Posted on 01/13/2015 5:02:29 PM PST by Lorianne
Each country has its own invasive species and rampant plants with a tendency to grow out of control. In most, the techniques for dealing with them are similar - a mixture of powerful chemicals and diggers. But in the US a new weapon has joined the armoury in recent years - the goat.
In a field just outside Washington, Andy, a tall goat with long, floppy ears, nuzzles up to his owner, Brian Knox.
Standing with Andy are another 70 or so goats, some basking in the low winter sun, and others huddled together around bales of hay.
This is holiday time - a chance for the goats to rest and give birth before they start work again in the spring.
Originally bought to be butchered - goat meat is increasingly popular in the US - these animals had a lucky escape when Knox and his business partner discovered they had hidden skills.
"We got to know the goats well and thought, we can't sell them for meat," he says. "So we started using them around this property on some invasive species. It worked really well, and things grew organically from there."
They are now known as the Eco Goats - a herd much in demand for their ability to clear land of invasive species and other nuisance plants up and down America's East Coast.
(Excerpt) Read more at bbc.com ...
Roast goat is great!
It is relatively safe to handle the leafless woody parts after it's been 20 below a few times, but the stuff is incredibly poisonous, even the chips or sawdust, and the smoke is downright dangerous if you're thinking of the napalm method. Not for the faint of heart. Rainy day, dawn, no wind, and you didn't hear it from me.
The local Indians had a way of desensitizing themselves to PI, but I would never risk it, and if I told you the secret, I would have to ... you know the rest!
If you do get a dose, go to the beach and stay under salt water until it goes away. Might take a week in the Bahamas!
I finally got the PI out of the yard here at the house but when I go to the ranch I don’t get out of the p/u. I can spot it from 30 feet away. I know not to burn it!
They better work quickly, or the kudzu will eat them ...
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