Allan Iwanyshyn, owner of Goats On the Hoof, has a herd of seven goats chewing through problem vegetation in a garden on Rock City Road. CHRIS BUSH/The News Bulletin

Allan Iwanyshyn, owner of Goats On the Hoof, has a herd of seven goats chewing through problem vegetation in a garden on Rock City Road. CHRIS BUSH/The News Bulletin

Goats called in to clear Nanaimo property

Goats get down to grassroots to clear Nanaimo property

Goats are rooting out a piece of problematic property in Nanaimo this week.

Linda Olsen, who has an overgrown garden plot behind her home on Rock City Road, called upon Parksville-based Goats on the Hoof Vegetation Management to clear her lot.

The company, which has done work for the city and other clients in Nanaimo, applies goats instead of machinery to trim troublesome weeds. Goats will gobble down just about anything, including blackberries and broom, on any terrain. Olsen said she opted on ruminants to help her re-establish a garden, which is located on uneven ground and has a couple of goldfish ponds, because goats offered a novel approach to the problem.

“It’s a novelty, just something different,” Olsen said. “The prickles are too big for me to get in there with a weed eater and I thought about it and thought, geez, maybe that would work better,” Olsen said.

Allan Iwansyshyn, Goats On the Hoof owner, estimated the job would take about three days to complete.

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