How goats are keeping the costs down when it comes to cutting the grass
EAST DURHAM, N.Y. (NEWS10)–Terry Patterson takes care of the budget at the Michael J. Quill Irish Cultural Center in East Durham, N.Y. With the cancelation of the East Durham Irish Festival back in May due to the pandemic, money is tight for the non-profit.
The grass doesn’t stop; it just keeps growing. The upkeep cost at the fairgrounds is over $6,000 a summer. The price to keep the six-acre Irish football field trimmed is nearly $2,000.
That’s how the goats and llamas from Heather Ridge Farm came to save the day. Patterson remembered when the sheep would come as part of the petting zoo, so she reached out to John Harrison and his wife about getting the sheep to eat the grass.
The football field didn’t have the right kind of grass for sheep, so Carol Clements, John Harrison’s wife, said they could send out the goats.
This isn’t the first time Heather Ridge Farm has used their goats to tackle a tough job. In the past, the goats have eaten up the grass, trees, and bushes at the Loudonville Reservoir off of Albany-Shaker Rd.
Its been two weeks since the goats and llamas have moved in. They have nibbled down over half of the six-acre football field in that time.
Terry Patterson says that there is no money, but she believes they are going to make it, and when the pandemic is over, the Irish Cultural Center plans on having a fundraiser.
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