Goats have a reputation for eating anything but whilst this is not entirely true, goats do eat a very wide range of woody weeds and weeds that are avoided by, or are toxic to other livestock.

It is not just that they are able to eat weeds, they prefer to eat them and derive good food value from them. Their unique digestive system and their habit of continually “sampling” all types of vegetation means that they can be a valuable tool for farms where weed control is an issue.

Goats can also utilize land that is too steep or rugged for other stock. They are very agile and will graze in areas that are inaccessible to sheep and cattle (and spray equipment). Because their grazing preferences are very different to cattle they tend not to compete and in a well managed grazing enterprise, it is possible to just add goats without reducing the number of existing livestock.

Another benefit to running goats with other livestock, particularly cattle and horses is that internal parasites are species specific i.e. goat worms do not affect cattle or horses and vice-versa. Used in rotation, each species can eat worm larvae left behind by other stock without ill effect. This has a tendency to reduce the worm burden in the paddock and can be a valuable part of a parasite management program.

In some cases, as with scotch thistle, goats do not eat the thistle itself but will eat the flowers thus limiting seed fall. Few of the seeds eaten by goats remain viable so they will not spread weeds to other areas but by continually harvesting weed flowers there is a reduction in plant numbers in subsequent generations allowing more productive grasses to infiltrate areas
previously choked by weeds. This improvement will not happen overnight but over a period of a few years can make a remarkable difference to pasture quality.

When it comes to re-growth or woody weeds not only will goats eagerly seek out young eedlings or new shoots from felled trees but their requirement for tannin prompts them to peel and eat bark from a variety of larger trees.

As well as browsing as high as they can reach they will ring bark small trees that have grown beyond the reach of other browsing stock. Over time they will thin out thickets of shrubs and small trees leaving just the larger and mature trees. Opening up scrub country in this way will encourage the spread of grasses in these areas making them more productive for other livestock.

After the initial investment these mobile weed eradication units will not only make a valuable contribution  to pasture quality but will also contribute to farm income.