With Castaways camps just around the corner, the island in the middle of the pond is in need of some TLC. This year, it’s getting cleaned up with some unusual helpers: the goats! Goats are both grazers (which means they eat grass) and browsers (which means they eat leaves off of small shrubs and trees), and they’re not picky eaters. They’ll even eat poison ivy! Given enough time, they can completely clear an area of brush, so instead of heading to the island with loppers and rakes, we’re heading to the island with our goats.

We shuttle them out each morning on the pontoon boat, and they spend the day exploring and eating (and probably napping a bit, too). In the evening, we collect them onto the boat and bring them back to the shelter of the farm overnight.

So this summer, if you spend any time on the nice cleared island, say “Thanks!” to the goats the next time you’re at the farm!