The Cellar - Aug 14, 2009: Boeing's Grifftopia

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- - Aug 14, 2009: Boeing's Grifftopia (http://cellar.org/showthread.php?t=20845)

Aug 14, 2009: Boeing's Grifftopia

Mairzy doats and dozy doats and liddle lamzy divey...
but goats eat every damn thing they can reach.

Boeing's Renton, WA, plant had acres of undeveloped land, overgrown with blackberry briars, weeds and saplings.
Clearing that mess would be an expensive, labor intensive job... or take a lot of really nasty chemicals.
The solution was to hire a herd of 120 goats.

http://cellar.org/2009/goats.jpg
(Marian Lockhart photo.)

Quote:

Goats are capable of eating an enormous amount; the herd worked in acre-sized plots
over approximately three weeks, clearing each acre in approximately four to five days.

http://cellar.org/2009/goats2.jpg
(Marian Lockhart photo.)

Quote:

Goats also thoroughly remove all debris -- seeds, seed pods, grasses, branches, bark, stems --
effectively controlling brush, tree suckers, and weedy trees such as alder and poplar.
According to Dunakin, goats' digestive process sterilizes weed seed pods, so there is no danger
of them being passed through the digestive tract and re-rooting in the soil.

Even the birds benefit;
as the goats lazily munch their way across the lot they stir up bugs that the birds love to eat.

Sometimes being politically and environmentally correct, is also cool. ;)

Look at the look on that goat's face!

"Eeeewwww! This tastes like crap!"

Quote:

Originally Posted by SPUCK (Post 587791)

Look at the look on that goat's face!

"Eeeewwww! This tastes like crap!"

"No, it tastes fine, but my buddy Fred in front of me just lifted his tail and farted."

But then who had the job of going through the field after the goats and cleaning up the land mines that were left behind? Interns?

Goats are so cute. I want a goat. And a cow. And a horse. And an Irish Wolfhound. And about 10 acres.

What a great business plan! Someone pays you to feed your goats and then you get to sell the goat milk and such. Win, Win. :2cents:

Goats are cute. They are also noisy, always pushy and sometimes agressive.
They are famously hard to contain, so that when they finish your neighbor's blackberries and weeds, your roses and veggies are next.
That is when the term "chevon" takes over.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Diaphone Jim (Post 587861)

Goats are cute. They are also noisy, always pushy and sometimes agressive.
They are famously hard to contain, so that when they finish your neighbor's blackberries and weeds, your roses and veggies are next.That is when the term "chevon" takes over.

I only have roses and lollipops.

Why do you hate goatness? ;)

Our local wastewater treatment plant has a fenced area around one of the settling ponds. Within that area, at one time or another, I've seen sheep, goats and even llamas acting as lawncare maintenance staff. :eek:

MMM. Roast blackberry goat.

I thought Eeeewwww's were sheep?

I hear they fire frozen chickens at the windows of their planes to test the strength of the glass. Maybe they could just use the old goats instead.

Quote:

Originally Posted by MrsBug (Post 587873)

I think that's great! Welcome to The Cellar MrsBug! :)

Quote:

Originally Posted by xoxoxoBruce (Post 587779)

Mairzy doats and dozy doats and liddle lamzy divey...

Mares eat oats and does eat oats and little lambs eat ivy.:headshake