Cities across the Front Range have a secret weapon to prevent wildfires: A herd of 300 goats

Two years ago, Jordan Sarazen lived a comfortable, perhaps even mundane life, working in an office as a financial planner.  

 

Then one day, he decided to make a change. He set out to fulfill a dream of managing a goat herd and renting their services to landowners. Today, Jordan and his wife Toni own 300 goats, and a company called Goat Bros. 

 

They travel around the Front Range and let the herd graze on vegetation for cities like Longmont, Northglenn, and Superior. And the goats provide a form of wildfire prevention by clearing out weeds and dense brush growth from open space land. 

 

Using goats to clear out dry vegetation isn’t a new idea in Colorado, but its popularity has picked up in recent years, including after the 2021 Marshall Fire burned through neighborhoods in Boulder County. 

 

The Sarazens live in a fifth-wheel camper that they park near where the herd is grazing. Jordan spoke with ITN host Erin O’Toole from a grazing spot near Superior. 

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Host and Producer: Erin O'Toole
Producer: Ariel Lavery
Executive Producer: Brad Turner

Theme music by Robbie Reverb
Additional music by Blue Dot Sessions

In The NoCo is a production of KUNC News and Community Radio for Northern Colorado.