Most college projects involve essays and slide shows — but few fill your stomach and take you on a trip to Texas.

Willy Hughes and his friends began herding goats as part of an environmental experiment. They soon discovered the animals were just as good for roasting as for keeping. Courtesy Zach Richardson

And almost none involve herding goats.

But that’s just what five University students decided to do in the fall of 2009.

“It started out as a joke … A way to clear out the yard and roast pigs,” said Willy Hughes, who along with his friends Dusty, Taylor, Scott and Zach Richardson began herding goats.

Richardson, a landscape architecture student, used the experience as an opportunity to learn about sustainability through practice.

“It also was a study into invasive species,” he said. “Goats are used now to clear out kudzu and other plants.”

The goats were purchased in September of 2009, and after two months, had cleared away all of the vegetation.

With their purpose fulfilled and no new ideas, the friends had a decision to make about their new pets.

The solution, it turned out, was simple.

“Around Christmas we had three fat goats but no new plans for them,” Richardson said. “So we decided to kill and roast them.”

By fall of 2010, the students had moved on to their fifth herd of goats, even convincing their friends Mikey Salter and Dana TeCroney to start herding at their own house.

The reason, it turned out, was practical.

“We decided we didn’t want to try and cut our grass so we kept getting goats,” Richardson said.

But the group grew restless with the rhythm, so they contacted Alton Bradshaw, a competitive goat roaster, who talked to them about goat recipes, tips on roasting, and the national goat roasting competition in Brady, TX.

“Apparently he had won a number of goat roasting competition’s and is a well known name in Brady,” Richardson said.

They were fascinated, and eventually decided to compete there on Labor Day.

The students now have a wealth of experience roasting on their side.

“By now we’ve roasted about 14 goats,” Richarson said. “We’ve made cajun, Caribbean — and even had one jerked at Kelly’s.”

Even so, they are modest about their chances at the competition.

“A lot of these guys are going to trail custom, professional cooking rigs and we’ll be cooking over an open fire,” TeCroney said.

The students still hope to shake things up.

“I think a lot of the people will still respect us for bringing a huge group from Georgia to compete,” TeCroney said. “Plus we have a really original recipe for peach-jerk goat.”