2003 Annual Report for FS03-171
Dairy Goat Woodland Grazing Project
Summary
Many soils in the southern Piedmont region are well suited to perennial crops like pasture and forestry and many farms practice both land uses separately. The producers will utilize an agroforestry practice called silvopasture by raising dairy goats on mixed woodland and pasture.
The addition of high quality woodlands browse to the dairy goat herd’s nutrition program can reduce off-farm expenditures for purchased grain and hay. By incorporating woodland browse the producers hope to improve overall herd health by reducing exposure to intestinal parasites. Lastly, managed and controlled woodland browsing by dairy goats offers an alternative to the use of fire and chemicals in controlling underbrush and hardwood regrowth. This will lead to a healthier tree stand.