‘We need more goats’: Live brush-trimming business booms

GRAND RAPIDS TOWNSHIP, Mich. (WOOD) — The owner of Kalamazoo-based Goats for Hire said his services are in high demand this time of year, clearing out weeds and other unwanted plants.

On the job to eat, these 50 goats make their own rules.

“I just bring them to the job site … and they do their thing,” said Phillip Swartz, owner of Goats for Hire.

Their job is to get rid of invasive plants.

“They’re very gentle on the ground, light footprint, and they take the vegetation and turn it into fertilizer and enhance the biology of the soil so that it helps more desirable plants to flourish,” said Swartz.

Swartz says his animals have been busy.

“We need more goats. This has been very popular. The demand this season has surprised me,” he said.

Their latest job site is Trinity Lutheran Church in Grand Rapids Township.

“They’re working seven by 24 … who could ask for more?” said Lisa Mead, gardening volunteer at Trinity Lutheran.

Mead said the church didn’t want to use chemicals or equipment to kill the unwanted plants. Instead, it hired Swartz and his team to help with its forest management program.

“That’s a multi-year vision for how we want to restore and heal and manage this property, and that includes getting rid of the invasive stuff that’s filling up the property,” she said.

This job is four acres. Swartz said it will take the goats about one to two weeks to clean it up.

“It just depends on how quickly they move through the vegetation,” Swartz said.

They eat, nap, eat and nap — over and over again. Even the baby goats, called kids, are learning quickly.

“They’ll start nibbling vegetation. I’ve seen it as soon as a week or after they’re born,” he said.

This job site is in a busy area Robinson Road and Glenview Drive but these goats aren’t alone. Two dogs, Gus and Michiana, are there to help protect them.

Swartz said he will be here most nights. He monitors the goats throughout the process to make sure they’re staying healthy and not overeating.

“It’s amazing to watch them go after areas that would be inaccessible to us, so it’s thrilling as they are just going at it, they’re nonstop,” said Mead.

It’s easy to get them enthused about the job.

“It’s essentially what they were born to do,” said Swartz.