By Bob Walsh
Goats (and sheep) are a decent size business in
California. Herds are rented out for foliage control as a fire fuel
mitigation process. Generally speaking a goat herder goes along with
the goats. They are left in an area for a few days, maybe longer, and
then move on to the next job.
The
goat herders are almost all from South America. ONE goat herder stays
with the herd. He / she does NOT get overtime and that pisses off the
government of the formerly great state of California. The trouble is if
you use multiple goat herders and / or pay overtime the whole operation
becomes untenable very quickly. The goat herders get very good money
(if you are talking South America standards) and send much of their
money home. They have as trailer home and food provided by the herd
owner. The herders are here on H-2A visas and right now make about
$4,500 per month. Due to what may or may not have been an honest
mistake the herders were left out of a bill. If the matter is not
addressed their salary will jump to about $190,000 per year.
It
looks right now that the state is going to spend $1 million on a
competent investigation into the matter. If all goes and the
legislature gets its act together the status quo will continue for
another 2 years.
The
goats are cheaper than machine cutting in the areas, don't make nearly
as much noise and leave behind organic fertilizer. They also hardly
ever start fires on their own which machinery sometimes does.
The
formerly great state of California spends about $5 million a year on
fire control grazing projects. It looks like the temporary extension of
the current minimum wage for this group of people is likely to pass.
1 comment:
What about the dogs? They do most of the work.
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