1 00:00:01,920 --> 00:00:06,840 Speaker 1: Welcome to brain Stuff production of iHeart Radio. Hey brain 2 00:00:06,920 --> 00:00:10,160 Speaker 1: Stuff Lauren Vogel bomb here. In the latter half of 3 00:00:10,160 --> 00:00:13,560 Speaker 1: the twentieth century, one George Ballas invented what he called 4 00:00:13,640 --> 00:00:16,640 Speaker 1: the weed eater. It's a motorized weed and grass trimming 5 00:00:16,640 --> 00:00:19,880 Speaker 1: device that uses rapidly revolving strings to cut down vegetation 6 00:00:19,880 --> 00:00:23,000 Speaker 1: in small spaces without destroying the bark of trees. It's 7 00:00:23,000 --> 00:00:25,079 Speaker 1: easy to use and doesn't require much in gas or 8 00:00:25,120 --> 00:00:29,720 Speaker 1: electricity to run. Genius, but perhaps not as genius as 9 00:00:29,800 --> 00:00:34,760 Speaker 1: humanity's original weed eater, domesticated ten thousand years ago goats. 10 00:00:35,760 --> 00:00:38,280 Speaker 1: Of course, using goats as mowers went wildly out of 11 00:00:38,280 --> 00:00:41,040 Speaker 1: fashion for a while in between then and now, but 12 00:00:41,280 --> 00:00:43,880 Speaker 1: using goats to maintain vegetation works just as well today 13 00:00:43,920 --> 00:00:47,160 Speaker 1: as it did in ancient Mesopotamia. Goats are commonly used 14 00:00:47,200 --> 00:00:50,800 Speaker 1: to control big swaths of land in cemeteries, parks, airports, 15 00:00:50,800 --> 00:00:53,760 Speaker 1: and even Google headquarters, and though they don't cut grass 16 00:00:53,760 --> 00:00:56,200 Speaker 1: and vegetation down as evenly as a piece of machinery, 17 00:00:56,480 --> 00:00:58,720 Speaker 1: there are a lot of benefits to using animals rather 18 00:00:58,800 --> 00:01:03,320 Speaker 1: than machinery and her Besides, goats, after all, don't require 19 00:01:03,360 --> 00:01:06,800 Speaker 1: petroleum products residential homes in the United States use about 20 00:01:06,840 --> 00:01:09,679 Speaker 1: six hundred million gallons of fossil fuels each year on 21 00:01:09,760 --> 00:01:12,600 Speaker 1: lawn maintenance, and that doesn't even include green spaces like 22 00:01:12,680 --> 00:01:16,600 Speaker 1: highway medians, military bases, and public lands. But where there 23 00:01:16,640 --> 00:01:19,280 Speaker 1: is vegetation, goats can do a decent job of gnawing 24 00:01:19,319 --> 00:01:22,639 Speaker 1: down in base of weeds in a more sustainable way. Also, 25 00:01:22,760 --> 00:01:25,520 Speaker 1: goats can turn that unwanted brush into milk, meat, and 26 00:01:25,640 --> 00:01:29,640 Speaker 1: fiber like cashmere if you play your cards right. Goats 27 00:01:29,640 --> 00:01:31,880 Speaker 1: are known for their nimble hoofs, which can get places 28 00:01:31,880 --> 00:01:35,480 Speaker 1: of mower can't, especially through rocky or wooded areas. They're 29 00:01:35,520 --> 00:01:38,160 Speaker 1: also highly motivated and will accept the challenge of even 30 00:01:38,160 --> 00:01:42,679 Speaker 1: the steepest slope. Chicago's O'Hare International Airport is in its 31 00:01:42,680 --> 00:01:45,320 Speaker 1: seventh season of using a mixed herd of goats, sheep, 32 00:01:45,400 --> 00:01:48,040 Speaker 1: and a donkey named Jackson to clear the grounds around 33 00:01:48,120 --> 00:01:50,840 Speaker 1: the airport all eleven acres that's about four and a 34 00:01:50,880 --> 00:01:54,080 Speaker 1: half hectors. In the past, they've also incorporated lamas and 35 00:01:54,120 --> 00:01:58,760 Speaker 1: alpacas into their grazing herd. Plus goats eat a variety 36 00:01:58,800 --> 00:02:02,360 Speaker 1: of different plants. They're not picky. Goats are browsers, rather 37 00:02:02,400 --> 00:02:05,680 Speaker 1: than grazers like cows and horses. Grazers will keep the 38 00:02:05,720 --> 00:02:07,760 Speaker 1: lawn mode. But if you want an animal that will 39 00:02:07,800 --> 00:02:10,720 Speaker 1: take a chance on an unusual looking vine, goats are 40 00:02:10,760 --> 00:02:13,640 Speaker 1: for you. They'll practically always try a plant they don't know, 41 00:02:14,000 --> 00:02:16,800 Speaker 1: and their guts can tolerate a wide variety of plant species, 42 00:02:17,000 --> 00:02:19,040 Speaker 1: though care should be taken to make sure there's nothing 43 00:02:19,040 --> 00:02:23,079 Speaker 1: on the land that's outright toxic goats. Perhaps the only 44 00:02:23,160 --> 00:02:25,239 Speaker 1: drawback is that you can't set goats out to work 45 00:02:25,280 --> 00:02:27,799 Speaker 1: on their own. They need to be monitored because they're 46 00:02:27,840 --> 00:02:32,840 Speaker 1: great escape artists. At O'Hare International, land cleaning is important 47 00:02:32,840 --> 00:02:35,880 Speaker 1: because it keeps wildlife off the property because they can 48 00:02:35,919 --> 00:02:39,080 Speaker 1: denude even the toughest bramble thicket. The airport uses goats 49 00:02:39,120 --> 00:02:41,480 Speaker 1: and other animals to take care of their stubborn overgrowth 50 00:02:41,639 --> 00:02:45,320 Speaker 1: to keep wildlife and people safe. Wildlife can pose safety 51 00:02:45,320 --> 00:02:48,120 Speaker 1: concerns for aircraft taking off and landing, and keeping the 52 00:02:48,200 --> 00:02:52,160 Speaker 1: land cleared encourages animals to live elsewhere. If you want 53 00:02:52,240 --> 00:02:55,119 Speaker 1: to rent a herd of goat landscapers, that's doable. There 54 00:02:55,120 --> 00:02:57,440 Speaker 1: are many companies out there that will service your goat 55 00:02:57,480 --> 00:03:00,880 Speaker 1: gardening needs, and according to Red wagon Goats located here 56 00:03:00,919 --> 00:03:04,120 Speaker 1: in Atlanta, Georgia. Most residential customers can get their backyard 57 00:03:04,200 --> 00:03:06,880 Speaker 1: cleaned up within the four hundred twi thousand dollar range, 58 00:03:07,160 --> 00:03:15,520 Speaker 1: depending on size and complexity. Today's episode was written by 59 00:03:15,560 --> 00:03:18,400 Speaker 1: Jesselyn Shields and produced by Tyler Clang. Brain Stuff is 60 00:03:18,400 --> 00:03:20,480 Speaker 1: a production of I Heart Radio's How Stuff Works. For 61 00:03:20,560 --> 00:03:22,560 Speaker 1: more in this and lots of other Harry topics, visit 62 00:03:22,600 --> 00:03:25,000 Speaker 1: our home planet, how stuff Works dot com, and for 63 00:03:25,040 --> 00:03:27,640 Speaker 1: more podcast from my heart Radio, visit the iHeart Radio app, 64 00:03:27,680 --> 00:03:30,239 Speaker 1: Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.