Las Cruces utilizes ‘goatscaping’ to control weeds

LAS CRUCES, New Mexico -- Nature's weed eaters have been especially busy due to the monsoon rains this year.

Jake Perrault of Green Machine Environmental Goats tells ABC-7 that there are benefits to using goats instead of landscapers to clear vegetation and weeds.

“They cannot do what these guys can,” he said. “They’ll filter the ground after everything's done, they’ll constantly go over and get every little piece that they’ve dropped.”

The goats help control vegetation in water retention ponds, canals, dams and public and private properties. Perrault said the goats are usually used for hard-to-reach areas without the need of equipment that humans would normally require.

He said unlike horses and cows that primarily eat hay, goats will eat just about anything and it does not hurt them to do so.

The Trails West senior community is one of Perrault's clients that was in desperate need of clearing their weeds, after effects of monsoon season left their ponding area overflowing with vegetation.

Trails West Project Manager Reuben Zamora, told ABC-7 that the the goats were able to clean up the ponding area made up of about 2.3 acres of land in only two weeks.

Residents of the community are thrilled to have them there.

“I prefer the goats over lawn mowers, using the machines, and they went to town - they cleared out that area quickly,” said Trails West resident Jeannette Bucklin.

Perrault said the cost depends on the size of land and the amount of weeds for removal, but generally it's cheaper than manual labor and the equipment costs of traditional removal.

He encourages the "goatscaping" form of battling weeds for landowners with several acres of land.