Rent a goat

A while back I wrote about the lawn mowers on 4 legs that are used in the Jardin Des Tuileries in Paris to clear the steep banks and moats off grass and weeds, check them out here.

Thanks to my friend Don Unini, I just discovered in the heart of San Francisco several goat-grazing companies where you can rent a herd of goats to clean your back yard or empty lot. Cost-effective, eco-friendly, and super cute weed removal.

Companies such as City Grazers can provide up to 100 goats at any time. This is what they say: City Grazing is a San Francisco-based goat landscaping business. An environmentally friendly solution to weed control, our business rents out goats to clear public and private land. Whether you have acres or an overgrown backyard, our goats would be eager to eat your weeds and aid in fire prevention, naturally. While they are not out on the job, our herd lives on pasture in San Francisco’s Bayview district, between the SF Bay Railroad and cement recycling plant. Goat-grazing is an ecologically sound practice that eliminates the need for toxic herbicides, chemicals, and gas-powered lawn mowers. They clear brush in areas that people or machines cannot easily reach, like steep slopes or ditches. The goats can help restore soil fertility by providing organic fertilizer.

No other form of weed control comes with such a great character! Our herd is very friendly, lively, and great with children. As we work around the city, City Grazing teaches about animal husbandry and ecological stewardship of industrial land.

Photo credits above: citygrazing.com

And from the Rent A Goat website :

While the common myth is that goats eat anything, the truth is that goats love the type of vegetation that we find harmful to our crops as well as unsightly to our land as well. Just a few types of vegetation that goats can eat and clear away including English Ivy, Poison Ivy, Wisteria, blackberry brambles, moon vine……..

Goats excel at clearing away the type of vegetation that spreads quickly without containment. Kudzu in particular is a vine that can spread very quickly, especially in warm weather. Poison Ivy can be a great irritant to many people, yet goats love to chomp away on this vegetation as well. Other types of brush can be eaten by goats as well to help clear out the land.

transporting the goats

Clearing land in the city

clearing land near San Francisco

From the Rent A Goat website, these are the benefits :

And below : some fun BEFORE and AFTER shots from citygrazing.com

Before

After

Before

After

Now you know….next time rent a goat !