Kudzu Goats

Who knew a pesky weed could cause so much problems?? Kudzu is a non-native species that came to the U.S. from China back in the late 1800’s. It was originally used for livestock forage and then for erosion control, but the wet, humid, hot climate in the southeast made for the perfect breeding ground for this noxious pest.

I had never even heard the word kudzu before working on this story, much less knew it was a problem plant for farmers. I was amazed to see how this “miracle vine” as they sometimes call it, took over the land…wrapping itself on and around everything in sight.

The University of Kentucky’s College of Agriculture partnered with Barry and Virginia Arnett to use their goats (and farmland) to help eradicate this fast-growing vine. The idea…let the goats eat the kudzu (they like it and it’s good for them) and we solve two problems at the same time. Goats now have a new food source and farmers get rid of kudzu. Of course, all of this will be monitored as part of a 2-year study to see how many goats are needed per acre to either manage or deplete the kudzu.

If this works, the University of Kentucky will then expand the program to include other farmers and they may have solved the kudzu conundrum once and for all.

The Arnetts were an interesting couple as well. Barry worked as a corporate executive for years traveling around the world. When he retired, he and his wife decided to spend their golden years on her family’s historic farm in Rockholds, Kentucky. It took some time for them to get used to farm life, but Barry drew on his “research background” to gather information on goat farming. Today they are one of 3,000 meat goat producers in the state of Kentucky. Meat goat has quickly become a worthwhile agricultural option after the decline of tobacco production in Kentucky. The Arnetts treated their goats like family, calling each one by their given name. It was fun to tour their property, but what tickled me to death was when Barry did his half-yodel/half-caterwaul scream to call out to the goats. They responded by coming to his side….and he seemed to be thrilled by all the attention. Of course, it probably helped that he had a little food in his hand. Barry and Virginia are doing what most people hope to do when they retire….work a little when they want to, have a little fun and relax amongst family and friends (or a few hundred goats)!

Yolanda Vazquez