Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
Geese, true grazers, can make excellent use of pasture.
Waterfowl can be used in many innovative ways on the organic farm. Weeder geese were
used on a large scale before the widespread use of herbicides. Muscovy ducks are used for fly
control on dairy and other livestock farms. While the use of ducks for fly control is probably
completely allowable under current organic standards, weeder geese could be problematic.
Geese have been successfully used to weed strawberries, potatoes, onions, garlic, cane berries,
cotton, mint, and other herbs. But under current organic certification rules the geese would
probably need to be removed from the crop 120 days before harvest of berries, cotton, or mint
and 90 days prior to the harvest of potatoes, onions, or garlic. After their removal their drop-
pings would need to be incorporated into the soil through cultivation. This removal period
