It's looking more and more like the greatest-of-all-time (GOAT) natural gardeners might be actual goats.
They've become increasingly popular in plant control, and for the fourth year in a row, are being brought to a small island in the Wisconsin River by Liberation Farms. For two weeks, the farm's goats are rotated around the island to go to town, eating up honeysuckle, buckthorn, tansies, and any other plants considered invasive to the area.
John Kahon, city forester of Wausau/Marathon County Parks, Recreation and Forestry Department, told WSAW TV, "The plants need to keep being browsed down so that we really stress them, take away their energy, they have to regrow and regrow and sooner or later they start dying off."
Kahon noted that chemically removing the plants is slightly cheaper, but due to the island's location in a main waterway and the volume of invasive species, they don't want to coat everything in pesticides when the goats provide a far more eco-friendly (and adorable) option. They also help bring a bit of tourism to the island, since the department is planning an upcoming meet and greet with the goats and farmers for the public.
By skipping the pesticides, the department also protects the native plants in the area, allowing them to thrive again after being choked back by invasive species. Maintaining native plants helps reduce strain on natural resources and supports pollinators. The nearby water supply of the Wisconsin River, which runs a total of 430 miles through the state, is also protected from absorbing pesticide-filled runoff, keeping water cleaner for plants, animals, and humans as it moves through the water cycle.
Goats can get into hard-to-reach areas with far less impact on the land than humans or machines, according to a recent report from Michigan State University. Their multi-chambered stomachs also destroy "99%" of the seeds they ingest, limiting the chance of the plants spreading through their manure (which they also noted smells far less than other livestock's).
Ranchers recently utilized goats in fire management, allowing a herd to chow down on "fire fuels" like brush and invasive trees that could worsen brush and forest fires. According to a video shared on TikTok, it took 220 goats and a few sheep just a few hours to clear tons of dead and dried-out plant material that was just waiting to be kindling for a fire.
They're also effective for smaller garden spaces. A user on Reddit hired a crew of 12 goats at a day rate to eat up a backyard garden covered in poison ivy, which doesn't bother the goats.
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