Team of goats deployed by railroad to clear invasive kudzu at Inman Yard

What do goats and Northfolk Sothern have in common?

An Atlanta-based railroad giant has enlisted a herd of goats to help keep its railyards clear. Norfolk Southern brought in 24 goats and one herding sheep to control kudzu spreading around its Inman Yard in northwest Atlanta.

ATLANTA - An Atlanta-based railroad giant has enlisted a herd of goats to help keep its railyards clear.

Norfolk Southern brought in 24 goats and one herding sheep to control kudzu spreading around its Inman Yard in northwest Atlanta.

Staff say the idea was such a success that they’re now planning to use them in other locations.

The backstory:

The invasive vine has been a challenge for the railroad’s massive Inman Yard, with concerns it could lead to flooding on Marietta Street.

The kudzu was no match for the goats.

"They cleared out all four acres, and it took them about four weeks to do that," Nathan Williams, Norfolk Southern’s environmental operations manager, said.

Williams said the idea started as a joke while staff were brainstorming solutions.

"Someone said, ‘What we need is a bunch of mountain goats in here.’ And we all laughed," he said. "We were like, yeah, that’d be funny. Goats."

Then, the idea started making more and more sense.

"There were a couple of Atlanta-based goat groups that do this stuff. So we gave them a call and they said they’d love to have a crack at it," Williams said. "They came out with their goats and it was a great success."

Timeline:

The goats arrived about a month ago and spent four weeks eating kudzu.

The railroad said they were checked on daily and fenced in on the four-acre piece of land, at least 200 yards away from any trains.

Williams said along with the kudzu, they had access to food pellets containing vitamins and minerals, a salt lick, and water.

The mission was completed on Tuesday.

But Williams said it’s just the beginning.

What's next:

"This is going to become part of our environmental toolbox," Williams said. "We have some other areas that we’re looking at right now."

Norfolk Southern says those areas include railyards in Austell and Doraville to help address water runoff issues.