What is a targeted grazing business?

Simply put, a targeted grazing business uses livestock (goats and sometimes sheep) to eat unwanted vegetation on customers’ properties. If you become an affiliate you’ll be licensed to use our name, logo, training, and support to provide a similar service in your designated local territory.

Why own a targeted grazing business?

  • Do meaningful work in regenerative agriculture and conservation

  • Work outside...with goats!

  • Add value to an existing goat herd

  • Grow a herd from scratch, profitably

  • Add a positive-PR revenue stream to an existing farm or business

  • Be at the forefront of an in-demand industry

What Are Goats On THe Go® affiliates?

We founded Goats On the Go® in 2012 in Ames, Iowa. We quickly realized that we would need help to provide our service to a larger geographic area, and to do it in a responsible way. We also felt strongly that we would rather help many new ventures start up than employ a large staff scattered around the U.S.

In 2016 we began to develop a family of independently owned-and-operated businesses that provide local targeted grazing service under the Goats On The Go® brand. Affiliates use Goats On The Go®’s trademarks and receive training and support from the company's founders and from each other.

Are Goats On The Go® affiliates franchisees?

No. When you become an affiliate you will be licensed to use the trademarks belonging to Goats On The Go, LC for your targeted grazing business. We provide training and a platform for ongoing support and information sharing, plus a host of other benefits, but we do not control the details of your business nor do we take a percentage of your sales. You simply pay the flat annual fee and then keep all the money you make. Think of it like a club where you pay your membership dues and share in all the member benefits.

How many affiliates are there and where are they located?

Our family of affiliates has grown quickly since we launched the affiliate program in 2016. As of spring 2024, there were 70-plus affiliate territories all across the U.S. and one in Canada. Click here for a directory of current affiliates. 

Who should become a Goats On The Go® affiliate?

Loving to work outside with livestock is an obvious requirement, but successful affiliates also...

  • Love engaging with diverse customers and making them happy

  • Value targeted grazing as a small but meaningful way to care for the Earth

  • Are bold about promoting themselves and are willing to work hard

We'd love to work with anyone who has those traits, and affiliation is often ideal for...

  • Hobby farm and homesteader families wanting to make their herds pay for themselves (and then some)

  • Established goat/sheep producers interested in adding value to their already profitable herds

  • Professional foresters, ecologists, and landscapers looking for an additional revenue stream

  • Students from farm or ranch backgrounds needing seasonal income

  • Up-and-coming farmers and ranchers seeking a new enterprise to help launch their careers

What benefits do affiliates get?

Affiliates benefit from the brand momentum of Goats On The Go® that is shared by a growing national family of affiliates. By operating under one brand umbrella our small affiliate businesses have the brand identity of a much bigger company. Affiliates also get...

  • Exclusive territories

  • Training and ongoing support

  • Mentoring and information sharing with our rapidly expanding network of affiliates

  • Connections to customers through their own profile pages on our highly-trafficked website

  • Sample promotional tools, sales forms, and contracts

  • Sample pricing structure

  • Discounts on fencing and equipment

...and much more!

Is it profitable to be a Goats On The Go® Affiliate?

Revenue potential depends on the drive of the individual affiliate, the quality of the territory, and the number of goats in use. Our current affiliates who are driven and operate in strong territories are typically as busy as they want to be and often have waiting lists for their services. We believe becoming a Goats On The Go® affiliate is the single best thing one can do to maximize the potential for their targeted grazing business to be successful.

The demand for targeted grazing with goats (and sheep) has never been higher, and the supply can't keep up! These are a few of the forces driving the demand:

  • A desire to avoid using chemical pesticides

  • A sense of obligation to make environmentally responsible choices

  • A HUGE invasive and nuisance plant problem throughout North America

  • Strong demand for wildfire fuel (vegetation) reduction, especially in the western U.S.

  • The appeal and popularity of goats themselves

We expect these forces to continue for the foreseeable future.

Will I need to own goats, fencing, trucks and trailers to be an affiliate?

Yes and no. You will need access to goats to run a targeted grazing business with Goats On The Go®, but you don't necessarily need to own them. Let's have a call to discuss the options. To be profitable, we recommend a minimum of 20 goats and 30 - 50 is often ideal.

We have negotiated exclusive discounts with a prominent national retailer of portable electric fencing on behalf of our affiliates, and our training includes detailed advice about what equipment works best. You'll also need access to a livestock trailer and tow vehicle. Since our affiliates serve exclusive territories and don't compete with each other, some neighboring affiliates have found success sharing some of these resources with each other.

What is Sheep On The Go®?

We developed the Sheep On The Go® brand to help our affiliates market their grazing services for "sheep-centric" projects where they are often a better choice than goats. We see lots of potential for sheep applied in solar arrays (AKA "solar grazing"), vineyards, hop yards, orchards, landfill caps, and other specialized sites. Goats On The Go® affiliates get access to the Sheep On The Go® brand by default, but putting the extra brand to use is entirely optional.

WHat does it cost to be an affiliate?

We’ll send you pricing and other details when you complete the “Learn More” form, but in the meantime, here are some things that are more expensive than Goats On The Go® affiliation:

  • A professionally designed, managed, and hosted website

  • Logo creation and branding by a graphic designer or marketing firm

  • Attorney's fees for Federal registration of a trademark

  • 2,500 authentic Facebook "likes" with the help of a social media consultant

  • Local, regional, and national press exposure with the help of a PR consultant

  • Ill-advised purchases of the wrong fencing and equipment

  • One unhappy customer who posts a negative review

  • One week of pursuing the wrong customers

What is involved in affiliate training?

Goats On The Go® affiliates get the best and most comprehensive training in the commercial targeted grazing industry, benefiting from the combined experience of the company’s founders and the many grazing operators in the network.

The initial Basic Training is an in-person event typically held in Des Moines, Iowa. All new affiliates are required to attend a Basic Training event. Get details about upcoming events by requesting more information here.

Topics covered include:

  • Fundamentals of grazing for vegetation management

  • Targeted grazing logistics

  • Equipment recommendations

  • Assessing and quoting projects for customers

  • Cost analysis and pricing models

  • Customer identification and segmentation

  • Sales process

  • Marketing and promotion

  • Media and public relations

  • And more!

Once Basic Training has been completed, affiliates attend one additional training event at some point in their first two years, and at least one every-other year thereafter. Both in-person and remote training events are offered, some of which require reasonable registration fees. Affiliates may retake the Basic Training event offered each year in March as many times as they like, without paying a registration fee, to satisfy the ongoing training requirement.

Who is behind Goats On The Go®?

You can learn more in the “About Us” section, but briefly, Goats On The Go, LC is owned by Aaron and Nicole Steele in Ames, Iowa. In 2012 the Steeles set out on a crazy adventure with like-minded friends, who were also small farmers, to make a business of targeted grazing and grow their respective farms beyond hobby scale.

Nicole Steele has a degree from the University of Northern Iowa, working part time for Goats On The Go® and part time in a local church. Aaron has backgrounds in community planning and marketing, and he holds an MBA from Iowa State University.

Sounds great! What’s the next step?

Easy! Just complete the “Learn More” form and you’ll get a link to download an information sheet that outlines pricing and training details. If you’d like to skip that step and talk to someone, schedule an informal Q&A phone call at your convenience to talk with one of Goats On The Go®’s longstanding affiliates. No sales pitch! Just ask us whatever questions you have about the business of goat grazing and about the affiliate program so we can get you the information you need.