Salem Lays Off Goat Cleanup Crew

The goats were too expensive and too smelly.

By Peter D’Auria

The legislative session isn't the only thing that's coming to an end in Salem.

A pilot project in which goats were set loose in a Salem park to eat invasive species was inefficient, expensive, and smelly, according to a report by the city's Public Works Department.

The Statesman Journal reports:

Yoder Goat Rentals, the Molalla-based supplier of the goats, was upbeat about the project.

The report "was a little disappointing," Yoder Goat Rentals co-owner Rachel McCollum tells WW. "But the public response to them was awesome. They were very well-received."

What's next for the goats? Possibly Portland.

"We've done quite a bit of work in Portland," McCollum says. "We expect to be out there again soon."

Yoder will find some competition in Portland. Sue Stahl, a candidate for Portland City Council, also rents out her goats for cleanup projects.

Willamette Week

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Peter D’Auria

Peter D’Auria

News writer Peter D’Auria was born and mostly raised in Portland. He is a graduate of Oberlin College, where he was a double major in creative writing and neuroscience. Until recently he was a cheesemonger by trade.

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