will eat anything... :-)
My Homeowners Assoc. brought in goats to clear the firebreak around the perimeter of the houses. It worked for the most part and cost about as much as hiring people to do it. The sheperds set up temporary fencing and moved it as the goats cleared each area. The herding dog was really cool to watch.
The good part is that the work got done and the neighborhood kids had a little petting zoo for a week or so.
The bad part was that the goats did not clear the weeds as far down as mechanical clearing does. They left a lot of material.
Heck, my Golden Retriever has done that to both me and my husband (knocked us down and smiled.) We love him anyway.
The problem with goats is that they don’t limit themselves to the weeds. I had a pet goat when I was young, and it destroyed every bush in my parents yard. Didn’t eat cobras, though, and eventually one got him.
Do they eat kudzu, though?
My goats have never climbed a fence. Goats will, every time, exploit weaknesses in their enclosure, but if you have a solid fence and keep it maintained, the goats are not difficult to contain. It also helps that they have adequate food and something to jump around on to entertain themselves. A bored, hungry goat will look for something to get into and who could blame him/her? My goats have been out without permission only once in several years, and it was my fault because of a flaw in joining a corner of fencing. We stacked up some old concrete culverts into a pyramid that the goats climb and play king of the hill. Not only does it provide entertainment, jumping around on the concrete helps keep their hooves trimmed.
Mine love kudzu. Vicksburg is covered in the stuff and every time we have occasion to drive there, we will bring home a vine or two as a treat. Goats are one of the only ways you can control kudzu.
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