Goats vs Weeds: The Science of Targeted Grazing

Can goats help fix your weed problem and boost farm productivity?
In this episode, Tim Thompson interviews Dr. John Walker from Texas A&M at the 2025 International Rangeland Congress. Discover how targeted grazing using sheep and goats can turn weedy paddocks into productive pastures—without chemicals.

Learn how goats can be selectively bred with EBV”s to prefer weedy, invasive species like juniper, and how this strategy can regenerate rangelands, improve biodiversity, and increase livestock carrying capacity. This is regenerative agriculture on another level.

🎯 Topics Covered:
– Targeted grazing strategies
– Sheep and goats for weed control
– Increasing farm productivity with multi-species grazing
– Genetic selection for diet preference in goats
– Successional restoration of degraded pastures

Sponsored by RYZO – Your partner in Regenerative Agriculture https://www.ryzo.earth/

📍 Filmed at the International Rangeland Congress 2025
👨‍🔬 Featuring: Dr. John Walker, Texas A&M AgriLife Research https://rwfm.tamu.edu/people/walker-john/

🔗 Related Videos:
• Goats vs Weeds: Fixing Revegetation with Grazing Animals
• How to Divide Paddocks Fast Without Replacing Fences

👇 Subscribe for more regenerative agriculture
https://www.youtube.com/@FarmLearningWithTimThompson

#TargetedGrazing #GoatsForWeedControl #RegenerativeAgriculture #FarmLearning #MultiSpeciesGrazing

Check out my website for even more content https://timthompson.ag/
Support me on Patreon https://www.patreon.com/timthompsonmedia
Facebook https://www.facebook.com/timthompsonmedia
Instagram https://www.instagram.com/timthompson.ag
Subscribe for a new video each week! New content uploaded every weekend.
My Channel https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCdtlC5DtsgZKCM8gislyDJw

00:00 Why livestock create weed problems
00:31 Meet Dr. John Walker from Texas A&M
01:02 What is targeted grazing?
02:00 How cattle grazing preferences degrade land
02:47 Goats vs chemical-defended weeds
03:30 Targeting weeds with goats and sheep
04:31 Grazing timing and strategy
05:12 Multi-species grazing = more productivity
06:10 Long-term impact: plant succession and recovery
07:00 Using fecal scans to select weed-eating goats
08:03 Breeding goats to love invasive plants
08:45 Increasing carrying capacity through genetics
09:30 Final thoughts and link to John Walker’s work