GREELEY, Colo. -- Rine Duran has a noxious weed problem -- leafy spurge and Canada thistle, among others. He lives along the Poudre River northwest of Greeley, which limits his use of herbicides.
Plus, he said, he has some concerns about the environment and the chemical control of weeds."I've got a lot of wildlife out here, too, so I was real hesitant about spraying for the weeds," Duran said.
Enter Land Whisperers Inc. and about 400 goats -- weed-eating goats that are an alternative to herbicides.
The company, which leases the goats, was formed earlier this year by Jay and Sarah Harris, who come from ranch families in Wyoming, and Lani Benz, who holds a master's degree in weed science from Colorado State University.
Benz got her degree based on research in weed control in sensitive areas. She managed such a project east of Denver that used sheep and decided to start a business offering alternatives to weed control.
"People don't know where to get sheep. Do they buy them new or used, and in what store in the mall can they be found?" Benz said.
Soon after she got started with sheep, Benz became acquainted with the Harrises, who have been raising cashmere goats for their wool. And soon after that, they had 1,000 of the animals between them. This summer, they worked areas throughout northern and western Colorado as well as central and southern Wyoming.
Benz and Sarah Harris said goats have some advantages over sheep.
"They don't eat grass unless you force them too, unless there's nothing but grass left for them. Sheep tend to overgraze and will eat the grass. There's nothing worse than overgrazing," Harris said. So, she said, management of the animals is key.
She said that the digestive system of a goat is different than that of sheep and cattle, so weed seed doesn't pass through them.
Duran has 50 acres of land behind his home. He said the cost of leasing the goats is about the same as it would be for buying chemicals and having the area sprayed.
The animals, in groups of 196 and 176, were first placed on parcels with the heaviest infestation of weeds. They were kept in the groups by the use of a new, woven electric fence.
"That keeps the goats in and the dogs out," Harris said. The Poudre River, she added, is a natural barrier as goats avoid water.
"If it's small enough they will jump over water, but in this case, the river acts like a barrier. Goats just don't like to get their feet wet," she said.
The goats attacked the leafy spurge first, stripping the leaves off the vines of the spreading weed. Once that job was complete, they attack the thistles and other weeds.
"They eat the thistles right off the plants. If you watch them, they turn the thistles outward once they have them in their mouth, before chewing and swallowing them," Harris said.
The goats also went after the Russian olive trees.
"In Wyoming, those are listed as noxious weeds, but I understand they aren't here in Colorado. Goats just love Russian olives. They strip the bark right off them, killing the plant," Harris said.
Ron Broda, Weld County pest and weed management director who told Duran about the goats, said the state has five primary noxious weeds listed and five others that are becoming problems. Leafy spurge and the thistle weeds are at the top of the list.
"Along the water ways we've got a real problem with leafy spurge," Broda said.
The Harrises, who stay with the goats, said it would take the animals about two weeks to clean the weeds off Duran's 50 acres.
"Like I said, management is the key. Once they get the weeds cleaned from an area, we'll move them to another area and keep moving them until the entire area is cleaned," Harris said.
At that point, the 50 acres will be seeded with a mixture of native grasses, and the goats will be brought back next spring. As the weeds emerge, they will again graze on them, while at the same time driving the grass seed into the ground and fertilizing it as they move across the field.
"The key will be coming back in the spring to get the weeds as they start to grow and flower," Broda said. That usually occurs in late April to early May, he said.