With the dangerous levels of air pollution we have endured in recent weeks, surely it is time to think outside the square. Obviously the best solution to getting rid of crop residue is to turn it over, back into the soil to become fertiliser but this requires equipment that small farmers cannot afford. Burning is cheap but disastrous. 

 

As they will eat anything why couldn't goats be employed ? They would cost nothing to maintain, would return the nutrients to the soil, and would bring in additional income from milk and cheese, hides and meat.

I prefer to think inside the pub rather than outside the box. 

As much as I love goat meat and wish it did become a staple here, what will the farmers do with the goats when it comes time to start replanting? Farmers will grow crops in every last square metre of land from what I have seen. No room left for goats.

 

7 hours ago, Farangwithaplan said:

As much as I love goat meat and wish it did become a staple here, what will the farmers do with the goats when it comes time to start replanting? Farmers will grow crops in every last square metre of land from what I have seen. No room left for goats.

 

That would be the time to slaughter them. Or maybe they could be moved to some other problem plants that farmers would like to control.

7 minutes ago, Saladin said:

That would be the time to slaughter them. Or maybe they could be moved to some other problem plants that farmers would like to control.

Rent a Goat!

14 minutes ago, Nyezhov said:

Rent a Goat!

it may come to that if I don't get some action Badoo soon.

Basically OP, do not give up your day job ,goats will eat anything, but they will still need some form of quality feed to make them grow, either growing some quality grass, or feeding a concentrate feed, if you want to milk them they certainly will need some concentrate feed then finding a market to sell your milk, making cheese ,do you have a market for your cheese ,a guy near my makes goats milk cheese and send it all over Thailand, to mainly farang markets ,it took him a long time to get his markets  established .

Then the billy male goats need to be kept for up to a year, before selling, then you have to find a buyer.

For breeding you will need a Billy goat, they can be nasty B's would not trust one with those horns.

Then you have health problems goats do not like the wet, soon get sick, and they will need regular worming, then they is the shed needs to be raised so the goats have somewhere dry to lay, so minimising health problems not cheap.As VocalNeal  said, think in the pub

 

From my own experience, goats are b****rs, true escape artists, they will eat fences and consistently end up in the neighbour's vegetable (or flower) garden. I really enjoyed these animals but without building. 6 foot wall around everything vaguely eatable I don't think I'll be doing it again.