His name is Iola

IOLA – Invasive species-eating goats have been hard at work on the River Walk trail in Iola and an unexpected but successful birth was a coincidental chance of a storm front and a passing hiker.
Stacy Zivicki, owner of Sustainable Stewards Farmstead and Goat Grazing, said she was made aware of the baby goat, known as a kid, by a hiker that was walking along the trail.
“I was so thankful for the call,” she said. “We rushed to get him.”
Zivicki said the mom was not due for two more weeks but the kid came early with the birth taking place during a thunderstorm.
She suspects the birth happened due to the high pressure system that came through the area pushing to goat into labor.

“Because of the storm front that came in, this is what they do,” she said on a Facebook video featuring the new goat. “A high pressure system comes in and a low pressure system and they pop out babies, so this was a surprise to us.”
Zivicki named the goat Iola, in honor of his birthplace and being born on the Iola project.
The kid is healthy and happy, she said.
The goats are set to return this fall, as well as spring and fall of 2026 to finish the buckthorn-eradication project.
“The Iola buckthorn project is a work in progress, it’s a 25-plus year problem that will take a couple years to rectify,” she said.
Jennifer Schustek, the president of the village board, said the idea was originally mentioned by Charlie Wasrud at a Community Development Association (CDA) meeting as an idea to get rid of the invasive shrub in a natural and cost efficient way.
The measure was approved by the Village of Iola board on Feb. 11 for the goats to come in to take care of the buckthorn.
The goats are being paid for through the CDA, whose money is funded through donations, at a cost of around $10,000, said Dave Harper, a village trustee.