Durham's newest lawn service a bleating good time

A new lawn service has opened up in the Bull City. And, hey, it's a great choice for our new post-gasoline South, given the out-of-gas reports coming in from Tennessee, Atlanta, even Asheville.

Because when you use "Goat Patrol," you don't need to gas up a mower to cut your grass.

Instead, the mower gets its fuel from the grass.

According to the firm's (herd's?) web site:

Goat Patrol offers an economical alternative to clearing crews, landscapers, machinery, and herbicides. You will be amazed by how much our goats can eat in a day. They specialize in plants that can be painful and difficult to remove like poison ivy and blackberry. They also love honeysuckle, kudzu, wild rose, sweetgum, thistle, and more.

We supply the fencing, the goats, and the watchful eye of a knowledgeable goat herd.  You supply the jungle in your backyard.

Indeed, Goat Patrol comes to your site, erects temporary low-voltage electric fencing around the area to be cleared, then returns the next day with a trailer o' goats and a goatherd. The goats then get loaded up at the end of each workday and brought back to their farm.

There are plenty of good reasons to use Goat Patrol, according to their web site. After all, goats love to eat (up to 12 hours a day.) They're quiet, so no disturbing the 'hood. And -- naturally -- they're non-toxic and burn no fossil fuels.

Word from the listservs is that Goat Patrol will be out working in the 1500 block of Hollywood St. in Duke Park through the end of the day today if you want to sneak a peek at a lawn service that isn't exactly kidding around.

Comments

[Valerie]

I've been trying to talk DH into us getting a goat for, like, ever. Maybe he will go for the rent-a-goat scheme.

[CG]

"a lawn service that isn't exactly kidding around."

Very clever Kevin. I got a chuckle out of that one.

[tina]

When I was a kid (no pun intended) in ENC my parents bought some goats to clear the underbrush in some wooded swampy acreage. Goats are very effective at clearing things out... but they will take it down to the bare bones if you're not careful. Sometimes they got out and they always went for Mom's prized roses & cameillas or worse the neighbor's prized flowers. Their droppings are great fertilizer but beaware... when billy goats get hot in the the summer they will urinate on themselves to stay cool. Not a pleasant smell. Valerie, don't tell your hubby about that part. ;) Yes, more than you ever wanted to know about goats.

[Tinomuvonga]

Whoaa...these goats ain't cheap!!

1. Fencing: $25 per hour for setup. Most sites can be fenced in one hour or less.
2. Grazing:$140 per day.
3. Transportation: $0.50 per mile, roundtrip between farm and grazing site.

Interesting idea though.

[David McMullen]

WRAL has now picked up this story: http://www.wral.com/news/local/story/3604397/

And I'm betting that they found out about it here.

[SteveG]

This is very cool! The WRAL story has a video. Maybe we can set these goats loose on some of Fireball's overgrown vacant lots!

[Bull City Rising]

Huh -- the H-S picked up on this on Thu. morning, too. (http://heraldsun.southernheadlines.com/durham/4-992462.cfm).

[Ray Gronberg]

We actually heard about it on Tuesday from the listserv traffic, most likely the same time place and time Kevin did. The folks in charge elected to have a reporter and photographer visit the site of the "clearing" on Wednesday, hence the Thursday publication.

[Cheap football jerseys]

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Meruelo, the son of Cuban immigrants, was poised to become the NBA's first Hispanic club owner and acquire operating rights to Philips Arena, with Levenson and Gearon remaining in a minority role.

[Resurrection Plant]

This is cool. Goats can eat almost anything but they can also lay their waste anywhere. Only that you need to have a regular cleaning of their wastes.