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 ...
I’m used to Freeper cat and pit bull lovers—but I never expected a thread full of goat owners!
They look hungry.
You need to stretch that fence. Its floppy, critters can get under and over it.
My uncle had a Pygmy goat, almost round he was so fat in the middle.
My uncle would tell men he loves to play. Put your boot on his horns and push him.
The goat would rear up on his hind legs and crash into your lifted boot.
After a couple time my uncle, now laughing, would say “try to stop”.
You could stop, but the goat wouldn’t. His horns reached almost waist high when he reared up.
Caprine ping.
My fence is in no condition to contain anything. But, some day...
I had a neighbor in Washington State who bought a goat. They kept it tied in the back to eat up all the undergrowth in the woods. My dog started barking one night — she was indoors with me. She just wouldn’t shut up. A pack of feral dogs attacked my neighbor’s goat on its tether and killed it. I felt terrible that I hadn’t gone out, but I was alone in the woods and we had mountain lions, bear, etc.
My neighbors were stupid people. I was glad to move away.
It has since been stretched. We were in the process of putting up the wire when the photo was taken. I do appreciate your post though ... it was an important thing to take note of.
I now have two miniature donkeys that are guard animals for my goats, after an incident with a dog from a neighboring community. That dog is no longer a threat to anything.
As an aside: There was a FReeper who posted just a while back on a thread having to do with campaign signs being ripped down in yards.
He mentioned that he donned some gloves, rubbed poison ivy all over his McLame/PALIN! yard sign. The next morning the sign was gone, and the next day the neighbors teen-aged son had an awful bad case of poison ivy. I had to laugh.
I could get some use out of that stuff if we had it...
I felt so sorry for my neighbor’s goat — he was just helpless being tied to a chain.
Also, goats are very gregarious and to have just one is almost cruel, unless there are other animals that will actually play and keep it company.
Can we get the goats to clear out Congress? That way there would be no chemical residue...
Annabelle and Jezebelle
You’ve taught them to eat at a table. Next: silverware.
I whole heartily agree. Goats are very social, never get one, always two or more, and dont get any bucks unless you plan on raising them. And if you get a buck, keep him seperate from the does till breeding time and get him a wether(castrated buck) to be buddies with, so he wont be lonely.
A cousin of mine has a pair of goats that follow him everywhere on his farm including when he’s riding the tractor. They are more like dogs than goats. They hang out under the porch when he is inside and he pens them up at night.
Once again proving what a diverse and interesting bunch of folks we are. I have bully dogs, goats and a cat.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.