Weeding is an endless chore in any garden, but it's an especially significant burden in large, public spaces like parks. One city in Kansas has a new program to control quick-growing invasive species in city parks: It brings in a herd of goats, as a recent TikTok video reveals.
The scoop
The caption in the video reads: "The city of Wichita has a new program to use goats to clean up weeds and shrubs from city parks." Goats are hardy animals known for eating just about anything green, so a healthy crop of weeds is no problem.
@chackk99 Read more about the city of Wichita's goat program at kmuw.org ! @KMUW #kmuw #npr #wichita #kansas #localnews #goats #cute #landmanagement ♬ I Knew You Were Trouble (Taylor's Version) - Taylor Swift
Celia Hack (@chackk99), a reporter for KMUW in Wichita, Kansas, posted the short video of several dozen goats being released from a trailer into the park. A temporary fence guided the animals straight to the weeds and shrubs they were intended to eat, while onlookers recorded the event.
How it's helping
Using goats to graze away weeds is great for the property owner and the goats. It takes little labor or fuel, and the cost is limited to a possible rental fee for the goats, while clearing out a yard or park in no time. Meanwhile, the goats get a meal out of the deal, and the goat farmer saves on animal feed.
In this case, a whole herd of goats was involved, but one homeowner on Reddit also demonstrated that a single goat was a simple option for lawn maintenance.
It's also an eco-friendly solution that gets rid of weeds and excess grass without using chemical herbicides or gas for a lawn mower. That means minimal pollution, a win for the environment.
Best of all, goats have such strong stomachs, they can even handle poison ivy — a nightmare for human gardeners to remove. Goats have been used in Austin, Texas, to clear the vicious plant from trails.
What everyone's saying
"Amazing idea," one person said on the TikTok post. "Brilliant," commented another.
TikTok users loved the shot of cute animals hurrying toward their eco-friendly snack. "Love to see more goats out there doing great things like this!" said one commenter.
"My city has just started doing this, and everyone in town really loves it," another user said. "It's like a little holiday here; everyone gathers for the goats."
"Cheyenne, Wyoming, been doing this for years!" a third commenter said. "It's great for ditches that are hard to mow in town!"
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