Western Michigan University rented a crew of 20 goats to clear brush and weeds this summer. This was met with a grievance from a chapter of the American Federal of State County and Municipal Employees. It stated the goats are taking jobs away from laid-off union workers. Christopher Ingraham’s analysis, albeit back of the envelope, says it’s not so.
Source: The Washington Post, July y, 2017 (paywall).
How many jobs would be at risk if each one of the nation’s meat and dairy goats also had a side job clearing brush? Per the USDA there are about 2.5 million meat and dairy goats in the U.S. as of 2017. Divide that by 3,600 to determine how many human brush-clearing jobs they could replace . . . 347 full-time equivalent jobs are at risk.
INSIGHTS: For fun only. But, it goes to show what reporters can do with numbers.