The fact that goats have insatiable appetites is nothing new to farmers who have harnessed this power to clear out unwanted weeds and invasive plants from both cities and farms. Combine that with the the animal’s propensity to climb up on things, and you have an awesomely weird system to produce a product coveted by shampoo makers and skincare experts alike: argan oil.
So, you know the goats in trees posts you’ve seen all over the internet? Well, those are argan trees, and the goats climbing in them are up there nibbling on argan berries. The berries are tough—nearly impenetrable—but they soften up as they pass through the animals’ digestive tracts and back onto the ground through, you guessed it, their poo. At this point, people can gather up the berries, crack them open and further process them for the argan oil inside. How’s that for a job?
These goats and their trees are found in places like Morocco, but the practice may become a thing of the past as demand for argan oil rises. Learn more about argan oil processing and how this trusty farm animal play into the equation in this story from CBS News.
