11/ 19/ 2004
by Jo Chandler
Most mornings, Everest and his crew of 30 climb into the company truck and head out to clear weeds in the Northern California foothills. Everest’s employers say he is an exemplary employee—friendly and outgoing, with strong leadership skills. Where he goes, they say, others follow. Reducing unwanted brush is his life. You see, Everest is a 75-pound kiko goat. His fellow workers are goats as well.“They are very sweet to work with, very manageable,” says Julie Austin, who, along with her husband, Roy, owns Goat Central ( http://www.goatcentral.com ), a weed abatement and brush control company located in the rural community of El Dorado, Calif. When clients call, private landowners and businesses alike, the Austins deploy their goats, a border collie and a guard dog or two to protect the goats from predators. They also haul in water troughs and portable electric net fencing. The whole operation is fast, efficient and, dare we say, organic.
The Austins’ inspiration for their business was serendipitous. “We started with three kikos, using them to clear our 10-acre ranch of unwanted brush,” says Julie. The idea for a business took hold, and today the Austins employ some 130 goats, with names like Mule, Netscape, Toby and Renta.
The goats browse (grasses are grazed, taller growth is browsed) the likes of poison oak, star thistle, manzanita and mountain misery. And they love what they do. So much so, they sometimes lose control. “We call it mobbing,” says Julie. “It’s when, say, Everest pulls down a branch and the others hear it, they come over and jump on top of each other.”
Goats being goats, it’s no surprise that not every job runs smoothly. Take the case of an El Dorado Irrigation District project in Camino, Calif. The owners of nearby Apple Café called when they noticed 19 goats in their backyard. Evidently, the single-minded munchers had broken through their fence and moved on to denser pastures. Fortunately, café owners reported the unexpected, but well-behaved, visitors were the highlight of their customers’ Labor Day weekend.
