This is about figuring out how to reclaim some of our land from a 20-year free-for-all of poison ivy, trash trees, brambles and burs. Less than 100 years ago there was nothing here on the southern shore of Great Bay but pastures, orchards and marshland cris-crossed with stonewalls and cattle fencing. Today, in between the tasteful estates and late 20th century developments and remnant antique homes (like TOPH), there is a healthy bit of agriculture still going on, but mostly there are multi-acre patches of young, scraggly woods.
TOPH is nicely situated on a hilltop, a hilltop that used to command sweeping views of Great Bay to the northeast. Our parcel now is just shy of four acres Let's say, for simplicity's sake, that TOPH basically sits in the middle of a roughly eyeball-shapped lot. Aside from a sloping swath of "lawn" between the bell-shapped stone walls out front, and decent-sized (and barren) "door yard" out back, the rest is trees and brush.
Clearly we'd like to reclaim some of the water view. And we'd like to identify and preserve some specimen trees and some shade trees and some strategically-placed privacy trees and bushes. There is some strong gardening potential on the southwest end. And, in the future, when we are ready to rebuild the barn, we'd like a little paddock space on the northeast side. Nothing radical. Nothing quick. Nothing now.
But I did peruse some resources through the various state agricultural extensions about the best ways to selectively clear land. And out of all the possibilities (clear-cutting, heavy machinery, expensive environmental engineers and contractors, sheer back-breaking labor), one stood out. Goats.
Evidently, goats are "selective" in all the right ways. They eat poison ivy and sumac and brambles and underbrush and dried leaves and sapplings of all sorts, but they leave mature trees alone. They eat grass tops, but not the roots, which is politically correct and environmentally sound. Their poop is basically "organic" since they are herbivores. And, interesting fact: they eat a great variety of things, but they don't eat much more than they need, so they stay fit and don't poop alot.
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| I pilfered this pic from the Field to Fork Farm web site. I love their "movable feast." This is not the normal "goat" pasture, but it needed a trim, and the goats were happy to pitch in. |
Daniella is "the goat lady." They have a division of labor there that seems to work. And she certainly seems to know her stuff. We walked along a gorgeous, rolling pasture with some large shade trees and scenic knots of vigorous pine. Aside from that, healthy grasses, alfalfa and clover. Sigh. Perfect.
Apparently, this pastoral wonderland was not-so-long-ago an impassable scrub forest with little redeeming value. I couldn't help myself. The question-peppering spewed forth. "Wow, that must have been a lot of work. Did you need heavy machinery? Did you hire a contractor? Did it take long for the seed to take hold?"
She looked at me with this miraculous knowing grin. "The goats did it."
They put up a fence (like the one still standing among the trees on our southwest end). They lined the top with a charged rope (catalogs sell pulse chargers that are solar powered!) They turned them loose with a water tub and a salt/selenium block. And that was it.
OK, in the wintertime they had a little shed and a little water-warmer ma-jigger. And they do an annual vet visit (house call) for the herd. They feed theirs only enough grain to keep them kid- and people-friendly -- and they were friendly. And they fed them small amounts of "selective" hay in the late fall and early spring -- only the kinds of things they wanted to seed the pasture with. Because, right on cue, these little agro-phenoms spread perfect, fertilizer-encased seed all over the pasture. Sigh.
They chose Boer goats because they are big and hearty and good for meat (they eat the grass-fattened males, all except their favorite buck). And they crossed them (a little bit) with Nubian to get tougher feet. Success! The only one with yeasty feet (nice) is their buck, the only remaining 100% Boer.
I have to say I fell in love with the Boer goats I saw at the Stratham Fair a few weeks ago. They have these long ears that flip up at the end. They are just the cutest things! So, I'm not sure about the goat-eating thing, but it makes sense that you don't want to keep too many of the boys around. Hunh. Food for thought.
What will the neighbors think? Well, there's the obvious. Livestock = Smelly. But, I've got that one covered. "Their shit don't stink." Literally. I sniffed it. It smells kind of like arugula with Vidalia dressing.
Anyway, so I'm going to spring this on hubby when he gets back from the Cape tonight. What do you think?
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