No Mower? No Problem! Goats on the Job at Old Mill Park

At Old Mill Park along the Rappahannock River, there are spots where the mowers can’t reach, and to send a landscape professional in there with a weed whacker could be dangerous, so Fredericksburg has sent in the goats.

They munch the weeds until the job is done, leave a bit of organic fertilizer, and then jump on the truck to the next job, clearing invasive species at the following location.

It’s a win-win for everybody.

The goats are from The Good Steward Farm, a place in Stafford County that raises goats for this purpose. This eco-friendly initiative aims to reduce the use of heavy equipment and chemicals in our city while managing vegetation.

Shawn Phillips owns Good Steward Farm with his wife in Stafford County. They have a couple of teams of goats that go out and eat the weeds and shrubbery that are getting out of control. Sometimes, they go to residential areas, too, said Phillips.

“We have a second team that we’re about to start using on private areas,” he said.

Goat waste breaks down more efficiently than cow or horse waste, so goats are ideal. Their farm in Stafford County is a five-acre farm, but Phillips also uses land on a friend’s farm to graze the goats. If the goats aren’t rotated regularly, they will worry about parasites on some land. The farm also specializes in goat milk.

According to “Goats on the Go,” another goat mowing specialty organization, goats go where people can’t, eat what most animals won’t, and leave behind nothing but fertilizer. Their selling points include:

• Managed goats eat problem vegetation with little damage to desirable plants
• Goats eliminate the need for poisonous herbicides and CO2-spewing machines
• Light-footed goats work in rough terrain with little risk of erosion
• Seeds are not typically viable after being eaten by goats
• Valuable fertilizer is the only by-product

The goats are at Old Mill Park until the end of April. The city is looking to expand this practice. “We will evaluate the goats’ effectiveness at Old Mill Park before moving forward with any additional locations,” said City of Fredericksburg public information officer Caitlyn M. McGhee.