Horn 2 Hoof Goatscaping – Targeted Grazing Using Goats

5 Lake Court, Alice River.

Targeted Grazing

Targeted grazing is the application of a specific kind of livestock at a determined season, duration, and intensity to accomplish defined vegetation or landscape goals.

Targeted Goat Grazing

Weed Abatement for Fire Safety.
Defensible Space Compliance.
Invasive/Noxious Plant Removal.
Land, Trail and Brush Clearing.

Goatscaping

The term “goatscaping” means grazing goats to manage vegetation growth in an environmentally sound manner.

About Us

We are setup as a small vegetation management company committed to sustainability, enhancing our valuable natural resources and recognising the importance of environmental and sustainable practices within our local community.

Our business is based on finding solutions to access and manage difficult, weedy, overgrown, urban and rural landscapes.

We provide alternatives to mowing, slashing, burning, use of harmful chemicals and expensive human labour by utilising the high-density grazing nature of goats and/or other small ruminants.

We are able to facilitate habitat restoration in riparian and other ecologically sensitive areas, creating and managing firebreaks and reducing fire fuel loads for bushfire management.

Horn 2 Hoof Goatscaping helps property owners control the vegetation in a safe, efficient and eco-friendly way.

Why Use Goats?

Using the vegetative grazing preferences of animals like goats, we can suppress or eliminate certain undesirable plants from a landscape and encourage other more desirable species.

Goats are browsers which means that as they graze, they consume more than just grass. Goats love to browse declared and environmental weeds. These weeds both noxious and invasive are a natural source of food for these animals. They will eat many data sdy varieties of low growing vegetation in our local environment. They will also eat dry leaves and their activity mulches and crushes dry leaves and branches.

Many individual landowners and municipalities have moved towards using goats for vegetation management because they represent a natural and harmless alternative to herbicides which can run off, are dangerous to handle and lead to genetically resistant weeds.

Power equipment burns fossil fuel and produces CO2. Hiring a goat herd (and herder) is less expensive than fuel-guzzling machines and safer than cancerous chemicals. Goats go where people can’t, eat what most animals won’t and leave behind nothing but fertilizer.

Goats don’t pollute and their faeces fertilises the soil and when managed correctly are low impact and have a vigorous appetite with a low seed viability reputation.

This activity results in a lifting of the general vegetation line a couple of meters off of the ground. This can be beneficial for defensible space, maintaining fuel breaks and improving opportunities for wildlife viewing as well as improving access for humans. A well- grazed property is more resilient and easier to manage.

Goats may be used for vegetation management in both ecologically and archeologically or culturally sensitive areas because they do not cause as much damage to the terrain as heavy equipment does.

Goats are useful for maintaining cleared land. Once a masticator, land clearing crew or dozer are finished, land is bare but roots and seeds are still present in the soil. In the coming years, regrowth is inevitable. Goats are good at keeping that new growth down year after year so you can continue reaping the benefits of your investment.

Goats offer psychological benefits too. They are active, friendly, interesting companions who will captivate your attention while they maintain your land. It is not uncommon for children (and adults) to invent creative names for individual goats. Many people find it hard to say goodbye once a rental agreement is completed.

When a landowner’s vegetation management needs coincide with an animal’s grazing preferences, targeted grazing can be a powerful and cost-effective tool for reaching those land management goals.

The Process

Our 3-Step Process for Targeted Grazing

So how does it all work? You’ll find lots of detailed information in our Frequently Asked Questions section but here’s the process in a nutshell…

Step 1: Gather information about the property needing goat help.

In addition to the property address, the approximate size of area to be grazed, types of unwanted vegetation and a description of the terrain are all helpful. We’ll also need to know how close we can get to the area with a vehicle and whether drinking water is available near the site.

Step 2: Contact us.

With this information we should be able to give you a ballpark cost for the project over the phone or email but we’ll often want to visit your site before preparing a formal quote. We’ll also answer all of your questions and help you form a strategy for attacking your unwanted vegetation.

Step 3: Sit back and enjoy the show!

We install temporary electric fencing to enclose the parts of your property designated for grazing. We deliver the goats to your property to eat the unwanted vegetation. We take care of everything!

Our goats will chew through your vegetation problem, pausing occasionally to loaf and ruminate. When the job is complete we’ll load up the goats and fencing, leaving you with a much improved property.

Lets Start Your Goatscaping Project

To help establish exactly what you need, please include the following:

A rough size and description of the area you plan to target.

The plants/weeds you believe are present (not just the ones you’d like removed). Some like Rhododendrons and Azaleas, for example, are toxic to goats.

Details about the accessibility of the site ie. roads, buildings, water and power.

Along with a site visit, we will use this information to provide you with an estimate of goatscaping time and costs.

Request for Goatscaping Quote

Our Services

Residential

Weed abatement for fire safety.
Create defensible space against wildfire around homes and comply with Fire Codes.
Clear residential or recreational areas of low brush and irritating plants.
Reduce nuisances from mosquitoes and other pests by thinning dense cover.
Improve sight lines from your home’s windows and outdoor living areas.
Provide initial clearing for surveying and construction planning.
Address vegetation problems on steep slopes and rugged ground with minimal erosion.
Open ground cover and expose desirable plants to sunlight and water.

Business/School/University

Businesses all over the U.S and Canada (now here in Australia) are using goats as natural landscapers on their grounds and campuses.

Google, Yahoo, O’Hare Airport, San Francisco’s Presidio Golf Course and other innovative companies have found that goats are not only cost-competitive with conventional vegetation management; they also convey a very positive corporate conservation ethic to the public.

Horn 2 Hoof Goatscaping can provide the goats, the fencing, the management and even the publicity and exposure your vegetation removal project deserves.

Let us help you with a plan that saves you money and helps you achieve your sustainability objectives.

Government/Conservation

Reduce invasive and/or noxious plant species.
Replace mowing/burning in native grassland maintenance.
Remove dangerous plants from parks and trails.
Reduce flood potential in drainage channels and waterways.
Eliminate spraying and mowing of noxious weeds in right-of-ways.
Control weeds on steep or rocky slopes without erosion or endangering employees.
Keep public facilities grounds (eg. water treatment, retired landfills) neat without machinery.
Open sight lines for surveying and prep sites for construction.
Reduce biomass for firebreaks.

FAQ

Targeted grazing is the application of a specific kind of livestock at a determined season, duration, and intensity to accomplish defined vegetation or landscape goals. It is also known as “conservation grazing,” or “prescribed grazing” or “RX grazing.”

The controlled and monitored nature of targeted grazing separates it from the over-grazing that has, ironically, acquired a reputation for environmental damage.

Customers for targeted grazing include home owners, housing estates, public parks and trail systems, landfills, power transmission companies, golf courses, corporate campuses, business parks, colleges and universities, and more.

As developments are increasingly required to use green infrastructure to manage stormwater and deliver other benefits, goats are proving to be ideal for the maintenance of these amenities.

Our goats are not specifically trained to eat certain plants and avoid others, but it’s fortunate that many goat favorites are common nuisance or invasive species. These include: poison ivy, honeysuckle, multiflora rose, buckthorn, autumn olive, garlic mustard, oriental bittersweet, thistle, ragweed, sericea, leafy spurge, wild parsnip, raspberry, blackberry, mulberry, vetch.

Goats also eat grass, but if the above plants and other brush and weeds are available grass will make up a relatively small portion of their diets.

Because each site differs in vegetation density and complexity, it’s difficult to provide a hard and fast dollar figure. Rates also vary from one place to another based on local market conditions.

Contact us with a description of your property and you’ll be provided with some ballpark dollar figures. We’ll usually want to conduct a free, no-obligation visit to your property before we put together a formal “goat quote” for you.

That depends on the density of vegetation and the size of the property. Once we know more about your site and your goals we’ll be able to give you an estimate. Projects taking more than 10 days per acre are rare, and 4-7 days per acre is more typical. Generally, you can expect a short-duration service designed to get the job done quickly and efficiently while still giving you plenty of time to enjoy the process.

Our targeted grazing service is usually most cost-effective close to where we have a goats based. The larger the project the farther we can travel and still keep costs in line. Our geographic reach is constantly growing, so contact us even if you think you might be too far away.

The short answer is “yes.” The vegetation will eventually grow back, just as it will with mechanical cutting and herbicide treatments. How quickly it returns and the amount of post-goat maintenance needed depend on how the goats are applied, the season in which they are applied, and the condition of the preferred vegetation in the area. We can help you formulate a long term strategy that matches your goals for your property.

Yes, our goats need to eat, but if we were only interested in putting weight on goats we would choose a much more efficient way to do it. We deliver a valuable, professional service that has real and significant costs if done the right way.

When you hire Horn 2 Hoof Goatscaping you get an insured, experienced, conservation-minded service provider that delivers a thoughtful strategy, not just a bunch of goats. If you find someone willing to charge a lot less you can be sure you’re dealing with a livestock feeder, not a targeted grazing service.

We typically don’t “rent out” small numbers of goats to customers for long stretches. Instead, we graze quickly and intensely with anywhere from 20 to upwards of 200 goats in a rotational, “mob grazing” style. This approach also comes with a high level of service. We do all the work so you can relax and enjoy the show.

Think of goats as brush busters rather than lawn mowers. They will eat grass, but they really shine on dense weeds and brush. If your lawn is hopelessly overgrown and you’d like to get a fresh start, then goats would certainly help return it to a manageable state. Most customers, though, would not be satisfied with goats as an ongoing replacement for a lawn mower on turf grass.

Local rules vary, so you’ll need to check with your local jurisdiction. Not every local government is familiar with targeted grazing, so let them know that you’ll be hiring a short-duration, professional service rather than keeping livestock continuously on your property.

Your nose is unlikely to tell you there are goats nearby. Breeding males are odoriferous, but these will not typically be on your property. Goats make a little noise, but most people find their bleats to be pleasant and certainly not a nuisance.

We use portable electric fencing and a solar-charged power source to contain the goats. This allows us to be flexible. We can concentrate goats on small problem areas, move them from spot to spot, or let them roam whole properties.

We’ll check on the goats regularly and carefully monitor the progress of the grazing project, but we don’t typically stay on-site constantly. Our goats often sleep under the stars on customers’ properties, but depending on location and the anticipated length of stay we may take the goats home overnight or load them into our nearby trailer.