Goats eat Weeds

Citations

Booth, A.L. and Skelton, N.W. 2009. The Use of Domestic Goats and Vinegar as Municipal Weed Control Alternatives. Environmental Practice. Vol. 11. Issue 1: (pp 3 - 16)

http://journals.cambridge.org.ezproxy.tru.ca/action/displayFulltext?type=1&fid=5398328&jid=ENP&volumeId=11&issueId=01&aid=5398320&bodyId=&membershipNumber=&societyETOCSession=   

         

Garcia R.R. et al. 2012. Goat Grazing, its interactions with other herbivores and biodiversity conservation issues. Small Ruminant Research. Vol. 107. Issue 2-3: (pp 49 - 64)

http://www.sciencedirect.com.ezproxy.tru.ca/science/article/pii/S092144881200123X

Kenna Cartwright Park. City of Kamloops website. (retrieved Feb. 6, 2013) From:

http://www.city.kamloops.bc.ca/parks/kenna.shtml

Lamming Lani. 2001. Alternative Weed Strategies: Successfully Controlling Noxious Weeds with Goats. Pesticides and You. Vol. 21, No. 4: (pp 19 - 23)

http://www.beyondpesticides.org/infoservices/pesticidesandyou/Winter%2001-02/Successfully%20Controlling%20Noxious%20Weeds%20with%20Goats.pdf

*email conversations with Jo-Ann Fox and Cara Lamont of the SIWMC (Southern Interior Weed    Management Committee)

  

Image from National Post: http://news.nationalpost.com/2012/07/16/in-b-c-park-its-goats-1-weeds-0/

Kenna Cartwright Park is technically labelled a ‘Nature Park’ which encompasses the intention of conservation as well as ensuring an area for human enjoyment. It contains 800 Ha of Mt Dufferen which makes it the largest municipal park in BC. In an attempt to handle some of the noxious invasive weed species which have become a problem in our local grasslands, the city brought a herd of 440 goats to Kenna in order to keep them in check. The goats are known as what is called top down grazers, meaning they eat from the top of the plant down. The goats eating habit causes them to eat the invasive weeds first and the native grass last. They were also intensively herded in Kenna to graze in areas with the most Dalmatian Toadflax. Attention has been concentrated on controlling Dalmatian Toadflax in Kenna, but the goats also eat other invasive weed species which are a problem in Kamloops including knapweeds, purple loostrife, and kochia. During their time here in Kamloops the goats have been a success.

Other reasons that goats work well as a weed control method is because they do not allow passage of viable seeds through their digestive tract, and they do not harm water supply with their waste. Furthermore they are cost effective, allowing for an affordable option for weed control and thereby native grassland conservation. Goats have been used for well over 100 years in the states as a weed control method. Also the positive media attention that these kind of projects attract raise awareness about invasive species problems and help give conservation projects a good name.   

       

In 2005 goats were used as a weed control method for Canada thistle in municipal areas in Prince George. One research study by Annie Booth and Norman Skelton out of the University of Northern British Columbia showed significant positive results over a two year period. The method involved quantitative analysis of weed populations in selected 1m by 1m quadrats before and after grazing by goats. It was a relatively small scale experiment compared to the project in Kamloops. It involved two sites both less than two hectares with ten goats total. Due to miscommunication with city workers, one of their test sites was partially mowed. This accident lead to the finding however that goats were more effective at preventing growth of thistle in the mowed areas than they were at eliminating mature thistle due to the unpalatable, poky nature of the plant. This suggests that the combination of mowing and use of goat grazing may be a viable method for weed control. Overall the study showed positive results for controlling Canada thistle as well as other weeds including Hawkweeds, horsetails, and dandelions.  

In some parts of the world where goats are more numerous they are considered a nuisance which can reduce biodiversity and damage natural ecosystems. But if they are controlled like in the Prince George study and the Kenna project, they can be an effective weed management tool.

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