How nearly 3,000 goats provide eco-friendly landscaping for Forever’s aloe vera plants

Many of Forever’s products begin in our aloe felds that span 7,500 acres across Texas and the Dominican Republic. Each year, Forever grows 40 million plants on average, producing Aloe
Barbadensis Miller, the most nutritionally valuable variety of aloe. The aloe is harvested by hand – and kept safe by goats — before being sent to Forever’s product manufacturing facilities.

In the Dominican Republic, Forever has nearly 3,000 goats that tend to the aloe felds year-round, eating unwanted weeds that could harm the aloe while providing natural fertilizer. Goats will eat almost any plant, including invasive varieties and those that are irritating or harmful to humans, such as poison ivy. They tend to graze about six hours per day, making them great natural landscapers (and subsequent fertilizers). In fact, a single full-grown goat can eat four to fve pounds of forage per day and can produce up to 2,200 pounds of manure per year. This turns into over 6 million pounds of natural fertilizer per year for Forever’s aloe vera plants!

These lovable members of the Forever family — which include Barbados Blackbelly, Nubian and Katahdin goats — were introduced to the Dominican Republic aloe felds more than 10 years ago. Currently, Forever is working on bringing goats to its aloe felds in Mission, Texas, as part of the same efort to provide eco-friendly landscaping.

Globally, the benefts of using goats as a natural option to eliminate unwanted weeds and use their droppings as a natural fertilizer in specifc food crops is well known,” says Rafael Hernandez, Forever’s Corporate Director of Environmental Health and Safety

Using goats in this way prevents the need to use harsh chemicals to get rid of weeds or to fertilize the aloe. Beyond that, “goatscaping” reduces the amount of fuel needed to power landscaping equipment.

According to Hernandez, the goats eat the weeds that grow around the aloe plants, but they do not eat the aloe plants themselves because they are too sour. The weeds would deplete nutrients from the soil if not eliminated, so the goats’ feasting is incredibly benefcial for cultivating healthy, nutritious aloe that is the heart of so many Forever products. In return, the goats get a lot of ground to graze and feed while living happy lives.

“Forever’s goats are cared for, just like any other farm animal,” Hernandez says. “Some of the employees who work the aloe felds manage the goats’ care, which includes making sure they have plenty of water available, giving special care to the baby goats, and ensuring this important part of the Forever family is healthy.