This Johnson County city will hire 40-plus goats to clear off weeds in a popular park

Next time you’re picnicking in Lenexa’s Sar-Ko-Par Trails Park, you might spot some goats having lunch there as well.

While park officials see honeysuckle and callery pear as a problem, goats see them as a delicious feast.

The city of Lenexa is about to use a small herd of goats for a grazing project to get rid of unwanted plants that harm water quality in streams. It hired Goats on the Go, a company that provides goats for just such needs. More than 40 goats will start grazing on 2.5 acres at the park in late August or early September.

Native plants help filter pollutants, protect from flooding and prevent algae and bacteria in the streams. But invasive species do not offer those benefits and can prevent native plants from growing. For example, honeysuckle produces a large, shady canopy that blocks sunlight from the good plants.

Goats naturally enjoy chomping on the invasive plants and leave the native plants alone. Even their feces suit the job. The seeds they eat off plants are no longer viable after passing through their digestive system; for animals like cows, this is not the case.

Goats on the Go started in Iowa and has since expanded across the country and to Canada and Australia.

“You can hire someone to do the hard labor themselves or spray chemicals or bring in machines that just tear everything up, or you can sit there and watch the goats, which are far more entertaining,” said Margaret Chamas, who runs the Kansas City South affiliate.

Chamas took on the local affiliate because she wanted to turn her hobby farm into a profitable one. She runs four herds of over 40 goats each, and plans to add more. The goats work from May to October.

Other clients include the city of Liberty and private landowners in North Kansas City, Holden and more.

“The goats love their job. Three of my four herds are experienced, so they know the drill,” Chamas said. “You drop them off at a new project and they hit the ground running and are just out there to pig out.”

The goats stay within an electric fence and eat until there’s no more food. Then Chamas moves the fence to another small area so they can continue to feast. The goats are taught the system early in life, but occasionally a “mischievous” goat will jump over or crawl under the fence.

“The vast majority learn pretty quickly that OK, this is where we stay, and before we run out of food, farmer Margaret will give us more to eat,” Chamas said.

The contract with Lenexa costs the city $1,362.50, less than the cost of other methods, officials say. Chamas said that amount was deeply discounted to acknowledge the labor and time that parks staff are contributing, and because demand and prices were lower in 2019 when the project was negotiated. Demand and prices have increased dramatically since then, Chamas said.

Tom Jacobs, stormwater engineer for the city of Lenexa, says the goats don’t just improve streams but also help raise awareness about water quality. The streams in the park are not always visible. They are called “ephemeral streams” because they carry water only after a rainfall.

Chamas will bring baby goats that she raised herself to a meet-and-greet at next month’s Lenexa Spinach Festival. She says the goats are “super friendly” and enjoy being petted and scratched, especially between the horns. They even answer when she calls them by name.

The meet-and-greet is set for 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sept. 11 at the Sar-Ko-Par Trails Park, at West 87th Street Parkway and Lackman Road.

This story was originally published August 9, 2021 at 5:00 AM.