Norfolk Southern Uses Goats To Control Kudzu Growth
Written by Jennifer McLawhorn, Managing Editor
NS hired a goatscaping company to control kudzu growth at Inman Yard in Atlanta.
Courtesy of Norfolk Southern
ATLANTA - Norfolk Southern is using goats to control the kudzu growth at Inman Yard in Atlanta.
According to Norfolk Southern, kudzu is an invasive plant and can grow up to a foot each day. Typically, vegetation management includes chemical and manual methods. However, these methods can prove costly and are not sustainable, long-term solutions. Norfolk Southern has been using goats to control the growth as a “low-cost, eco-friendly alternative.” The goats target the roots, allowing for a more effective method of vegetation management. For safety, the goats are monitored and provided “water, shade, and a salt block.” They are also kept at least 200 yards away from the nearest track.
Norfolk Southern states the idea for this method came from a joke. Environmental Manager Nathan Williams stated, “Someone said, ‘Let’s get some goats out there,’ and it stuck.” As a result, the Class I conducted research into the idea and hired a local goatscaping company called Glitzy Goats.
Over the course of three to four weeks, 24 goats and 1 sheep covered 5-7 acres of growth and saved NS $25,000 and 7 days of manual labor. This idea that started as a joke is now “could expand to other Norfolk Southern yards in Georgia, making goats a regular part of our green toolbox,” according to NS.
This is not the first time NS has utilized more natural methods for its network. In Dorchester County, S.C., NS used Pineywoods cattle instead of controlled burns to maintain its Brosnan Forest. For decades, controlled burns were seen as the method of choice to prevent wildfires. However, “with higher temperatures, lower moisture and longer growing season,” controlled fires are becoming harder to do. Instead, NS utilizes silvopasture. This is a “regenerative land management method that integrates trees, forage, and grazing livestock.”
Grazing cattle will clear excess vegetation and overgrowth to reduce the amount of “flammable material on the forest floor.” As a result, controlled burns can be delayed for up to two years. This eco-friendly method also lowers carbon emissions.
This began in January 2023 with the arrival of the first cattle. As of reporting, there are 240 today with plans for more, according to Joel Wells, who is in charge of operations at Brosnan. Joel Wells said, “We had to get creative and now we’re sort of the pioneers when it comes to managing land like this.”
