FEMA grant fuels goat-powered fire mitigation in Sacramento County

CBS News

10-06-2025

Goats have become an all-too-familiar sight in the Greater Sacramento Region when California's wildfire season approaches.
As we enter mid-June, goats are hard at work in Mather taking out dry brush to try and mitigate fires. But this year, Sacramento County says they're working with extra dollars to help those mitigation efforts, being awarded a FEMA grant just shy of $200,000.
This means the county can cover areas prone to fire that they couldn't before.
"In years past, we've had a large number of fires break out at our properties, and it's tragic, and we don't want to see it again," said Ken Casparis, county spokesperson.
The county showed us a large section of land that the goats just mowed down, leaving no dry brush in sight. It's evidence of just how much vegetation these goats can take out in critical areas.
"It's pretty much areas that are difficult for our manned crews to get to, and then if we have a lot of large open spaces, that would take a lot of staff time," Casparis said.
Tim Arrowsmith, a managing partner of Western Grazers, a Northern California goat grazing company, says about 600 of his goats can get through a couple of acres. He says they rest in the winter and that the dry grass does little to keep them nourished.
Arrowsmith said the goats need to be provided "minerals, a lot of salt and molasses" to stay healthy during the grazing season.
Nearby neighbors couldn't be more thrilled about the visitors.
"I love them because they're taking the fire hazard away from the perimeter of the neighborhood," said Adam Sotherland, who lives in the area. "It's nice having the furry creatures running around the neighborhood."