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Markets in everything: rentable goat edition
His rentable herd of 270 Boer and Spanish goats has never been more in demand.
They are excellent at devouring unwanted foliage. Thanks to Cris Sullivan for the pointer.
Posted by Tyler Cowen on June 15, 2007 at 09:46 AM in Economics | Permalink
Comments
Yeah, but what's their impact on global warming? Isn't cutting back the weeds with something sharp and letting them decompose in the soil a lot better for the environment than turning foliage into atmospheric carbon dioxide to run the metabolism of the goat?
Pigou would have taxed goats heavily, I'm just sayin'
Brad DeLong
Posted by: Brad DeLong at Jun 15, 2007 11:04:39 AM
The aboveground parts of small plants fix very little carbon on a long-term basis. Most of it is released into the atmosphere when the dead plant decomposes. It makes little difference whether the goat does it, or insects and bacteria do it. The goat does it in a few hours, the smaller life forms in a weeks, is all.
Posted by: Cyrus at Jun 15, 2007 11:38:12 AM
http://cellar.org/iotd.php?threadid=13039 - interesting pics of tree climbing goats in Morocco.
Posted by: Nick at Jun 15, 2007 4:08:38 PM
The folks at El Charrito Caminante should diversify and get a herd. After 5 or 6 years of profitable weed clearing, they could use the goats in their delicious goat tacos.
Posted by: chug at Jun 15, 2007 5:12:54 PM
What sort of pathetic Yankee goats are they that can be contained by that flimsy, low fence?
Posted by: dearieme at Jun 15, 2007 7:03:44 PM
Those gots are hella tough if they eat Seattle blackberry bushes. Those things kill people!
Posted by: Andrew at Jun 16, 2007 4:42:08 AM
Ah, Andrew, maybe the fence looks low because the goats have chewed the top off it.
Posted by: dearieme at Jun 16, 2007 9:26:30 AM
Goats also leave small nice clean pellets that may fertilize the soil.
Posted by: jaim klein at Jun 16, 2007 9:56:32 AM
In Curitiba (Brazil) the Municipality owns a herd of sheep, whose role is to mown the lawn of the numerous parks in town with the carful guidance of a shepard (on the unicipality payroll).
Posted by: eloisa A at Jun 16, 2007 1:40:45 PM
I hope they expand their business to include cats.
Posted by: Kent at Jun 17, 2007 9:52:20 PM
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Posted by: aizheng at Jun 20, 2007 5:59:12 AM
