Fort Collins Calls In 600-Pound Hogs To Root Out Weeds; Are They Better Than Goats?

In the organic weed control business, an arms race might be brewing between voracious goats and huge, rooting hogs.

This past spring, Rock Springs hired a 300-goat army to munch its way through weed-choked drainage canals.

A homeowners association in suburban Fort Collins, Colorado, has opted for large, lumbering 600-pound black hogs, set loose to root through lots full of kochia, a type of tumbleweed.

Pigs Get To The Root Of Things

In the long run, there might be a place for both goats and hogs, either of which can be good for controlling weeds than chemical herbicides, Christof Meyer told Cowboy State Daily. He’s president of AloTerra, the Fort Collins-based company that runs the hogs.

Where the hogs shine over goats is in destroying the root systems of weeds, he said. So in places