Goats help remove dry vegetation and hazardous fuels, creating defensible space and helping protect homes, communities, agricultural lands and critical infrastructure. Photo designed by Magnific


AUBURN, CA -  The Placer County Board of Supervisors is urging the California Legislature to take immediate action to restore wage parity between sheep herders and goat herders, citing the critical role prescribed grazing plays in reducing wildfire risk across the state.

As of July 1, the annual wage for goat herders working in California increased dramatically after a temporary legal provision allowing goat herders to be paid a salary rather than an hourly wage expired, while sheep herder wages remained unchanged.

A recent state-commissioned UC Davis study confirmed that sheep and goat herding involve substantially the same work.

“This creates an unsustainable financial burden for prescribed grazing operators, particularly those utilizing mixed herds of sheep and goats,” wrote Board Chair and District 2 Supervisor Shanti Landon in a letter to Placer's state representatives.

“Without legislative action, many prescribed grazing providers may be forced to reduce or discontinue operations at a time when California can least afford to lose this critical wildfire mitigation resource.”

Prescribed grazing is an important tool for reducing wildfire risk, particularly in areas where steep slopes, rocky terrain and the wildland-urban interface can make mechanical vegetation management difficult or unsafe. Goats help remove dry vegetation and hazardous fuels, creating defensible space and helping protect homes, communities, agricultural lands and critical infrastructure.

Placer County regularly contracts with grazing firms to manage hazardous vegetation on county-owned land, especially its parkland.

California has recognized prescribed grazing as an important part of wildfire prevention strategy. CAL FIRE regularly uses targeted grazing as part of its wildfire prevention efforts, and the Governor's Wildfire and Forest Resilience Task Force identified expanding prescribed grazing as a priority in its 2025 Key Deliverables. Senate Bill 675 further directed the development of a strategic action plan to expand prescribed grazing throughout the state.