Rochester Gas and Electric is using goats to help clear some weeds and vegetation around transmission lines.
The utility company is working with Victor-based Kaizen Ridge Farm to use goats that are chomping on some of the underbrush and weeds out in Macedon under its transmission lines.
“Overgrown trees and brush lead to power outages, especially during storms,” said Erin Perry, manager of Vegetation Management for RG&E and NYSEG. Perry said that using goats to clear vegetation is a cost-effective and eco-friendly approach to ensure safe and reliable service for customers.
Co-owner of Kaizen Ridge Farm, Allison Sherman, said that she and her husband began renting their goats to some homeowners last year, and they proved to be quite efficient at trimming unwanted shrubbery.
“They love eating poison ivy,” said Sherman. “They eat a lot of brush, places that you can’t get (to), like sides of homes or areas they just wanted to clear.”
Sherman said she was initially approached by Matthew Steiner, RG&E’s utility arborist, and said when Steiner came to Kaizen Ridge, “he wanted us to start at this one place that had this gulley that is hard for workers to get down into, but the goats don’t mind going down and clearing that with no problem.”
Kaizen Ridge Farm breeds and also rescues goats and other animals, and the goats being used to clear vegetation for RG&E were rescued.
Sherman said it’s hoped the program will expand next year, and RG&E and Kaizen Ridge said they are also planning to bring goats to future RG&E events to allow the public to interact with the animals and learn more about the project.
