Goat-Powered Bark Strippers: Transforming Sumac Trees with Furry Grazers! 🐐🌳

We’re moving the goats back to the east again. The goats are absolutely destroying the sumac trees! They’re girdling the bark off all the way around them! I’m excited to see the improvement to the pasture during the next growing season just from what the goats are doing here!
#farming #goats #regenerative #goatfarming #brush

[@chadtosh6831]

Happy New Year. Hope it’s a good one for you. We’ve only got the 25 Nannie’s that we run with a couple hundred cows. Like your videos, that big herd reminds of the summer we ran 1500 of them on grass and brush. Herd would stretch out almost half a mile following us to new feed. Had a suspension bridge across a river about 4 ft wide. They’d trail across it twice a day, would take 15 minutes for them all to cross. 100 ft long and 20 ft in the air with no sides on it. They’d single file across it.

[@WholesomeFamilyFarms]

Happy New Year! Wow that is amazing! How many acres do you run on to keep them all fed and full?

[@chadtosh6831]

@@WholesomeFamilyFarms fairly dry climate up here so it takes a few acres. We run 240 beef pairs on 1500 acres of pasture. A mix of tame and bush. Then grain farm another 300ish and hay about 800+ acres every year. About half of our haying is on a yearly bid so that can fluctuate a bit. Last year in the drought we cut close to 1000 acres. When we had the goat and lamb feedlot, the farm was probably a third of the acres we have now. That big herd of 1500 goats we grazed that summer was pretty cool.

[@benburns5995]

HI Jordan, Happy New Year 2024 and wishing you the best in the year ahead.

[@WholesomeFamilyFarms]

Happy New Year Ben! God Bless you in the New Year!

[@french-canadianfarmer5049]

I love seeing what those goats do. What is the plan for the goats when it snows too much? Do you bring them back to the yard to feed? How did you learn those calm cattle handling techniques if it wasn't from your dad?

[@WholesomeFamilyFarms]

I’m actually thinking of trying to keep Them in our woods and field at home once I run out of grass here. Feed out in the field and then of the weather is going to get nasty I’ll even throw down some bedding for them to lay on so they stay dry too. But I’m really working hard on getting them completely adapted to our cold environment. And as far as cattle handling goes. I think I was just blessed with having enough patience and understanding and have seen a lot of Wrong ways to do it and then trying different approaches and just gradually learned over time. Letting the animal think that it’s their idea to go a certain way instead of forcing them is so much less stressful than MAKING them go! Have a Great New Year!

[@ColinPearcey]

happy new year

[@WholesomeFamilyFarms]

Happy New Year!

[@antonhuman8446]

Quite amazing what these animals are up to. Being nature-guided. Actually very intelligent creatures. Was contemplating on asking for a long time. Will it not be feasible and economically advantageous to slash/clip/brush hog the grazing at least once. That is 300 or 400mm up. After grazing? Because. I see Mr. Greg Judy applying this practice where required. Also. Should he do this when animals fall behind on grazing, and remove only seed in forming. Know I not. God bless from RSA.

[@WholesomeFamilyFarms]

I know Greg Judy does the clipping to make it look better for his landlords as well as keep ahead of the honeylocust trees I believe. But when you have a herd of goats like these that can take them shrubs out or keep them at bay I’m not too concerned. Clipping takes a lot of time and fuel to do I find it necessary in certain circumstances but I will try to avoid it if I can. Letting the seed heads mature will just add to the seed bank. As long as those seed heads are from beneficial species of plants I’m alright with seeing them out there. Gods Blessings to you!

[@antonhuman8446]

@@WholesomeFamilyFarms Makes sense. Thanks! RSA.

[@georgeheller2281]

I have been see many places that goats would love on the new farm, i would not be surprised to see a few of them browsing there later this year.

[@WholesomeFamilyFarms]

That will be cool! Yeah you won’t be disappointed!

[@WholesomeFamilyFarms]

Happy New year!

[@kkeenan536]

Would you ever consider getting someone with a forestry mulcher to come in and level those sumac areas? Always enjoy watching the goats come running for fresh food!

[@antonhuman8446]

Was just thinking. Upstate Brush Control. Or another trusted contractor would transform those trees and shrubs into a loop court. If required. That is. Because some times protection against the elements are required as well. And. there are economic considerations as well One only gets what one pays for. RSA.

[@WholesomeFamilyFarms]

I guess I don’t feel the need to spend the money on that project. There’s not enough of the sumac trees on that spot to make me want to clear it for more grass growth or whatever. They’ll fall down flat enough where they’ll break down fast enough with good biology there and grass will come back in those areas. The cattle and goats can walk over the fallen trees.

[@antonhuman8446]

@@WholesomeFamilyFarms Accepted.

[@kkeenan536]

👍@@WholesomeFamilyFarms