KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Seventy goats and sheep have been brought in to clear weeds and tall grass along the Riverfront Heritage Trail in Kansas City, Missouri.
Port KC brought in the animals to clear nearly three acres of land without using chemicals or manpower.
“It’s keeping cost down. Goats work 24/7," said Meredith Hoenes, from Port KC.
Another advantage to clearing the brush is getting rid of possible fuel for brush fires.
“If you were to bring machines in here, brush hogs or something to maintain that and it hits a rock, it easily could ignite," Hoenes said.
The sheep and goats come from a company called "Goats on the Go."
Margaret Chamas said the animals are trained to eat certain plants and invasive species commonly treated with chemicals.
“They have not poisoned the soil like you would with a long-term residue chemical," Chamas said. "Stuff will regrow to an extent that’s what we want. We want to get rid of the evasive species so that we can let more desirable species take their place."
The work the sheep and goats are doing will cost Port KC $3,000. The work will take a total of three weeks to complete.
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