Research roundup: Does goat grazing effectively remove buckthorn and other invasive species?

Goat grazing as a means for removing invasive species has become an increasingly popular practice among Midwestern landowners. But can grazing goats spread seeds of invasive species through their feces? A group of researchers at the University of Minnesota College of Veterinary Medicine (CVM) and the College of Food, Agriculture and Natural Resource Sciences (CFANS) addressed this concern by first feeding goats buckthorn fruits, and then recording how many seeds passed through their digestive tracts intact and able to grow. The team found that only two percent of buckthorn seeds passed through goat guts intact. Of those seeds that appeared in the goats’ feces, only eleven percent were still living. The team concluded that the risk of goats spreading buckthorn seeds between grazing sites is low, and that feeding buckthorn fruits to goats is actually an effective way to destroy the seeds. This study was funded by the Minnesota Invasive Terrestrial Plants and Pests Center.

Read more in the April 6 paper published in Natural Areas Journal.