The city of Gaithersburg, Maryland has hired two herds of goats to clear a field which had become overrun with grass and weeds.

And no, this isn't an indication of what's to come now that so many local governments are going broke.

In fact, Gaithersburg chose to go the goat route because nature's lawnmowers are very effective at getting rid of invasive weed species. The goats will graze on the field for 16 days, and then it will be treated with pesticides.

If the goats do a good job, city officials say they will consider them for more projects.

To prevent any escapes, the goats will be surrounded by an electric fence when they work.

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