The right animal for the job

A flock of more than 100 goats was recently brought into the Congressional Cemetery in Washington, D.C., as a cost-efficient, eco-friendly substitute for the use of herbicides.

The goats kept poison ivy, vines, ground cover and invasive weeds along the perimeter of the cemetery—where such luminaries as J. Edgar Hoover and 200 members of Congress are buried—under control, marking the first time that goat-grazing has been used in the nation’s capital to control weeds, according to an article at BeyondPesticides.org.

“In addition to their weed-managing services, the goats provide free fertilizer, aerate the soil with their hooves, and eliminate the need for chemicals,” the article noted.