The Walleye Magazine

Goats in Mow-tion

The Grazing Goats of Giantview Farms

By Chris MacNaughton

On the outskirts of Thunder Bay, four bucks and a bull are playing in one of the white barns at Giantview Farms. In another large barn where most of the goats are kept, the surprisingly friendly goats all approach the gate, each vying for attention. “They’re trained from a young age to listen and go from site to site. We’re in here all the time with them, so they’re really good with people” says Freddy Hortis, co-owner.

Giantview Farms’ goats are a Spanish and Boer cross and they’re a great fit for Thunder Bay, as their fur allows them to endure the chilly climate, and their amiable temperament make them gregarious workers here in Northwestern Ontario. These traits aren’t accidents— the goats are selected for their good nurturing skills, their likelihood to have twins, and their thick coats. Giantview Farms is family-owned and operated by the Hortis family: Freddy, his wife Christina and their children Lukas, Ashley, and Riley. Also on hand are goat wranglers Megan Falzetta and Jessie Godin. The farm is also home to cows, chickens, and pigs, but the goats are what set them apart from many local farms. When asked how it started, Hortis says the goats were there to clean up brush, and then it grew organically over time.

“Goats are amazing because land that won’t support most livestock will support them because they eat brush, and there’s no shortage of brush in Northwestern Ontario,” he says. This is because unlike cows, goats prefer shrubbery, bramble, and weeds. Giantview Farms benefits from having cows and goats because multi-species grazing allows for compounding the acreage of your farm, as the two animals don’t compete for the same food resources. An added benefit is that by eating nuisance plants such as raspberry canes and poison ivy, the goats are an eco-friendly alternative to herbicides and other means.

The goats’ preferred choice of diet, and the speed at which they are able to mow down an area created a second business for the Hortis family: Goats in Mow-tion. The punny name Hortis credits to his daughter Ashley. “We bounced around other names, but she came up with it. There were other good ones, but that one stuck.” What does Goats in Mow-tion do? Quite a lot, actually. Goats can chew troublesome vegetation that mechanical means will find problematic. “Raspberry cane is a really good example of what goats can deal with that we can’t. It’s too thick for whippersnipper wire, but too pliable

“Goats are amazing because land that won’t support most livestock will support them because they eat brush, and there’s no shortage of brush in Northwestern Ontario.”

for any type of saw.The goats just munch right through it, no problem,” says Hortis.

As goats are natural climbers, heights and steep slopes don’t pose the same challenges as they would to humans trying to manage similar rocky terrains. An example of difficult terrain cleared by these local goats is our very own Mount Baldy. Using portable electric fences to keep curious goats in and dangerous predators out, the goats remove the undesired dense brush, guided by workers. No herbicides are used and the goats get to feed in the wild. It’s a win-win for everyone.

What’s next for Goats in Mow-tion? They are currently working with Newmont Corp., grazing unwanted vegetation at the dam on their site. After a successful pilot project last year, the project has been extended to three years. When not at the Newmont Corp. project, the goats will also be ruminating on several other private projects.

For more information, find Giantview Farms on Facebook.

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2022-05-01T07:00:00.0000000Z

2022-05-01T07:00:00.0000000Z

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