Goats Clearing Meadows and Forest at Pitchstone Waters #3
Goats Clearing Meadows and Forest at Pitchstone Waters #3 from Christopher Gill on Vimeo.
Third in a series: On the Fall River in Idaho, 5-miles from the southwest corner of Yellowstone Park, we use goats instead of herbicides to control weeds and stimulate grasses in sagebrush meadows.
NOTE: this post was originally published to this site on October 21, 2022.
I’ve noticed you have transitioned from a Mark Shephard/ PA Yeoman management style to an Allan Savory management style. If that’s correct what has your experience been with both forms?
Thank you!!!!
Hello Matt,
My experience with Savory and Yeomans is that both work. For us, subsoiling and and spreader channels were an add-on to holistic planned grazing and holistic wildlife practices.
When we bought the new place in Idaho, I assumed that the meadows along the Fall River would be ideal for subsoiling. But once the snow melted and I was able to get on to them for the first time I found them to be completely filled with boulders from the ancient riverbed: impossible to subsoil or for that matter to even mow.
So we are completely reliant on animals to manage the plants. That was a factor in our decision to try goats: We had to adapt our practices to the physical realities of the property.
Thanks for your question.