California overtime law threatens goat grazing businesses

A change in California state law regarding overtime exemptions is threatening the viability of targeted grazing businesses, such as Green Goat Landscapers. The business, owned by Brian and Daniel Allen, utilizes goats and sheep to clear brush and weeds to mitigate wildfire risks in high-risk and environmentally sensitive areas.

As of July 1, the expiration of a specific wage exemption under AB 1066 means goat herders are no longer exempt from overtime pay, a status that sheep herders still maintain. The Allens claim this change would require them to pay herders over $240,000 annually, a cost they argue no targeted-grazing operation can absorb. They have warned that if the discrepancy between goat and sheep herders is not corrected, grazing businesses may disappear, leaving mowing and pesticides as the primary, less environmentally friendly alternatives for wildfire prevention.