Controlling Weeds

[Egon]

North Dakota golf course uses goats to rid 16th hole of noxious weeds

Another method of keeping the Links in proper condition!:thumbsup:

 

[rekees4300]

Do the official rules of golf address the issue of a goat eating the ball? :confused3:

 

[Mousefield]

We have several golf courses near us, we should try to rent them our goats for awhile. Just imagine, the goats actually making money instead of costing money.
:laughing::laughing::laughing:

 

[Cami]

@Mousefield: Years ago, I recall seeing shepherds grazing their goats along the inland highway out your way. Does that still go on?

 

[Mousefield]

@Mousefield: Years ago, I recall seeing shepherds grazing their goats along the inland highway out your way. Does that still go on?

Not that I have seen. There used to be a couple with a bunch of kids that just lived in the bush in our area, had a large herd of goats and they sometimes would graze them on Hydro right of ways. Not sure if they got the goats onto the highway area grazing. They didn’t live in a house, just wandered around and the kids didn’t go to school. Have heard they now are living in some type of cabin.

 

[Iplayfarmer]

I've heard that the Forest Service trail crews use goats here in the Rockies to control leafy spurge. I've never seen the goats, but the local weed control extension agent says that they are mangy and losing their hair from eating all the spurge.

I had sheep in my pasture for a few years, and they sure did a great job of keeping the weeds down. When the sheep got done it looked just like someone had gone over the place with a finish mower.

 

[ToadHill]

Cornell U has done a study using Goats in woodland to control Beech, Striped Maple, and some other understory trees that stop the sugar maple and cherry from taking hold and have had great success with them. They tend to leave the crop trees alone as long as they have the beech and striped maple to eat.

When they finish those just move them to the next section of woods.

 

[Cami]

@Iplayfarmer: That's the problem with sheep: They'll eat right down to the ground. If they don't have enough pasture they'll graze the grass too short and leave it susceptible to being burn up by the sun.

 

[Iplayfarmer]

@Iplayfarmer: That's the problem with sheep: They'll eat right down to the ground. If they don't have enough pasture they'll graze the grass too short and leave it susceptible to being burn up by the sun.

Grazing sheep definately requires active management of the pasture. The difference between the sheep and the horses that I'm used to grazing is that the sheep eat everything. Horses select their favorite plant and graze it till is completely gone, then go on to their second favorite and so forth.

Any animal will graze the pasture too short if they don't have enough feed.

Actually, I take that back. Range cattle are the exception. Rather than graze the grass too short, they'll just break down the fence and get out onto someone else's pasture.