Fiber-producing goats as an alternative to chemical weed and brush control in pasture reclamation and management

Demonstrate the effectiveness of fiber-producing goats in biological weed and brush control. Specifically, in this case, cashmere-producing goats would be used to reclaim a 13 acre abandoned pasture thereby reducing and/or eliminating the use or herbicides as well as the labor necessary to complete this task. If additional funds would be available, temporary fencing would be used to also demonstrate the effectiveness of using goats for maintenance of diversion terraces used in croplands. This demonstration project would provide an excellent opportunity to characterize the types of weeds and brush controlled by goats as well as their role in agriculture, in the Northeast region.