If you’re searching for a natural way to eliminate poison oak, blackberries, and other invasive weeds from your property, consider hiring a few goats. Unlike cattle, sheep, and horses, which are grazers, goats are browsers, meaning they prefer the tough, prickly, and sometimes noxious plants other animals avoid.

This unconventional, eco-friendly land management method known as goatscaping, has been embraced nationwide by city governments, fire departments, and homeowners. In the past, land clearing around roads, bridges, and waterways relied primarily on mowing or chemical herbicides. Goats provide a practical third option—one that protects soil, reduces erosion, and eliminates the need for harmful chemicals, especially in sensitive areas where equipment can’t reach or herbicides can’t be used.

Renting a herd is a simple process. We come and survey the property and evaluate the terrain to ensure the job is safe and feasible. We check for toxic plants and confirm the pasture is well fenced with an adequate water supply and shelter if it will be needed.

Once hired, the goats live onsite until the job is done, eating almost nonstop, resting briefly, and naturally clearing vegetation in even the most difficult locations. Goats effectively defoliate plants. They do not eat tough, woody blackberry canes. They may also strip bark from trees (usually smaller trees) so keep that in mind when considering goatscaping. With consistent browsing pressure blackberries can eventually be eradicated but it may not happen completely in the first year.

Goats excel where machines fail. They thrive on steep hills, rocky ground, and along waterways where motorized equipment is unsafe or cannot maneuver. Heavy machinery can lead to soil compaction and slippery erosion, but goats navigate with ease. Their hooves gently till the earth, improving soil health without destabilizing it.

Goatscaping is more than weed removal—it’s land care, fire fuel reduction, erosion support, and soil conditioning rolled into one bleating, grazing cleanup crew. When land, labor, or machines fall short, goats offer a sustainable solution that delivers results the natural way.