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WATCH: Red Deer’s noxious weeds are a goat’s dietary delight

Piper Creek Community Garden gets chemical-free weed control

Nearly 400 goats feasted on weeds at Red Deer’s Piper Creek Community Gardens Thursday.

Since each goat gobbles up 10 pounds of vegetation a day, the herd was expected to make short work of all the Canadian thistle in the natural area, south of the Red Deer landfill.

Red Deer Mayor Tara Veer explained to dozens of children who gathered to see the cute barnyard animals, that Red Deerians don’t like noxious weeds, but they also don’t like having a lot of chemical weed-killers sprayed either.

Last year, the city ran a successful pilot project bringing in goats in to selectively chomp on thistles, thus sustainability reducing the amount of weeds that can spread to community gardens and other properties.

The “Bleet and Greet” event is turning out to be so popular with local families that Veer sees it as a way of community building, as well as sustainable gardening.

This is the second year Jeannette Hall of Langdon-based Baah!d Plant Management and Reclamation has transported her goats as weed control to the Piper Creek Community Gardens.

Hall, who’s named many of her nannies and billies, said it isn’t easy to create an efficient weed-munching herd that doesn’t mind being transported across the province in a double-decker trailer.

She has to pre-train her goats to munch on certain weeds, depending on client demands. “The babies will eat what the moms eat,” said Hall — and thistle happens to be their delicacy de jour in Red Deer.

She expected the goats, who get jobs all over Alberta, to reach their target number of weeds in a single day.

Other city parks managers are also thinking of bringing weed-eating goats in. Todd Nivens said he was hoping to have goats at the Gaetz Lakes Sanctuary this summer, but ended up having to spent the money on other priorities.

Rene Michalak, of ReThink Red Deer, who attended Thursday’s event at an information booth about a fundraising project for a large pollinator garden, believes the goats are a great alternative to chemical weed sprays. He also believes they will help with the goal of restoring the property to its natural condition.

Since what goes into a goat’s mouths comes out their other end, they also helpfully provide fertilization, he added.

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Goats on the job at Piper Creek Community Garden. (Photo by LANA MICHELIN/Advocate staff).
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Kids can’t get enough of the goats at Piper Creek Community Garden. (Photo by LANA MICHELIN/Advocate staff).
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Goats are being herded out into the fields at Piper Creek Community Garden. (Photo by LANA MICHELIN/Advocate staff).
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A boy hesitantly makes contact with a goat. (Photo by LANA MICHELIN/Advocate staff).
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Four hundred goats act as selective lawn mowers. (Photo by LANA MICHELIN/Advocate staff).
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Jeannette Hall of Baa!d Plant Management and Reclamation educates kids about her goat herd. (Photo by LANA MICHELIN/Advocate staff).
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A boy hesitantly makes contact with a goat (Photo by LANA MICHELIN/Advocate staff).
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The goat’s didn’t take long to find weeds. (Photo by LANA MICHELIN/Advocate staff).
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Goats on the job. (Photo by LANA MICHELIN/Advocate staff).
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Thursday’s goat delivery turned into a petting zoo opportunity for many children.