Throughout the years, mowing your lawn will cost you a lot of time and money. Fortunately, some innovators are taking a page out of history to find a better solution. Sheep are nature’s lawn mowers and hiring their services could actually help the environment.
In recent years there has been an eco-friendly trend of using sheep or goats as lawn mowers, but, of course, this isn’t a new practice.
Domestic sheep and cattle have always grazed, keeping the grass short for farmers and herders. They were also used on estates and parks until new technology came along. Today, traditional lawn mowers come with costs to the environment. One hour of lawn mowing is said to produce the same amount of pollution as a 100-mile car trip. While using sheep as lawn mowers may not be practical for most homeowners, these animals are making a big difference on larger properties, such as Georgia Tech.
The Georgia Institute of Technology has a 400-acre property and, unfortunately, a kudzu infestation. Kudzu is a native vine plant to Japan and southeast China that quickly grows out of hand. It’s said that once kudzu is established it can grow at a foot a day and mature vines can grow as long as 100 feet. Georgia Tech decided to skip pesticides and instead have sheep eat away at the roots of the kudzu vine. It seems to work rather well though is has to be done every 24 months.
Sheep and goats have been used on other properties as well. Amazon’s Japan headquarters, Google’s California headquarters, and the Historic Congressional Cemetery in Washington D.C. have hired companies like California Grazing to provide sheep for lawn care. Besides keeping the grass cut, these animals also help keep the lawn fertilized. Though both goats and sheep can be used, sheep are becoming more popular than goats. This is because sheep are more “selective” and won’t eat tree bark or flowering plants like goats.
Whether people use sheep or goats, opting to use these animals is a creative solution to a common problem. If you’re unable to hire a herd of animals there are other earth-friendly ways to cut grass. Go for gas-free lawn mowers like cordless, battery-operated mowers and push reel mowers. Learn more about gas-free mowers here.