Flock Of Goats Hits The Slopes Of Vermont Ski Resort As Eco-Friendly Landscaping Option – Watch

Flock Of Goats Hits The Slopes Of Vermont Ski Resort As Eco-Friendly Landscaping Option – Watch

Is there a faster way to ruin someone’s morning than by putting a team of landscapers with mowers and blowers next door at 8:00 a.m.?

Well for the neighbors of Jay Peak Ski Resort in Vermont, that’s a headache they’re no longer forced to suffer, as the resort has taken on a flock of sheep and goats to manage the vegetation on the slopes during the summer months.

Nicknamed the “Chew Crew” on the line of merchandise sold to the animals’ adoring fans, the 150 small ruminants keep weeds and other overgrowth in check whilst reducing erosion, cutting back on fossil fuel use, mimicking natural seed dispersal, and best of all, doing the job in silence apart from the occasional bleating and baying.

It can take months of mowing and weed-whacking to get the slopes ready for winter ski season. But so far this year, Jay Peak has opened their 385 acre-mountain property to landscaping by goats and sheep, which administrators described as an easy decision.

The animals were hired from Cloud Brook Grazing, a farm from a small town about 65 miles north of Jay Peak. Vermont’s Agritech Institute has provided a sophisticated digital fencing system that quickly establishes virtual borders for each ski slope and prevent the goats from overgrazing or wandering off.

The project is in a trial period, where the flock will chew down 25 acres under the watchful eye of the institute, and Cloud Brook’s shepherd dog Helios. If it proves effective, the plan is to bring the flock back next year with a greater area of work.

“The goats are great at the trees and the goldenrod and the other types of brush, but the sheep really do well with the grasses,” Adam Ricci, owner of Cloud Brook Grazing, told Vermont Public Radio. “So by mixing the two together, we get everything covered pretty well.”

If the animals begin to stray from the work area, they receive an irritating, high-pitched noise from the collars they wear. If they continue on, they receive a mild electric shock.

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Another advantage to add to the goats’ resume is that it allows Jay Peak to avoid using pesticides.

“It’s good for the environment,” Andy Stenger, director of mountain operations at Jay Peak, also told Vermont Public Radio. “And it didn’t take a lot of convincing for us to hop on board with it.”

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Nor did it take much convincing for Dan Smith, executive director of the Agritech Institute, who admitted that he had been skiing at Jay Peak for decades.

Nor did it take much convincing for the Chew Crew, who happily meander and munch their way through the pasture in the mountain sunshine, mowing down blackberry, poison oak, and other nasty plants without a care in the world.

WATCH the work begin below…