your questions, answered.

About Prescribed Grazing

  • Goats address the root cause of invasive species problems. For thousands of years, our landscapes were managed by grazing animals and fire. When we removed those processes, invasive species filled the void. Goats work with nature's timeline to restore ecological balance, rather than fighting the same battle year after year with herbicides or repeated cutting.

  • Goats eat invasive plants from the top down, forcing them to use energy from their root reserves to regrow leaves. When this process is repeated over multiple grazing sessions, it depletes the root reserves and eventually kills the plant. This exposes the ground to sunlight, allowing native species to return naturally.

  • Our goats excel at controlling buckthorn, wild parsnip, multiflora rose, honeysuckle, and other woody invasives that plague Midwest ecosystems. During your ecological assessment, we'll identify which problem species are on your property and develop a targeted grazing plan.

  • Some properties show visible improvement after one season. Most sites need three to five years of strategic grazing to tip the balance back toward native diversity. The timeline depends on how severe the invasion is and how long the land has been neglected. We're working with ecological processes that took 100-150 years to degrade—restoration requires patience and commitment to nature's timeline.

  • Goats prefer invasive species like buckthorn to most natives, but they will browse some desirable plants. That's why we carefully control stocking rates, paddock sizes, and grazing duration. Our decade of experience allows us to maximize impact on target species while protecting the natives you want to encourage.

  • Yes! Goats thrive on terrain that's challenging for machinery—steep hillsides, rocky bluffs, wetland edges, and narrow corridors. This is one of their greatest advantages over mechanical removal methods.

  • Our goats have refined conservation genetics from generations of prescribed grazing work. They're highly adapted to this type of work, don't escape, and are selected for specific job sites. For rugged locations, we bring independent, self-sufficient animals. For urban areas, we select calm, people-friendly goats.

About Our Services

  • We work throughout southeastern Minnesota, the Twin Cities metro area, and western Wisconsin, with concentration along the Mississippi River corridor. We serve properties from Rochester to the Twin Cities and across to Madison, Wisconsin.

  • Absolutely. While we've done extensive work with organizations like the Minnesota DNR, Minneapolis Parks, and The Nature Conservancy, we welcome projects of all sizes—from small urban lots to hundred-acre rural properties.

  • Yes. We provide comprehensive native landscape restoration services including ecological assessments, forestry mowing, grapple work for heavy brush removal, and prescribed burns. Most properties benefit from a combination of techniques—we recommend the right approach for your specific situation.

  • We use electronet fencing that keeps goats in and predators out. We're experienced at setting up fencing on challenging terrain—we set up and take down about 10 miles of fence every month across our various project sites.

  • No. We handle all aspects of the grazing project, including setup, daily monitoring, fence management, and breakdown. You can enjoy watching the goats work, but we take care of everything.

  • Our goats are herd animals with distinct personalities. While they're generally gentle, they're working animals focused on their job. We recommend observing them from outside the fenced area. For urban projects, we specifically select calm, people-friendly goats.

  • Every property is different. Costs depend on property size, accessibility, invasive species density, and project duration. Contact us for an ecological assessment and customized quote.

    One thing to consider: leaving invasive species unchecked diminishes the usability and value of your property, and while chemical or mechanical control methods may be less expensive than a natural approach, they are often ineffective and have significant downsides.

Getting Started

  • Contact us to schedule an ecological assessment. We'll visit your property, explain what we find, discuss realistic timelines, and develop a customized management plan. If prescribed grazing isn't the right fit for your land, we'll tell you honestly.

  • Just be ready to walk your property with us and share your goals. If you have any history about the land—old photos, previous management attempts, or knowledge about what grew there historically—that's helpful but not required.