In California, goats have become an unlikely but effective weapon against wildfires. Herds of these animals are deployed across hillsides, methodically munching through dry brush, star thistle, and other vegetation that could otherwise fuel catastrophic blazes. But a quiet shift in state labor regulations is now threatening this practice, leaving goat herding companies scrambling to adapt.

At the heart of the issue is a temporary state law that allowed goat herders to be paid under the same alternative monthly wage structure as sheep herders. That law, Senate Bill 143, expired on July 1. Without it, goat herders are now subject to standard overtime requirements for agricultural workers, which could push annual wage costs to roughly $240,000 per herder, according to industry estimates. For companies already operating on thin margins, that’s a crushing burden.

Andrée Soares, a third-generation rancher and president of Star Creek Land Stewards, a grazing company that employs between five and 14 herders depending on the season, expressed deep uncertainty. “As a business owner, we just really don’t know what the future is going to hold,” she said.

Goats are prized for their ability to eat a wider variety of plants than sheep, including star thistle—a thorny weed that grows densely and becomes a significant wildfire risk when dry. Tim Arrowsmith, owner of Western Grazers, noted that sheep will only eat star thistle in its early growth stages, while goats will consume it even after it becomes prickly. “They eat a lot of other forms that sheep might pick at, but not really do a good job at cleaning up,” he said. Without another change in state law, Arrowsmith said he would likely have to sell his goats by the end of the year, and many could be slaughtered.

The dispute traces back to Assembly Bill 1066, signed by then-Governor Jerry Brown, which gradually extended overtime pay requirements to agricultural workers. Under that law, workers became entitled to 1.5 times their normal wage for working more than eight hours a day or 40 hours a week. Range herders were originally treated differently because herding companies argued they could not afford conventional hourly overtime for jobs that require herders to be on duty around the clock. Instead, the state established a minimum monthly wage for herders, which included $2,934 in regular wages and an additional $1,887 in overtime wages.

More than 90% of sheep and goat herders in California work under H-2A visas, most commonly coming from Peru and Mexico. Companies also cover herders’ room and board, meals, limited clothing expenses, transportation to and from their home countries, and visa costs. Arrowsmith said sheep and goat herders made around $60,000 a year in wages, on top of those expenses.

In 2022, the California Labor Commissioner’s Office determined that the alternative minimum monthly wage applied only to sheep herders, not goat herders. That interpretation meant goat herders were subject to standard overtime requirements, potentially pushing annual wages to around $240,000 per herder, in addition to expenses paid by employers. Grazing industry representatives protested, prompting legislators to pass SB 143, which allowed goat herders to be paid the alternative minimum monthly wage used for sheep herders through June 30. Since the provision expired, goat grazing companies are again subject to the higher wage requirements.

Lorena Gonzalez Fletcher, who authored AB 1066 while serving in the state Assembly, said she fought for the bill because she believed agricultural workers should have the right to an eight-hour workday like other workers. Now president of the California Federation of Labor Unions, she noted that herders working under the H-2A visa program could work for three years, return to their home countries for 90 days, and then return to California for another three years. They often spoke little to no English, worked in isolation—sometimes in poor conditions—and had no direct path to U.S. citizenship.

Arrowsmith explained that grazing companies use H-2A workers because U.S. workers do not apply for herding jobs. “Americans are a little spoiled in their work habits,” he said. “The other part of it is, it’s hard work. It’s hot, it’s dirty.” Employers seeking H-2A workers first have to advertise the jobs to U.S. workers. Arrowsmith said he received applications from people around the world, including South Africa, Mexico, Russia, and India, but “what I have not had are any American resumes or applications.” He added that domestic workers have preference over foreign agricultural workers, but “they just don’t want the job.”

A report required by SB 143 and submitted to California’s Department of Industrial Relations concluded that sheep and goat herding involve similar work. “All stakeholders agree that the alternative minimum monthly wage for range herders who are on duty 24/7 should be the same for sheep and goat herders because the workers and work involved in herding sheep and goats are similar and often overlap,” the report read. Soares, who sits on the board of directors of the California Wool Growers Association, said the association hired a lobbyist to push for a change in state law. “The Legislature got this study and did absolutely nothing with it,” she said. “They just let (SB 143) expire.”

If the law remains unchanged, Soares warned, “all the goat producers in this state will be liquidating.” The loss of goat grazing would leave Californian cities and local governments without a key tool for reducing wildfire risk, potentially forcing them to turn to more expensive or less effective alternatives.