A goat rancher who shared the results of a backyard weeding project had TikTokers green with envy about the workers' sleepover.
Cowboymax (@cowboymax) showed a one-minute before-and-after video of the cleanup achieved by 75 goats and sheep in 12 hours. That was all it took to eliminate every bit of reachable greenery in the large yard.
@cowboymax Backyard season is wild, crazy, and very rewarding!! #goats #goatscaping #goatgrazing #grazinggoats #contractgrazing #contractgoatgrazing #targetedgrazing #targetedgoatgrazing #grazingsystems #prescibedgrazing #prescribedgoatgrazing #systemsgrazing #rentagoat #yardmaintenance #weedremoval #firefuelreduction #brushremoval #thegoatguy #goatguy #newmexico #bosque #newmexico #cowboymax ♬ Country Morning Background Music - Keith Fane
"Backyard season is wild, crazy, and very rewarding!!" the creator wrote. He said he dropped the animals off on the way home from a big job.
"This is brilliant," one user said.
Max said the "goat slumber party" makes it affordable for customers of his Galloping Goat Ranch. The Rio Rancho, New Mexico-based operation offers a sustainable, eco-friendly vegetation management service, which also helps manage invasive species and mitigate wildfire risk.
The goats replace gas-powered lawn maintenance equipment, which emits fine particulate matter, carbon dioxide, nitrous oxides, and other harmful pollutants, as Grist detailed. Lawn mowers, weed eaters, and leaf blowers also are a source of noise pollution and cost a good chunk of change to operate.
And while the life cycle of a goat does produce its own carbon pollution, the goats are still a friendlier alternative than bringing in a full lawn crew using gas-powered tools if the goats aren't bred for the sole purpose of performing this task.
Once those goats have eliminated your weed problem, you can plant native species, which help improve biodiversity and are especially attractive to pollinators. They also allow you to conserve water and avoid pesticides and fertilizers, similar to the advantages that a rewilded yard of clover or buffalo grass has over a less natural turf grass lawn.
Or you may want to start a garden. Growing your own food can be particularly rewarding, as a $70 investment can save you $600 at the grocery store plus reduce the demand for globally shipped food and pollution that comes with it.
The commenters on this TikTok, however, were more interested in the cute, industrious ruminants.
"I would get nothing done for 24+ hours because I would just sit outside in a lawn chair with a drink and watch goats!" one wrote.
Another said: "It always amazes me how good they are at clearing it all!"
Someone else wished they didn't live halfway across the country.
"My neighbor reported me for my Grass," they stated. "I would love to have a bunch of goats come in to eat. My neighbor would be so pissed off. But I am in Ohio."
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