Control strategies exist for kudzu, but are costly and take a long time to be effective. But the battle against kudzu may have an ally in goats. Goats like to eat kudzu, and Mississippi is experiencing rapid growth in the goat meat industry. A recent U.S. Department of Agriculture study found that goats may provide an alternative to chemical or mechanical control of kudzu competing with pine trees. The goats are not pastured on kudzu, but keep it cleared when the vine grows into the area where they are held.
Goats prefer to eat young trees, bushes and vines, including kudzu.
But as a vine sending roots down at many points, it is difficult to harvest. If goats graze in a stand of kudzu long enough, they eventually should eliminate that kudzu by eating it down too often for the vine to survive, Byrd said. However, adequate studies have not yet been conducted to determine the feasibility of using goats to control competing vegetation, such as kudzu. If shown to be effective, the goat production also would benefit local economies. Mississippi already has experienced significant growth in the meat goat industry in recent years.