Help Continue Our Goat Grazing Knotweed in Mad River Valley

The Tri-Town Conservation Commissions (Warren, Waitsfield and Fayston, Vermont) in conjunction with the Friends of The Mad River (FMR) have made the decision to continue the goat grazing program to control knotweed. This will be the second year of this initiative, a necessary next step to help evaluate the effectiveness and efficiency of using goats to control knotweed.

Goats Grazing Knotweed is a management technique first implemented in 2024. Goats were grazed on about 10 acres of riverside land in 3 separate parcels from mid June into early Oct. The goats did an effective job of knocking back the knotweed by eating the knotweed leaves. In fact, knotweed made up more than 50% of the goats’ diet. This effectively weakens the knotweed plant, knocking back it's ability to regenerate. In most cases the goats were rotated on the different parcels 3 times during the grazing periods. The results were similar to the effects of manually cutting the knotweed 3 times in a growing season.

This year we want to enhance the program by getting goats onto the parcels in early May, when the shoots are young and succulent. They will once again rotate through the same parcels as last year through early October.

“Goat-scaping” breaks the re-growth cycle of knotweed and other invasive plants without the use of toxic herbicides. Goats are used extensively around the world to control herbaceous invasives (including knotweed). There are active goat-scaping programs ongoing in New York, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and New Hampshire. Our goal is to create a viable, sustainable, successful business model in the Mad River Valley that could be the blueprint for a new agricultural opportunity, benefiting both Vermont farmers and the Vermont riparian environment.

We plan to use the same goat herder as last year, MaryBeth Herbert. She has the training and experience on these parcels, as well as solid practice of using goats to deal with invasives plants. MaryBeth owns the goats and has all the necessary support equipment for the project.

The Tri-Town Conservation Commissions will contract with Mary Beth to graze selected knotweed infested parcels this year.

You can donate directly through this Go-Fund-me site. Or If you would like to make your donation through a 501 c(3) non-profit to recieve tax incentive, please give through Friends of Mad River on their website at https://www.friendsofthemadriver.org/donate.html and insert the Note: "Goat Grazing Program" on the donation page.