Grazing Methods
Everything you need to know.
Targeted Grazing
Targeted grazing is the careful use of our grazing goats to meet vegetation management goals. We control the timing, intensity and duration of the graze in order to control undesired plants that are invasive, aggressive or pose a fire risk.
Mob Grazing
This involves moving the goats daily between quarter to half-acre lots, sized to match the number of grazing goats.The lots are split by solar powered portable electric fence. The goal is for every plant in the grazing area to be either eaten or walked on and trampled by the goats.
Rotational Grazing
Rotational grazing is where only one area of the pasture is grazed at a time while the rest of the pasture has a chance to rest. To accomplish this, pastures are divided into smaller areas called paddocks and the goats are moved from one paddock to another.
Island Grazing
It all begins with an idea. Maybe you want to camp under the stars. Maybe you're planning a family picnic. Or maybe, you just want to control the underbrush. Whatever the goal is, we can help you achieve the plans you have for your island.
Vegetation & Forest management
While we work with landowners and foresters to pinpoint their specific needs and strategize a plan, the goats are busy chewing away. Approximately 400 goats can clear up to two acres daily. Our foraging crews consist of about 40-70 head and eat roughly 150 -200 lbs. of roughages or vegetation a day.
Goats help in forested areas by creating wide fire breaks that can prevent fire flames from moving into homes and croplands. These breaks provide firefighters with pathways to fight blazes that come too close. It is extremely important to be proactive and do your part to prevent catastrophes from accruing.
Landowners
The families watch as the does and kids transform overgrown brushlands into spaces where native plants, grasses and shrubs can come back to thrive. It’s a small, but vital piece of a much larger puzzle. People light up when the chew crew comes. Everyone loves to go out with a lawn chair and spend time with the goats when they're working, and they're sad to see the goats go.
The goat crew can do their clean-up cheaper than a human crew, and without the chemicals! There is no fossil-fueled equipment that manned crews require. Goats have less of a carbon footprint, and that is something everyone can get excited about and appreciate.
By having our herd come and graze your property, you too are becoming a better land steward, leaving a lasting impact on not only the land but on family, friends and neighbors.
Residential and Municipal Areas
Most often exemption is given to the goat herd in residential areas because of the nature of their work: cities and towns don’t mind -- often welcome -- and overlook farm animal rules because the herd is not a permanent fixture. The herd is only there for a few days to a week, and they aren’t usually a nuisance. Occasionally they do escape the temporary fencing. (It is said that if a fence won’t hold water, it won’t hold a goat!)
They don’t tend to have a strong odor. However, goats are farm animals and do smell like goats. The herd comes to do a job, that job is to eat, that’s a job they are good at. They do it quickly because they are always hungry. In fact, we administer a vaccine to prevent overeating disease. The goats do the job somewhat quietly because babies call to mommas and likewise mommas call to babies. Walking and chewing have minimal sounds.
The goats leave behind valuable pre-pelleted quick-to-dissolve composting fertilizer that benefits all plants and animals in the local ecosystem. We believe it's of highest importance to leave the land better at the end of the graze.