photo by: Josie Heimsoth/Journal-World

Goats from Cackling Owl Homestead were brought to graze overgrowth at Langston Hughes Elementary on Thursday, August 28, 2025.

A herd of goats will be visiting Langston Hughes Elementary School throughout the next month to help the school manage its overgrown vegetation.

The goats arrived on Thursday from the Cackling Owl Homestead in Paola, owned by Jackie and Shawn Cheney. The farm is an affiliate of Goats On The Go, a nationwide service that connects clients to goat grazing services. It offers these services in the Lawrence area, extending north to Atchison and south to Ottawa.

photo by: Josie Heimsoth/Journal-World

Jackie Cheney with Cackling Owl Homestead is pictured on Thursday, August 28, 2025.

Throughout September, the district will have 34 goats on a fenced area on the property, and the fence will be moved around to allow them to cover 6 acres of the property throughout the month. They will be monitored and cared for each day.

“We know our students will be delighted to observe the progress of the goats as they spend September at Langston Hughes,” Swift said in her report to school board members on Monday.

According to the farm’s website, goats are efficient at clearing unwanted vegetation, including non-native plants, native weeds, grass and brush. They can graze on various terrains that heavy machinery sometimes can’t reach and reduce the reliance on chemicals to kill the plants.

photo by: Josie Heimsoth/Journal-World

The goats from Cackling Owl Homestead are pictured in a trailer before being released onto the Langston Hughes Elementary School property.

Jackie Cheney said that while the goats won’t eat trees, they will help clear the underbrush, improving visibility through the wooded area next to the elementary school. She added that if a fire were to break out, it would be easier to manage with less vegetation.

“I think some of the concerns was fire mitigation. So a couple of things the goats will do with that is we are going to eliminate some of this lower growth, so we are eliminating fuel,” Cheney said.

photo by: Josie Heimsoth/Journal-World

The goats from Cackling Owl Homestead were brought to Langston Hughes Elementary on Thursday, August 28, 2025.

photo by: Josie Heimsoth/Journal-World

The electric fence keeping the goats inside the Langston Hughes Elementary property can be seen from George Williams Way.

photo by: Josie Heimsoth/Journal-World

The electric fence containing the goats is rotated every 3-4 days.