# New grazing contract



## fivemoremiles (Jan 19, 2010)

I can't sleep I'm so stoked
I just fell in to a grazing contract 
The city sewer has a tree plantation that they water with affluent from there plant. They want my goats to prune there trees. all 97 thousand of them. 

I'm going to need more goats


----------



## Mahna (Jan 17, 2014)

Congratulations! Hope this is the start of something great for you. How will you keep the goats contained on the plantation? Will you be leaving them there overnight with LGDs or what?


----------



## SalteyLove (Jun 18, 2011)

Very cool! How many acres is it and how many goats do you have now? Are these trees used for planting in the town or sold as landscaping trees?


----------



## ksalvagno (Oct 6, 2009)

Nice!


----------



## TDG-Farms (Jul 12, 2013)

How you going to keep them from gurdling the trees?


----------



## Jessica84 (Oct 27, 2011)

TDG-Farms said:


> How you going to keep them from gurdling the trees?


The only time I've found my goats eating the bark and trunk of a tree is where there is no more leaves/pine needles to eat. That stuff is like candy for them!! 
Congrats!!! That was something I looked into and wanted to do but with the kids being in school could never go threw with so I envy you


----------



## fivemoremiles (Jan 19, 2010)

The plantation is 160+acers with 8 foot high dear fence around the perimeter. The trees are popler and will be harvested as lumber iñ ten years. I will leave the herd at the plantation with gaurd dogs. I have 45 goats and 100 sheep. I will be payed 2500 a month with a yearly budget cap of 12000. With my other weed contacts I will make over 16000 next year on weed grazing.
I think that answers all your questions

I never expected so much interest in my project
Thanks so much


----------



## ksalvagno (Oct 6, 2009)

That is great!


----------



## toth boer goats (Jul 20, 2008)

Wow, that is super news. 
I would say, be sure they have their minerals and water supply. But if you have sheep that makes it difficult, because it has copper in it.
If winter hits, the grazing feed won't have a lot of nutrients in it, so it is wise to feed hay as well. 

Will they be having kids down the road? If so, you should get a care taker when it approaches time.

Remember too, goats need roughage(hay) at times to keep their rumen well.

Glad you have a contract.


----------



## PippasCubby (May 13, 2015)

That's awesome! My husband coordinates with a farmer to run thousands of sheep on a poplar farm. It benefits the tree farm by keeping weeds down, and the sheep get good quality browse. They have live-in shepherds and LGD and do lambing offsite.


----------



## goatylisa (Dec 29, 2012)

TDG-Farms said:


> How you going to keep them from gurdling the trees?


I want to go back to this question. My goats free range in the evenings with us. We have to keep them moving or they do serious damage to the manzanita trunks and all other soft wood tree trunks and branches. Yes they eat the leaves, and small stems but they chomp on soft bark like its a treat. If we keep them moving they eat fast and just nible the small new growth as we walk.

Has it been done with goats before? Do they rotation graze or just sit like weed control? Awesome contract by the way. I am happy for you pretty exciting.


----------



## Jessica84 (Oct 27, 2011)

I don't go out with mine but I turn mine loose on 800 acres and let them do their thing. Mine do not stay put, they have their rout they make every day and that gets a little farther away from home the less feed that's available. I have followed them a few times and they are really cool to watch. They will all run to one spot, a tree with leaves on the ground or brush, nibble around for a few then off running to the next spot. And I can always count on them being back home by 12:30-1:00 for their drink and nap time lol


----------



## fivemoremiles (Jan 19, 2010)

I plan to combine my sheep and goat herd. Sheep never stop moving when they are grazing. The constent movement keeps them from doing large scale damage. Also the quantity of feed is incredible.
here we are lacking in salt coper and celenamian. Only way to get enough is to get my mineral through my vet.
I feed my sheep the same mineral it is high in copper but the vet says not to worry.
I live in Montana I have to feed hay two to three months a year and we will lamb and kid here on the ranch.


----------



## Goat_in_Himmel (Jun 24, 2013)

Wow, great contracts! Only concern I would have if they were my animals, is heavy metals taken up by the trees, from the effluent. That's what those trees are good at doing, cleaning the effluent water by taking up the toxins, eg. heavy metals, from whatever is flushed down the drain...which isn't just poop.


----------



## fivemoremiles (Jan 19, 2010)

ARG
OK you were right
The sheep were afraid to move in to the trees so the sheep and goats just worked the outer edge of the plantation 
When the goats got finnished with the leaves they went for the bark.
So t pulled the goats and left the sheep.
The sheep are doing fine they now move though out the plantation eating to there hearts content. So it wasn't a total loss 

Yet


----------



## goatylisa (Dec 29, 2012)

Nope not a total loss, I would quickly get more sheep if needed


----------



## fivemoremiles (Jan 19, 2010)

No problem I have 100 ewes on another weed contract this is a test plot next year if the test goes well the whole herd will be let loose


----------



## goatylisa (Dec 29, 2012)

Awesomesauce!!!!! 

I swear some goats are beaver hybrid. You are in the money zone now!


----------

