A huge tractor-trailer rig with very unusual and restless cargo is parked at a trailhead on the Ventura-Los Angeles County line.
A crew attaches a long metal ramp to the back of the truck. Suddenly, a flood of goats and sheep barrels down the narrow animal walkway to an open field.
They're hungry. After all, they spent about six hours in a truck headed down the coast from Nipomo. Now, this field is like a giant salad bar for the hundreds of goats and sheep.
They’ll spend the next few weeks in this area, acting as natural lawnmowers, to reduce the brush fire danger in this part of the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area.
They are part of a unique business created by a man with a split career. In his day job, Michael Klain is a captain for Cal Fire, the state's fire agency.
"I was working for Cal Fire on a fuels reduction engine company," explained Klain. "It became apparent that there might be something that could help with fuels reduction in California. I talked my parents into buying this ranch that was a really good deal. We bought it together and had the vegetation where goats would do well. So, putting those two things together led to a company that focuses on targeted grazing for firefighting."
Klain’s family business is called California Grazing Company. He admitted it was one thing to have the idea, but another to get it up and running.
"I grew up not in the ag world, said Klain. "There was a steep learning curve. I learned an insane amount of lessons, but fortunately, I learned from them, and now things are so much better for myself and the animals.
It started in 2020, and now they have about a thousand goats and sheep. Around 600 were recently at the Victory Trailhead just west of West Hills.
"Business is good," said Klain. "But sometimes, I tell people I'm kind of panicking. There's not a day I can't have feed lined up for these animals. I feel an immense amount of pressure to find work, because I have so many lives that are depending on feed from me."
Miguel Santana is an Assistant Fire Prevention Specialist with the Mountains Recreation Conservation Authority. He said the idea is to use them clear about 250 acres of rugged, brush-covered hills. The land is on the border of the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area and thousands of homes on the western edge of the San Fernando Valley.
"The herders will actually be moving them (the animals) from plot to plot. We have some preselected plots that will be used," said Santana. "As soon as they eat one plot, the herders move the fences and carry on to the next portion."
Ventura County Fire Captain Brian Heath watched the animals munch away on the brush. Heath is part of the county's Wildland Vegetation Management Program. He said it’s more environmentally friendly than using tools like bulldozers to separate vegetation and homes.
"The more defensible space we can provide near structures, especially on a wind-driven fire, the better chance those structures have of surviving those wildfires," said Heath. "It also gives firefighters more of an ability to protect those structures."
"It is very important that we keep mitigating the fuels that are out here, because every year they come back, and create another threat during wildfire season," said Ventura County Fire Department Public Information Officer Megan Yessler.
As Klain watches his goats and sheep in action, he admitted he never thought he’d be in this business.
"I like the mix," said Klain. "I'm so fortunate I found the two perfect jobs for myself."
The goats and sheep are expected to munch away near the eastern border of the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area for the next four to six weeks, depending on how quickly they work their way through the vegetation. Then, they’ll be trucked back to their home ranch in Nipomo or directly to another assignment if needed.
