Do you remember that anecdote about how America spent millions of dollars developing a pen that our astronauts could use to write with in the zero-gravity vacuum of space, and when the Russians were confronted with the same problem they simply gave their cosmonauts pencils? The kernel of usefulness in this anecdote-as it relates to this current blog post-is that sometimes there are solutions to problems which are much simpler and cheaper than we expect. (And that Russians are clever, but we beat them to the moon anyway, and signed our names on it with indelible ink.)With that in mind, take a look at this: brush-clearing goats! That's right, rather than spending tons of money and time on diesel-powered machines, filing the proper permits, and administering dangerous herbicides, the Seattle-based Rent-a-Ruminant organization will loan you a team of 100 goats for all your brush-clearing needs-all at a very modest rates.As Serious Eats explains, the benefits of goats are numerous: they eat just about anything, they can work on uneven ground, you don't need permits to use them, and they can clear a quarter-acre in about three days. What's more, they-ahem-naturally fertilize wherever they go. And of course, they make delicious cheese. In short: better for the environment, the community, and your budget.If you're not convinced, check out the before picture above, and the after pictures below. I'm sold.(Thanks Jordan!)
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