Want to make $168,000? Herd goats
Only in California…Someone smart said “hey, we have all these fire-hazard brush lands around homes and apartments that are hard to clear in an ecologically sound manner – let’s let critters graze there!” Quieter than weedwhackers and brush-hogs, more ecologically sound, and what the hey – when your grazers are inefficient, dinner on the hoof. Been working for people for thousands of years, right? Well…only California could screw that up, and screw it up they have.
“It’s a huge fuel source. If it was left untamed, it can grow very high. And then when the summer dries everything out, it’s perfect fuel for a fire,” said Jason Poupolo, parks superintendent for the city of West Sacramento, where goats grazed on a recent afternoon.
Targeted grazing is part of California’s strategy to reduce wildfire risk because goats can eat a wide variety of vegetation and graze in steep, rocky terrain that’s hard to access. Backers say they’re an eco-friendly alternative to chemical herbicides or weed-whacking machines that are make noise and pollution.
Companies typically put about one herder in charge of 400 goats. Many of the herders in California are from Peru and live in employer-provided trailers near grazing sites.
Companies have historically been allowed to pay goat and sheepherders a monthly minimum salary rather than an hourly minimum wage, because their jobs require them to be on-call 24 hours a day, seven days a week. But legislation signed in 2016 also entitles them to overtime pay. It effectively boosted the herders’ minimum monthly pay from $1,955 in 2019 to $3,730 this year. It’s set to hit $4,381 in 2025, according to the California Department of Industrial Relations.
The changes could raise the monthly salary of herders from about $3,730 to $14,000, according to the California Farm Bureau.
Up till now, the companies have raised their rates to compensate – now, they say they may be forced to close down because they will be unable to do so. One owner says he is paying his goatherds $4000 a month and providing free food, housing, and phones. So that $4,000 is essentially disposable income – you would think that is pretty sweet, right? So $14,000 disposable? In my neck of the woods that is considered rich. Bet they don’t pay their Guard folks that…
Only California could screw up GOATHERDING.
Category: "The Floggings Will Continue Until Morale Improves", "Your Tax Dollars At Work"
Moving to Kaliphornia.
Not!
Screwing up goat herding?
Someone’s learning from the ragheads, but missed a detail.
😄
California completely screwed up the Pot industry.
Think about that for a bit.
Mowing equipment also starts fires, especially when everything is dry. A blade hits a rock and throws enough sparks. Never heard of a goat starting a fire.
Not sure how many acres are being cut, might still be cheaper at that price than mowing and trimming.
Or paying for fire damage.
I would look at it like this. They may get paid a whole lot, but the real savings would be much much more when you look at what it would cost to rebuild all the homes and infrastructure that burns every year when California has its annual massive fires.
If they would just allow strip mining there wouldn’t be no grass.
Dats wut we did up here in Meenasoda in da iern range. Havn’t had fores fire up dare in yearss.
Would our Beloved AW1Ed make a transition from herding cats to herding goats? Possibly…goats aren’t afraid of a danger zone and with that kind of pay he could put plenty of grog on ice, man!
Speaking of such…..I was looking for you KOB because I saw this on another Military area and throught immediately of you….SMOOCHEZZ Bitch titties.
Someone rattle the cage to the dirt diggin’ doggies again?
The goats could stop Great Balls of Fire and if the herders are certain Middle Eastern men they could take the goats to bed or lose them forever.
Expect a press release from the corporate headquarters of All Points Logistics announcing that they are branching out into environmental landscaping.
Since many of the herders are from Peru, per the article, it makes one wonder how much of that cash will be sent ” home”, or how long before several families move into 1 house and split “expenses”.
And let’s not forget the taxes California and the feds will *cough*, collect.
A win win for all involved.
Could they not find American citizens to do the job? Hell, I know several people here in Alaska that raise goats and would love a $14,000 a month job.
A new twist on GOAT ROPE
The best way to end a good thing is to have the government legislate it.
I live in the SF bay area. They been doing this for years. There’s even a herd of sheep they use to clean out the creek beds. Shepherd has a little trailer he stays in while the herd grazes.
Yeah, same down here in the San Jose-Alviso-Milpitas area, except some years ago they replaced sheep with goats. I understand that goats will eat the rough weeds, etc., that sheep cannot.
Goats will eat anything that qualifies as vegetable matter.
So the sheep are sheepish about the rough weeds.
I think the sheep are legit about the weeds and not pulling the wool over my eyes.
I think someone’s got your goat
During my time stationed at Camp Pendleton (1987-1994), a shepherd with his flock of sheep was not an unusual sight in the hills and valleys along Vandegrift Blvd.
There was also a wild herd of bison that once wandered into the impact area of range 313 during my rifle qualification one year. Being on the range all day sucked enough; it sucked even more having to sit and wait for the bison to clear the area.
Obviously in the days before bison burgers.
Does this mean all the libs are wrong who cracked on Trump during the big 2020 wildfires when he said California needed to do a better job of forestry management?
Ft. Huachuca used to have a small herd of goats that lived between the fences at the ASP. Kept it nice and tidy. Although, you’d occasionally get a whiff of barbecue in the area. “Warm smell of cabrito, rising up through the air”. My apologies to the Eagles.
Mmmmm…cabrito! Now you’re talking my language!
Meanwhile… in beautiful downtown Oakland… where the goats are in office…
https://hotair.com/john-s-2/2023/05/31/oakland-residents-are-sick-of-rising-crime-in-a-failed-progressive-utopia-n554608
In USAREUR the Facilites Maintenance folks used to lease ASPs and other areas as grazing land. No grass cutting and free fertilizer.
“It’s a huge fuel source. If it was left untamed, it can grow very high. And then when the summer dries everything out, it’s perfect fuel for a fire,” said Jason Poupolo, parks superintendent for the city of West Sacramento, where goats grazed on a recent afternoon…
He was referring to, of course, all the goat shit.
The law that requires the higher pay exempted EMS and Fire.
Let them loose. Let them go feral. Allow the mountain lions, coyotes, and grizzlies something other than humans to prey on (granted, humans are rarely targeted by predators – but that will shift the more we rob predators of better prey)… bring back red and grey wolves.
The only things not necessary in this are the herders. The goats can take care of themselves – that’s why they have horns.
Free should trump stupid. Every time.