Goat Bros eat away at fire risk in Colorado
As we pass three years since the Marshall Fire, fire prevention continues to be a big focus in Boulder County. In that effort, the town is looking to all kinds of safety methods, including untraditional ones like goat grazing.
Jordan Sarazen owns the company Goat Bros and, with it, more than 300 goats. He's spent the last few years moving them across Colorado -- especially in Boulder County -- where they quite literally eat away at fire risk.
"They come in and they're eating all of this dry, tender vegetation going through their digestive system, coming out in their manure, which is not flammable," Sarazen said.
While the concept of goat grazing isn't necessarily new, the Goat Bros have felt a stronger purpose since the Marshall Fire.
"Two of these homeowners actually came over where the Marshall Fire went through, and they lost their homes, and they were so thankful that we're doing this, and shared with us how much joy the goats brought to them and their family," Sarazen said.
And at about an acre a day, the goats have already chewed through hundreds of acres and thousands of pounds of brush, all while Superior's mayor says they've built quite the fan base.
"It brings people together. People love the goats. They come check them out, like take family walks," Superior Mayor Mark Lacis said, "We've kind of talked to them about, like, these are certain areas that have a lot of, you know, overgrowth, a lot of weeds, lot of shrubs that kind of need to be pared back, and the goat brothers come in and take care of business."
As the Goat Bros are contracted to keep working in Superior for the next few years, they're excited to continue an environmentally and goat-friendly way to keep a community safe, together.
"If you have somebody out here mowing, you're not going to bring in the community like that," Sarazen said, "and get people excited about what's going on with the land that we live on."
And even in the cold, Sarazen says the goats are content with a thick fur coat and access to shelter.
