September 15, 2019
Finishing a morning walk on my second day in River Falls, I passed a sign that caught my eye. It read:
ScapeGoats, LLC
Buckthorn Grazing
Rent Our Goats Today!
A phone number at the bottom indicated that this was indeed a legitimate business. My stepson, Ben, and his family live on a nice street adjoining a golf course. These are well-kept homes that are probably considered somewhat upscale for River Falls. Each of these homes, however, has some woods and hills behind the house. An invasive plant called buckthorn can grow wildly in the region, choking off other vegetation between the trees. Apparently, if a homeowner is concerned about the overgrown nature of the foliage behind their house, they can simply rent a small herd (Is it herd of goats? Gaggle? Murder? I can never remember these things) of about fifteen goats. The business owners will then fence off the offensive area and release the voracious animals to do what they do best. The company suggests that goats are better for the environment than chemicals or machinery, they handle the steep slopes of the neighborhood better than lawnmowers, and the munched-on plants are less likely to return than weeds that are merely cut down. Further, they are more entertaining than other options. One group of people who hired the goats held a “goat party” in their yard. They gathered some friends, set up lawn chairs, and served drinks with, of course, goat cheese. They had a big time watching the goats do their thing. Across the street from Ben and Amber’s house, the neighbors rented the goats yesterday. From the driveway, we can watch them working on the hill in their fenced area. I never saw this on the South Side of Chicago.