Missouri

'Land piranhas': Missouri's grazing goats offer a green solution to land and lawn care

Published

1 year ago

August 11, 2024

'Land piranhas': Missouri's grazing goats offer a green solution to land and lawn care

On a rainy Saturday in Platte City, Elizabeth and Ben Parker remove some electric fencing to create a bigger pasture for their goats to graze.

The Parkers run the North Kansas City affiliate of Goats on the Go, a nationwide organization that promotes renewable agriculture through a method called targeted grazing.

Targeted grazing fences animals such as goats in a specific area to munch on the plants growing there. The goats clear out invasive species and vegetation, ensuring land health and accessibility while contributing to healthy goat nutrition.

Ben Parker, co-owner of the North Kansas City affiliate of Goats on the Go, tends to a goat while working on a Platte City property.

“We walk the fence, the perimeter of the fence every day. We make sure that the goats have mineral and salt every day unless it’s raining,” Elizebeth Parker said. “We make sure everybody’s within the boundaries that they need. We may or may not open up a new fence so they can have more to eat.”

Goats on the Go lists five Missouri affiliates, serving the St. Joseph, Kansas City, Nevada and St. Louis areas. The goats clear about an acre every week, and affiliates including the Parkers price by the acre regardless of how long the job takes.

A few independent goat lawn care businesses also exist — Oscar Mike Goats in southwest Missouri, DeShon Target Grazing in mid-Missouri and N.E. Critters Grazers in Springfield and Nixa.

Targeted grazing as a lawn care alternative

Farmers who graze with livestock usually have a focus on the animal’s overall weight and health. Targeted grazing is a land management tool that can accomplish several goals, from removing poison ivy on school playgrounds to preserving pastures for cattle to graze on.

Margaret Chamas owns Storm Dancer Farm in Smithville. She serves as affiliate network support for Goats on the Go and the Livestock Viability Manager with Practical Farmers of Iowa.

“Not that we ignore the benefits to, or the impacts on, soil or vegetation or anything, but the main driver (of livestock grazing) is, ‘Let’s have healthy, productive animals,’” Chamas said. “When we’re doing targeted grazing, we’re looking at, ‘What do we need to do to manage this landscape?’ and the animals are just the tool that we’re managing with.”

The Parkers also have a flock of sheep, which they raise and sell for meat. This brings in revenue but also creates the need to replenish their flock.

Entering the targeted grazing business with goats has allowed them to earn a profit from their livestock without purchasing a new herd.

“That seemed to make a lot more sense to me when you put the same amount of work in, but you don’t have to raise up a whole new flock,” Ben Parker said.

A goat grazes vegetation on a Platte City property. Targeted grazing with goats is different and more profitable than grazing with sheep or livestock, because it’s primarily a land management tool with secondary benefits to the goat’s nutritional health. | Alex Cox/Missouri Business Alert

Curbing growth of invasive plants

In 2007, Glenda DeShon and her family noticed invasive plants taking over parts of their mid-Missouri farm. Discovering that goats enjoy eating some of these plants, like bush honeysuckle and autumn olive, the DeShons purchased a herd and became Goats on the Go affiliates serving the Columbia and Jefferson City area.

Since completing a project in Jefferson City’s McClung Park last year, the DeShons parted ways with Goats on the Go, creating their own business, DeShon Target Grazing.

DeShon said that fall is the ideal season for clients to bring in targeted grazers for the removal of invasive species. Around that time, invasive plants start to send nutrients from its leaves to the roots, offering an opportunity for the goats to combat the plant’s spread.

“They rear up, they’ll pull branches down, and then they will defoliate and break off the branches,” she added. “So each time we send the goats through, you know they’re doing more damage to that invasive plant.”

In Platte City, the Parkers have faced some financial difficulties with the business this year due to increased seasonal rainfall impacting farms across the state. Wet ground conditions can cause foot rot in goats, slowing the goats down considerably while grazing.

Though the Parkers chose to work with goats for their targeted grazing business, they hope to bring sheep into the mix in the future. Sheep have shorter legs than goats and are less likely to climb on low-to-the-ground equipment, like solar panels. Elizebeth Parker said this would allow the business to expand by offering targeted grazing for solar farms.

Until then, the goats remain skilled at accessing areas humans can’t and maximizing land productivity down the line by removing unwanted foliage.

“They are acrobats, ninjas, I tend to call them land piranhas,” Ben Parker said. “Because they do a very good job, and they do it quickly for the area that they’re in.”

This story was originally published by Missouri Business Alert, a fellow member of the KC Media Collective.

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Missouri

1 dead after rollover crash Friday evening in Kansas City, Missouri

Published

17 hours ago

January 10, 2026

Press Room

1 dead after rollover crash Friday evening in Kansas City, Missouri

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — One person died in a rollover crash Friday evening in Kansas City, Missouri, on Missouri 152 Highway near North Indiana Avenue.

The victim, whose identity has not been released, was alone in the vehicle, police said.

The crash happened at 5:35 p.m.

No word on what led to the crash.

—

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Missouri

Missouri Secretary of State admits to misleading ballot language for gerrymander referendum

Published

1 day ago

January 9, 2026

Press Room

Missouri Secretary of State admits to misleading ballot language for gerrymander referendum

Protestors gather in the rotunda to protest a redistricting plan that would split Kansas City into three districts on Wednesday, Sept. 10, 2025, at the Missouri State Capitol, in Jefferson City, Mo. (Yong Li Xuan/Missourian via AP)

An attorney representing Missouri’s top election official admitted in court Friday that her client had authored ballot language that could “prejudice” voters about a referendum to block the GOP’s new gerrymandered congressional map.

The state constitution gives Missourians the right to veto new state laws by holding a statewide referendum vote. Since Missouri Republicans passed mid-decade redistricting in September, voters have been fighting to put it to a referendum. But the Republican Party – including Missouri Secretary of State Denny Hoskins – are throwing every possible hurdle in its path.

That apparently includes ballot language.

In November, People Not Politicians, the group leading the referendum effort, filed a lawsuit challenging what it termed the “dishonest” text Hoskins had approved.

The court could take over the task of writing the ballot language if Hoskins fails to provide an acceptable version after three tries. A bench trial is scheduled for Feb. 9.

Missouri law requires the secretary of state’s ballot language to be a “true and impartial statement” that isn’t “intentionally argumentative” or “likely to create prejudice either for or against the proposed measure.”

At a hearing Friday, Hoskins’ attorney admitted the ballot summary was likely to create prejudice against the referendum, according to People Not Politicians. She also said the language would be revised in negotiations with the referendum organizers, the Missouri Independent reported.

Now, the state will get “another bite at the apple” to write new language, Chuck Hatfield, an attorney representing People Not Politicians, told Democracy Docket.

“Rather than losing in court, today the Secretary of State simply admitted that he broke the law and sought to deceive Missouri voters,” Richard von Glahn, executive director of People Not Politicians, said in a statement. “While warranted, this admittance does little to alleviate our concerns that a subsequent summary prepared by him will be any more accurate. Missourians deserve the truth about their rights and the referendum.”

According to court filings, the official certified ballot language reads: “Do the people of the state of Missouri approve the act of the General Assembly entitled ‘House Bill No. 1 (2025 Second Extraordinary Session),’ which repeals Missouri’s existing gerrymandered congressional plan that protects incumbent politicians, and replaces it with new congressional boundaries that keep more cities and counties intact, are more compact, and better reflects statewide voting patterns?”

In addition to the misleading ballot language, Republicans have devised relentless obstacles for referendum supporters, including trying to decline certifying the petition on holding a referendum for being filed too soon, reject signatures for being collected too soon, block the petition from moving forward and intimidate referendum supporters.

Hoskins is also insisting on enacting the new map before voters can hold the referendum, breaking with Missouri precedent.

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Missouri

Missouri Lottery Pick 3, Pick 4 winning numbers for Jan. 8, 2026

Published

2 days ago

January 9, 2026

Press Room

The Missouri Lottery offers several draw games for those aiming to win big. Here’s a look at Jan. 8, 2026, results for each game:

Winning Pick 3 numbers from Jan. 8 drawing

Midday: 3-5-3

Midday Wild: 9

Evening: 6-3-9

Evening Wild: 3

Check Pick 3 payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Pick 4 numbers from Jan. 8 drawing

Midday: 7-1-3-4

Midday Wild: 4

Evening: 9-6-9-8

Evening Wild: 9

Check Pick 4 payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Cash4Life numbers from Jan. 8 drawing

27-28-39-47-58, Cash Ball: 04

Check Cash4Life payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Cash Pop numbers from Jan. 8 drawing

Early Bird: 14

Morning: 07

Matinee: 06

Prime Time: 07

Night Owl: 11

Check Cash Pop payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Show Me Cash numbers from Jan. 8 drawing

02-26-28-29-34

Check Show Me Cash payouts and previous drawings here.

Feeling lucky? Explore the latest lottery news & results

Are you a winner? Here’s how to claim your lottery prize

All Missouri Lottery retailers can redeem prizes up to $600. For prizes over $600, winners have the option to submit their claim by mail or in person at one of Missouri Lottery’s regional offices, by appointment only.

To claim by mail, complete a Missouri Lottery winner claim form, sign your winning ticket, and include a copy of your government-issued photo ID along with a completed IRS Form W-9. Ensure your name, address, telephone number and signature are on the back of your ticket. Claims should be mailed to:

Ticket Redemption

Missouri Lottery

P.O. Box 7777

Jefferson City, MO 65102-7777

For in-person claims, visit the Missouri Lottery Headquarters in Jefferson City or one of the regional offices in Kansas City, Springfield or St. Louis. Be sure to call ahead to verify hours and check if an appointment is required.

For additional instructions or to download the claim form, visit the Missouri Lottery prize claim page.

When are the Missouri Lottery drawings held?

Powerball: 9:59 p.m. Monday, Wednesday and Saturday.
Mega Millions: 10 p.m. Tuesday and Friday.
Pick 3: 12:45 p.m. (Midday) and 8:59 p.m. (Evening) daily.
Pick 4: 12:45 p.m. (Midday) and 8:59 p.m. (Evening) daily.
Cash4Life: 8 p.m. daily.
Cash Pop: 8 a.m. (Early Bird), 11 a.m. (Late Morning), 3 p.m. (Matinee), 7 p.m. (Prime Time) and 11 p.m. (Night Owl) daily.
Show Me Cash: 8:59 p.m. daily.
Lotto: 8:59 p.m. Wednesday and Saturday.
Powerball Double Play: 9:59 p.m. Monday, Wednesday and Saturday.

This results page was generated automatically using information from TinBu and a template written and reviewed by a Missouri editor. You can send feedback using this form.

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