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Las Cruces Turns To Goats For Weed Control

The city of Las Cruces is once again using goats to keep public property free of weeds and vegetation.

About 70 goats are munching across the 2.5-mile Las Cruces Flood Control Dam, which is a popular recreation area for hikers and bird watchers. The goats arrived May 20 and will remain through the end of June.

In addition to the goats, three alpacas travel with the herd to help protect them from coyotes.

Streets and Traffic Operations Department Administrator Willie Roman says the goats also save the city money. When they were first used in 2012, the goats cost $250 compared to $700 for human labor.

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Information from: Las Cruces Sun-News, http://www.lcsun-news.com

Copyright 2016 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.