Olmsted County’s Cutest Employees On Duty Chester Woods Park

The cutest employees in Olmsted County have been on duty for most April at Chester Woods Park near Eyota.

That's right, Olmsted County has had some really cute employees on the job at Chester Woods Park. But it's almost time for them to rest their legs-- all four of them. Because, that's right, the cutest Olmsted County employees is actually been a herd of goats, who've been doing their best to rid Chester Woods Park of invasive woody vegetation!

And, technically, they're not really even Olmsted County employees. But, according to the Chester Woods Park Facebook page, they've been hired for the month of March from Goat Dispatch in Faribault, all paid for with funds from the Friends of Chester Woods.

Goat Dispatch says this is just one of many projects across Minnesota for which their goats have been hired. And if you're wondering why one might want to use goats to get rid of invasive growth, Goat Dispatch has some pretty compelling reasons! Outside of the fact that they're cute, that is:

•  They are Eco-Friendly! No heavy, noisy machinery is used.
• Goats naturally fertilize the ground as they eat and leave their droppings.
• As goats eat the brushy vegetation, it provides control of mosquitoes and wood ticks due to reductions in their habitat.
• Goats have narrow, strong mouths designed for stripping individual leaves and chewing branches.
• Goats can reach taller branches by standing on hind legs (sometimes reaching 6ft or higher!) or climbing.
• Goats prefer broad-leafed plants so brush and invading field vegetation is eaten first while grass is normally left alone.
• Goats have special enzymes in their gut so they are able to eat plants that are poisonous to other animals.

 The Goat Dispatch crew has been on duty at Chester Woods since March 31st, and will be done with their deployment at the end of April. You can read more about Goat Dispatch-- and see some of their four-legged employees-- HERE.

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