Only in Norfolk

Numerous cities big and small are turning to an unlikely new kind of employee in hopes of saving money and improving local streets and parks.

Norfolk County may become the latest to introduce goats to its workforce as six of the cloven cud-chewers began making a meal of poison ivy and weeds, opening up the latest frontier in urban goatscaping, which has been spreading around the country like so many weeds that the goats have been hired to destroy.

"Go Green with Goats" an Almyer based goat rental company would entertain Norfolk's property maintainence on an yearly basis."Go Green" charges anywhere from 75 cents to $3 per goat per day depending on where they work and the kind of munching they’re required to do.

Goats have become an increasingly cost-effective and eco-friendly way for cities, parks and natural resources departments, and private property owners to clear areas of unwanted vegetation.

Goats have a knack for eating all the vegetation humans don’t want around while leaving the good stuff, like grasses, and they can often be trained to acquire a palette for certain invasive species. Goats can eat about 4% of their body weight a day by gobbling up a number of woody plants that are anathema to humans, like nettles, poison ivy, buckthorn and wild parsnip.

"Believe it or not"