UVM Fall 2019

Fall 2019 - Project: Feasibility of "Rent-a-Goat" Services to Manage Invasive Plants Regionally

A group of students was asked to research a non-herbicide solution for removing invasive plant species.  More specifically, they were asked to look into the feasibility of working with goats in our region.  They focused on researching literature related to "Rent-a-Goat" programs in the U.S. and conducting interviews with established programs.  The students ended up interviewing 35 goat farmers, organizations, and businesses throughout the semester.  At the end of their project, they determined that it is feasible for the CVCP to use goats as part of its invasive plant management plan.  There is a local program opening up in Vermont, and goats have shown to be effective prescribed grazers if there are concrete management plans in place. They suggested that a pilot goat program be initiated to see how it might work.  There was also interested shown by the partnership in having a group of students continue researching the ecological impacts of goat grazing on invasive and native plants, especially in comparison to other invasive plant removal methods.  You can read their full final report here, as well as their feasibility report.

If you have any questions about this or other CVCP projects, please contact Alex Weinhagen, Town of Hinesburg, at: aweinhagen@hinesburg.org, or 802-482-4209.