Meet Houdini the Nubian goat! Grazing on whatever looks interesting might be her preferred lifestyle, but she is not allowed to graze in the Rhodiola field.
Here she is pictured on the trailer with bags of freshly dug Rhodiola rosea roots. Wherever the roots go, there she wants to go, too. Goats are curious creatures, but there is more to it than that.
Herbivorous Grazers and Rhodiola
Although, Rhodiola is not part of their normal Canadian diet, there is something in the plant that is appealing to goats, cows, deer, moose, or any ungulate/ruminant. We have seen fields trashed by deer, moose and cattle. All these grazers seem to prefer Rhodiola to most grasses.
Years ago, it was thought allowing a Rhodiola field to be grazed would help to control weeds, but the opposite is true. The livestock preferentially eat the Rhodiola stems and crown before the grasses and weeds.
Tip Number 2 for Successful Rhodiola Growing
So, if you want to grow Rhodiola, our Tip for today is –
Good fences make for well behaved livestock and even better Rhodiola.
Once the bags of root were secured and strapped down, Houdini lost interest and went back to her hay bale. No chew holes were found in the bags, and the roots were sent off to the processing facility. The Rhodiola is only in the farmyard while it is getting ready for transport. No reason to tempt Houdini and her friends any further!
