CATTLEMEN’S COLUMN WHERE CREDIT IS DUE
The work of few benefitting many by CCA President Tony Toso As we work our way out of the pandemic I am encouraged and grateful for more opportunities to get to see everyone and just have a chance to visit and catch up. Technology has been beneficial to help keep us in touch and informed but there is nothing like being able to interact with each other in person. Especially when I think about all the different issues and concerns that need attention every day. As cattle producers we know that not keeping an eye on the herd is the first step in the wrong direction. With that being said, I want to take a quick second to point out how appreciative I am of our staff and my fellow officers and committee leaders. I know that we all appreciate the efforts of our office staff – Billy, Kirk, Lisa and Katie. Now just think about that prior sentence. Four names! Four people to keep us informed, work on our issues and handle the day-to-day problems that come to the office, and that’s putting it lightly. Getting to work with these people is a lesson in efficiency and undaunted work ethic. We really do have the best when it comes to staff who are dedicated to our way of life and they are never too busy to attend to the latest “crisis” and that’s with the added pressure of trying to operate and accomplish our goals in the midst of the COVID-19 era. There is much going on that your staff and officers have been involved with. To start, I can’t write this article without acknowledging our Fire Subcommittee and their great work. This is a committee of allstars. As most are aware we are on the cusp of seeing several CCAauthored bills have a great chance to become law and showcase our voice and contributions to be part of the solution to wildfire mitigation. Anthony Stornetta has been masterful in leading this group and Lenya Quinn-Davidson’s work on getting SB 332 – Dodd (prescribed fire liability standards in a nutshell) to where it is currently at in the legislative process is nothing short of impressive. The work that Kirk Wilbur, Jason Bryant and Billy Gatlin have put into this piece of legislation (not to mention 8 California Cattleman July • August 2021
our other bills and priorities) was critical. We also are moving the Ag Pass bill through the process (AB 1103 – Dahle) and it has been met with some very impressive support. Finally, AB 434 (Rivas) which would encourage grazing of state-owned lands, has been delayed, but is still a main priority of CCA and will be pushed for later in the year or in the first part of 2022. It will be exciting to see where this all goes, but I am confident that the efforts put forth by our fire committee and staff have put us in the best position to succeed in our wildfire efforts. The other area that is always on the mind of any cattle producer is the price we receive for our production. Tha ...CONTINUED ON PAGE 10
