The Goats That Saved the South
Tuesday, June 5, 2007
For years, no one has known to do with kudzu. Now, there's a new idea: "Get Mikey to eat it. He likes everything!"
Especially if Mikey is a goat.
First called “the miracle vine,” kudzu eventually came to be known as “the vine that ate the South.” It grows at an astonishing rate of a foot a day, smothering flora, swallowing houses and blanketing the landscape.
Now embedded in the South, as well as in parts of Oklahoma, Texas and some Northern states, kudzu can be found on at least a million acres of federal forest land, and probably millions more acres of private land, said James H. Miller, a research ecologist for the Forest Service.
While not the worst invasive plant species, “kudzu is probably the most recognized invasive plant in the world,” Mr. Miller said.
On Missionary Ridge, which bisects Chattanooga and where homes command stunning views of the valley below, the battle with kudzu is constant. Of particular worry for the city were vines that draped over the mouth of the McCallie Tunnel, which cuts through the ridge.
Enter the goats.
Labels: Food
Posted by B Feiler at 11:08 AM
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