I don’t particularly like mowing the lawn. It’s not a big lawn really, a postage-stamp sized lawn compared to some of my relatives, and it is good exercise. I just don’t want to do it. I’ve looked into having somebody else do it, and it seems to be awfully expensive. One of my relatives used to have a space she called the back 40. It really wasn’t that big, but she could have looked into an alternative.
Goats.
It’s not really a new thing, but it seems to be gaining a lot of traction around Western Washington and even in Eastern Washington in some areas. Hiring a flock of goats to chow down in your backyard. (Or the front yard.)
According to Seattletimes.com,‘ As Washington shakes off the Big Dark and celebrates the spring equinox Friday, homeowners are faced with looming seasonal chores like lawn care, which can range between hundreds and thousands of dollars for cleanups by professionals in the Seattle area.Motivated by affordability and sustainability rather than fast turnaround times, some have found an alternative in goatscapin g, also known as targeted grazing or contract grazing.’
Some Issaquah homeowners have been using goat grazing for years to keep the. Foliage under control. One neighborhood in Issaquah has been using goat grazing since 2009. Other folks are now just discovering it.
Before a flock is turned loose on a new property, you need to make sure that the property doesn’t have poisonous weeds, trash, or animal feces. Then the goats are ready to go to work, usually after July 4th. (They don’t like fireworks.)
I seem to remember a flock of goats keeping everything neat and trim at the AM 1340 transmitter site in East Wenatchee. (I have no idea if they’re there now.) It seemed like a really efficient and cost-effective way to take care of the property…