The grazing program at Martha’s Vineyard Land Bank properties has returned this summer after the organization auctioned off its goat herd last fall.

In June, the organization brought 10 Randall cattle to the Island to help with grasslands management and hopes to add more animals in the coming weeks, according to Winston Bell, the livestock manager.

Land bank officials hope to have goats and other cattle join the new cows.

Tim Johnson

Land bank officials hope to have goats and other cattle join the new cows.

Tim Johnson

“Hopefully by the end of summer we’ll have the rest of the herd,” he said at a land bank meeting in last week.

The land bank has used animals for grassland management for around a decade. The organization previously owned a herd of goats, but they were auctioned off in September after the goats became plagued with parasitic worms.

Mr. Bell originally proposed purchasing Pineywoods cattle to replace the goat herd. Pineywoods, according to Mr. Bell, are similar in both impact and management requirements. In his proposal to the land bank commission, he said that they are parasite-resistant and high heat tolerant.

Mr. Bell purchased Randall cattle because it has been difficult to get Pineywoods.

“The cattle markets have been kind of haywire and it’s been difficult to find Pineywoods,” he said. “I’ve got a couple of breeders down south who will have some available in the next month or so. We’re hoping that comes through.”

Mr. Bell said the new cattle, which are currently at Waskosim’s Rock Reservation, are doing well. He told the land bank commissioners that he plans to expand the herd to include Pineywoods cattle and 10 to 15 goats. 

A mixed herd would allow the land bank to target different areas of need. Mr. Bell said that the goats could be used around hilltops and rock walls to clear up vegetation, while the cattle can help convert areas that have been overtaken by scrub and dense understory back to grasslands.

“It’ll be more of a precise grazing operation,” Mr. Bell said.