Goats on weed patrol in Crossroads

Jennifer Ferrell, who lives on Bluegrass Loop in Crossroads, has 25 goats in her old horse pasture that are on a general weed patrol - and particularly targeting cheat grass.

The goats - biologically made up of "Heinz 57 varieties," include Nubians, Lamanchas, alpines, Spanish goats and retired milk goats - have wiped out almost one acre of cheat grass in less than a week.

"I'd rather get rid of the cheat this way, instead of using chemicals," Ferrell said, giving a Nubian named "Pigweed," a retired milking goat, a playful rubbing on her forehead.

"Pigweed's a cuddly weed-eater," Ferrell said, "but you don't want to get too friendly, she'll give you a slobbery kiss on the cheek."

The goats snarfing up cheat grass on the Ferrell place are the property of Rachel and Doug Muck of Lariat Ranch in Powell Butte, where you can find the largest herd of Spanish goats in the Northwest. Spanish goats are the brush and weed-eating goats.

"Noxious" is the term used to describe non-native, aggressive, competitive invasive plants that are threatening our native ecosystem. Goats usually eat their "dessert" before the main meal. That is, they gobble up the seed heads, and then the plant's green leaves. Some noxious weeds produce over 500,000 seeds per plant, so it's easy to see how hungry goats can be used as an inexpensive cure at managing serious noxious weed infestations.

The internal biology of goats is such that the enzymes in their ruminant stomach digest the seeds immediately, making goat dropping clean (so to speak). In fact, the goat's digestive system rends almost 100 percent of the seeds they eat harmless.

With the new focus on a land owners' responsibility to remove all noxious weeds and for fire prevention, goats may be a perfect solution to inexpensive and ecologically friendly weed eradication.

It's said that it was a small herd of goats in Africa that gave us the coffee millions of people enjoy throughout the world today. As the story goes, a goat-herder in Africa noticed that when his goats ate the berries from a certain shrub they got a sudden burst of energy. Thinking it might work for him as well, the herder removed some of the fruiting bodies from the shrub, dumped them in boiling water - and espresso was born.

But it's not all peaches and cream. Goats thoroughly enjoy all kinds of plant material: fruit trees, ornamentals, gooseberry and currant bushes included. So, if you decide to rent some goats from Lariat Ranch to eat your cheat, knapweed, and other noxious weeds, help the folks from Lariat put up the fences that positively identify goat food from non-goat food.

For more information contact lariat Ranch Ecological Services at 420-1086.