When California overhauled its wage laws for agricultural workers in 2016, it recognized this reality. The changes ultimately culminated in the Department of Industrial Relations enacting an alternative minimum monthly wage of $4,820 a month for herders. But in 2022, the department clarified that the underlying legislation only applied to sheep herders, leaving goat herders subject to normal wage and overtime rules.

State lawmakers intervened by passing legislation to allow goat herders to be paid the same alternative minimum as sheep herders until July 1, 2026. Now that the exemption has expired, goat herders must be paid according to traditional overtime rules. Given the 24/7 availability required for herding, this means that Golden State goat herders are now set to be paid $20,000 per month, which works out to $240,000 annually. (For comparison, California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s salary currently sits at $245,000).

Hmmm.

searches

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sheep

Sheep and goats are closely related: both are in the subfamily Caprinae. However, they are separate species, so hybrids rarely occur and are always infertile. A hybrid of a ewe and a buck (a male goat) is called a sheep-goat hybrid, known as geep.

I wonder what the Department’s position on hybrids is.