Become a farm entrepreneur

For many of our customers across the U.S., at least part of the appeal of hiring goats to control unwanted vegetation is the joy of having a farm on their properties for just a short while. Sometimes, customers and observers of our goat grazing projects are inspired to become Goats On The Go® affiliates themselves, starting their own targeted grazing companies as a path into agriculture. We love that!

We love it so much, in fact, that we want you to know about another opportunity to work in agriculture, taking a farm-positive message to people right where you live! We are partnering with Barnyard Discoveries®, the best brand in farm education and family entertainment, to help entrepreneurs launch their own mobile farm exhibit businesses all over the U.S.!

Are you ready to own your future and love what you do? Click the button to learn more.

Problem plant of the month: Honeysuckle

It’s hardy, fragrant, and produces pretty flowers and berries. So what’s the problem with honeysuckle?

There are many species of honeysuckle, some of which are native to parts of North America. But, at least four varieties are non-native and invasive, meaning they tend to spread unabated and dominate a landscape to the exclusion of other plants, especially natives. That’s the problem with invasive honeysuckles.

If you’ve ever walked through a section of woods overrun by honeysuckle, you understand the problem. The woody brush, which can grow up to 15 feet high or so, seems pretty benign other than making the woods really difficult to walk through. It isn’t thorny or irritating to the skin, and it actually has some pleasant characteristics. Look down, however, and you’ll find a virtual moonscape at soil level. The canopy of honeysuckle keeps sunlight and moisture from hitting the ground, making it impossible for a diversity of plants to grow. Because honeysuckle is primarily a woodland plant, native hardwoods such as oak and hickory have trouble regenerating themselves with new seedlings in areas thick with honeysuckle. Besides being unfriendly to the health of native plants, the bare soil is susceptible to erosion.

Goats make quick work of a not-very-dense patch of invasive honeysuckle.

Fortunately, goats love honeysuckle! Goats can kill honeysuckle all on their own with a few grazing events over the course of a couple of growing seasons, but many customers choose to use goats in combination with manual cutting and precise herbicide applications. Goats take an impenetrable jungle of honeysuckle and turn it into something that property owners and volunteers can manage. Then, cutting can happen much more safely, and herbicide can be dabbed on the cut stumps to prevent re-sprouting.

Another strategy is the graze-cut-graze approach. Goats are used in year #1 to stop the spread of honeysuckle and prepare the area for manual cutting. No herbicide is used, which allows the cut stumps to re-sprout aggressively. That’s a good thing, as long as goats have been scheduled for another pass in year #2. Re-sprouting forces the honeysuckle plants to use a lot of stored energy, weakening them. The goats then prevent the new sprouts from maturing.

Got a honeysuckle problem on a property you own or manage? Contact your nearest Goats On The Go® affiliate to put some goat power to work for you!

Goat grazing and the pandemic

Spring has arrived, and even in uncertain times like these, we know that summer will be right on its heels bringing with it an abundance of nuisance and invasive vegetation. The local goat grazing companies that operate under the Goats On The Go® brand are fortunate to be offering a service — sustainable weed and brush control — that can mostly be carried out as normal in the midst of the pandemic, unlike so many others. We certainly don’t want to be insensitive to the suffering and anxiety being experienced all around us, but we feel we have an obligation to carry on with our commercial endeavors, as does anyone who can contribute positively to the economy by paying employees, purchasing inputs, and doing good work.

Here’s what you can expect from our goat grazing affiliates this growing season:

  • We are open! If you have a vegetation challenge for which goats may be the best solution, please contact the Goats On The Go® affiliate nearest you. Our goats are ready to help!

  • Our goats are as entertaining and educational as ever! While addressing your vegetation problem, a Goats On The Go® crew can also provide a welcome diversion right in your back yard during these anxious times.

  • All goat grazing work occurs outside, of course, and all arrangements for quoting and payment can be done remotely.

  • Local Goats On The Go® affiliates are independently owned and operated companies, so their individual policies may differ, but they all share the goal of pleasing their customers! If you have specific concerns, don’t hesitate to discuss options for accommodating your needs with your local affiliate.

We’re looking forward to serving you this summer!