Urban Growers Collective continues holiday tradition of feeding recyclced Christmas trees to goats

It's the time of year when holiday decorations are coming down, and in Chicago, there's a unique way to recycle your Christmas tree: hungry goats on an urban farm on the South Side.

"These girls have the hugest appetite you will ever see. They never stop being hungry," said Keani Staton, community & volunteer coordinator at Urban Growers Collective, a Black- and women-led 7-acre farm in the South Chicago neighborhood. "The goats love it. They're spoiled."

After the holidays, their normal diet of hay is just an appetizer to the main course of pine trees. Discarded Christmas trees are like their Christmas dinner. They just have to wait a couple weeks after Christmas.

"This is special for them. They only get this after Christmas," Staton said.

For three years now, the farm has served their Nigerian Pygmy goats donated Christmas trees; free of ornaments, tinsel, and any other side dish, of course. The goats prefer their trees plain.

"When things are really hard and able to give them some more texture, that's when they're attacking the tree," Staton said. "I've seen them take down a tree in, like, 10 minutes."

Every year, dozens of discarded Christmas trees are devoured down to the bone. Any leftovers are saved for the farm for composting and wood chipping.

"So, it's a win-win all around for everybody," Staton said.

The holidays have come and gone, but it's still a festive feast on the farm.

Urban Growers Collective will take in recycled Christmas trees this weekend and next Wednesday. On Saturday and Wednesday, you can even meet the goats during drop-off.