Your Victoria Times Colonist

Goats hired to 'work for weeds' at UNBC
Becky Rynor, CanWest News Service
Published: Thursday, June 21, 2007

Talk about your salad days.

Four goats have landed the cushy job of eating as many weeds as their stomachs will hold in an experiment by the University of Northern British Columbia in Prince George to replace herbicides.

"They are surprisingly cheap," said Prof. Annie Booth, who is heading the goat project. "I paid about $100 each for mine. They simply work for weeds."
Goats are smarter than sheep and less greedy than donkeys, says a professor.
Goats are smarter than sheep and less greedy than donkeys, says a professor.

Three of the goats are also pregnant, so Booth expects to double her workforce by next year.

Booth started out using donkeys, "but it didn't work out too well," she said. "They were like kids let loose in a candy shop. Donkeys will eat themselves to death. Goats are a little more sensible."

Nor does she think highly of sheep, although they can be "very effective as lawn mowers," she said.

"Goats are less likely to fall into the sewage lagoon," she said. "I have a very low opinion of sheep intelligence."

Unfortunately, goats will only eat grass as a last resort, although Booth said "they love dandelions.

"At the end of the year, there aren't going to be many dandelions. The goats have pretty much chopped their heads off," which means they won't reseed, and city staff won't have to spray them, she said.

Goats also make for very sociable co-workers, she said.

"They're very social. They really like humans and are always coming up for pats and scratches. They're very engaging. The city staff really like them."