Late Midyear events brings ranchers together

SUMMER MEETING BRINGS REUNION

by CCA Communications Director Katie Roberti

More than two years since the last CCA/CCW Midyear Meeting happened in Rancho Murieta, the annual event was finally able to be held once again this year in person. On August 25 and 26, cattlemen and women from across the state met in Paso Robles to partake in the event. Although the meeting was held in the latter part of summer instead of its usual occurrence in June, the opportunity to gather as membership was more than welcomed. Hosted at the Paso Robles Inn, over the two days CCA and CCW business was conducted, guest speakers provided updates on a variety of issues—including carbon markets, price discovery, cattle health, sustainability and more—and funds were raised for CCA’s Political Action Committee (Cattle-PAC). The sections below provide a brief recap of news and policy discussions from the meetings and highlight the success of the 2021 Cattle-PAC Dinner Dance and Auction.

Meeting Brings Big Announcements

Following a morning of board meetings for CCA affiliates and committees—including the California Cattlemen’s Foundation, Cattle-PAC, Allied Industry Council and the California Beef Cattle Improvement Association—the General Session was the official welcome for all CCA and CCW attendees. After a brief welcome from CCA President Tony Toso, Hornitos, the microphone was passed to CCA Executive Vice President Billy Gatlin to provide introductions of CCA staff and updates. Several big announcements came from the staff update, including the introduction of two new members of the CCA office’s team.

Earlier this summer, Katherine Dickinson joined the CCA staff as the office’s Administrative Assistant. As the first point of contact for incoming calls to the CCA office, Dickinson's introduction at the meeting provides a face to the name for members who have called or will eventually call the office and speak with her. In addition to managing the office phone, Dickinson now handles all selenium bolus and Anaplasmosis orders that come into the office. She is also helping coordinate tour meeting dates with local associations and processing membership renewals.

At the Midyear Meeting, it was also announced that Ryan Donahue had joined CCA's staff. With a restaurant and foodservice industry background, Donahue brings a unique perspective on reaching new audiences. Donahue is working alongside CCA’s communication efforts to further expand the tools and messages used to carry out the Association’s mission. (Read more about Donahue’s background and journey to joining CCA’s staff by reading his Bunkhouse column in this issue.)

One of the communications tools Donahue is already assisting with is the production of CCA’s new podcast, Sorting Pen: The California Cattleman Podcast. The podcast was launched just before the Midyear Meeting and was further highlighted at the event. As of press time, the podcast now has five episodes published. New episodes are being released every other Monday, consisting of a discussion with CCA leadership and experts on issues specific to ranching and producing beef in California. To tune into the podcast, listeners can visit calcattlemen.org/podcast and listen via their web browser at no cost and without having to sign up for an account or download software. Episodes are also available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and Google Podcasts.

The California Cattlemen’s Foundation (CCF) also brought some big news to the Midyear Meeting, announcing that CCF has hired its first employee. In July, Victoria Rodriguez was named CCF's Public Policy Advocate. Through this role, made possible by support from the California Cattle Council, Rodriguez is now working to educate state and federal policymakers about the environmental benefits, nutritional contributions and

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WSR Insurance’s Julie and Matt Griffith, Williams, enjoying the evening at the CattlePAC Dinner Dance and Auction. Bengard Ranches’ Haley (Pezzini) Mallory and Tracy Pezzini, Salinas, pose for a picture at the Cattle-PAC Dinner Dance and Auction. Cathy Jauch, Plymouth; Jean Barton, Red Bluff; and Kendra McKluskey, Red Bluff, gathered before dinner at the Cattle-PAC event.

CCA President Tony Toso welcomes cattlemen and women to Paso Robles. Mike Williams, Acton, shares beef industry sustainability goals unveiled at the Cattle Industry Convention in September. Nic Buckley Biggs, a Ph.D. Candidate at Stanford presented on “Carbon Markets & Ranching.”

Tony Francois, Senior Attorney, Pacific Legal Foundation presents in the General Session.

CCA Price Discovery Subcommittee Chair Seth Scribner, Paso Robles leads a discussion on Price Discovery.

©CAL POLY

CCA President Tony Toso, Hornitos, and former CCA President Myron Openshaw, Oroville share a laugh. Sam Avilia, Hanford takes his turn trying a key to win the ATV, just not the correct one. CCA and CCW members, along with supporters of the industry from the Central Coast came out to support the Cattle-PAC.

Bottles of CCA Private Reserve Whiskey are available for purchase at the CCA office year-round. Bottles are $100 and proceeds go directly to Cattle-PAC.

©CAL POLY Scribner Livestock’s working pup, Megan was a crowd favorite among the auction items. Thank you to the Seth and Wendy (pictured) Scribner, Paso Robles for this generous donation. Selecting the winning key at back-toback Cattle-PAC auctions, Kaitlin Pickering, Paso Robles started the Honda Rancher ATV being raffled off. Col. Rick Machado, Shandon, did a great job conducting the auction benefitting Cattle-PAC.

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economics of cattle grazing and beef production, and is focused on advancing the policy priorities of California’s cattle ranchers before those state and federal policymakers. As regulatory and policy initiatives impacting California’s beef producers arise, Rodriguez will be communicating ranch practices to lawmakers and translating the complex regulatory initiatives for ranchers to understand. In her first two months on the job, Rodriguez’s primary focus has been advocating for cattle ranchers before the State Water Resources Control Board as it takes drastic measures to curtail water diversions due to the worsening drought.

Also working on behalf of CCF, Jack Rice, Fortuna, and Noah Lopez, Woodland, of Western Resource Strategies, LLC were introduced as the faces behind the Rancher Technical Assistance Program (RTAP).

In addition to the funding of CCF's Public Policy Advocate position and RTAP, California Cattle Council's Executive Director Justin Oldfield, Elk Grove, furthermore presented on other action and work in which the Council has recently engaged. One of the projects presented was a series of new videos featuring ranchers sharing about the impact of the drought on producers, consumers and the environment. These videos were previewed to attendees and are part of an ongoing digital media campaign the Council has deployed. The short videos and other recent investments the Council has made can be viewed at https://calcattlecouncil.org/recentworks.

Fire Takes Center Stage During Policy Discussion

The state’s catastrophic wildfire season dominated the policy discussion at Midyear Meeting, particularly with CCA Fire Subcommittee Chair (and San Luis Obispo County native) Anthony Stornetta, Atascadero, deployed to battle the Dixie Fire, the largest single blaze in state history.

Wildfire took center stage at the first General Session, with a presentation from Tony Francois, Senior Attorney at the Pacific Legal Foundation. Given the historic, catastrophic wildfire seasons which have gripped the state in recent years, CCA asked Francois whether anything could be done in the courts to force the US Forest Service and other land managers to better manage fire-prone forests without those efforts being derailed by litigious environmental groups.

“There’s actually no federal law that actually requires the Forest Service to remove the fuel until it’s at a safe level,” Francois explained. “There’s a lot of federal laws that allow them to do that…but at the end of the day, if you took the Forest Service to court…the courts have consistently said they don’t have to follow their plan.”

“What we need is something that actually takes those federal agencies outside of that discretionary decisionmaking paradigm – all that red tape – and move them over into mandatory action…like a court order,” Francois said.

A novel litigation strategy may provide a solution: Local governments can sue federal land management agencies under federal public nuisance laws to force the feds to abate dangerous forest conditions which threaten cities and towns.

“An ideal way to bring this would be for a county to identify…two or three projects that everybody knows would be really useful for protecting existing communities,” Francois explained. The lawsuit would ideally identify the risks posed to local communities by specific fire hazards under the jurisdiction of the federal agency and detail how projects previously identified or proposed by the federal agency would, if implemented, abate those hazard conditions. Seeking an expedited hearing, the plaintiffs would request an order from the court requiring the federal agency to implement those targeted projects prior to the beginning of the next fire season.

Francois noted that this legal strategy has not yet been tested in the courts, but he is eager to see – and perhaps to represent – a county or city bringing a nuisance suit against the U.S. Forest Service or another land management agency to force targeted fuels reduction and other wildfire prevention projects.

Wildfire was, unsurprisingly, also the topic of the only policy resolution to come out of Midyear. CCA’s Board of Directors approved an interim staff directive which calls upon the Association “to encourage [the US Forest Service] to revise its let-burn policy to instead focus on aggressive suppression during the fire season, in line with Chief Moore’s Aug. 2, 2021 memo.” The directive, moved by CCA Second Vice President Rick Roberti, Loyalton, is borne of frustration that the Forest Service’s “let-burn” policy has allowed otherwise-manageable fires such as last

THANKS TO THE FOLLOWING AUCTION ITEM DONORS:

Cowboy Flavor Catering Bitterwater Outfitters Bob Erickson Dave Wood Eric Issacson George Gough Hailey Nelson Hearst Ranch Jill and Robert Heely John Beard Trucking John Lacey Kevin + June Kester Laura Talbot Mark Lacey Natalie Koopmann Nicki Lacey Enos Rebecca Armour S. Ellis Photography San Luis Obispo Cattlemen’s Association Scribner Livestock Steve Branco Tejon Ranch Company Ventura County Cattlemen’s Association Zoetis

year’s Bear Fire and this year’s Tamarack Fire, Dixie Fire and others to instead balloon to catastrophic size.

Other policy highlights of the Midyear Meeting included a Price Discovery discussion led by CCA Price Discovery Subcommittee Chair Seth Scribner, Paso Robles, and a presentation from Mike Williams, Acton, about the U.S. cattle industry sustainability goals unveiled by the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association at the Cattle Industry Convention in Nashville in early September (Williams is a member of NCBA’s Sustainability Goals Task Force). More information on both topics can be found in the “Your Dues Dollars at Work” column of the September edition of California Cattleman.

Cattle-PAC Event Provides Reunion and Raises Critical Funds

While attendees caught up with one another throughout the two days, Wednesday evening's Cattle-PAC Dinner Dance and Auction at the MidState Fairgrounds provided the best opportunity to celebrate the commencement of in person events, all while supporting a critical cause. In addition to good company, attendees spent the evening enjoying the favorable climate of the Central Coast, the Chad Bushnell Band playing live music and the fun ambiance of Jimmy’s Watering Hole paired with a delicious dinner.

Col. Rick Machado, Shandon, was the auctioneer for the evening and had a program full of donations to sell—from Western artwork to destination lodging and travel experiences to unique bridles and much more. Helping further raise funds, a silent auction engaged additional bidders, keys were purchased to raffle off a Honda Rancher ATV, people participated in a cornhole tournament and CCA Private Reserve Whiskey bottles were sold. Over $100,000 was raised at the event thanks to the generosity of so many donors, bidders, sponsors and more.

“Cattle-PAC is always a challenge for various reasons,” CCA Immediate Past President Mark Lacey, Independence said. “It's not a tax-deductible donation, and sometimes people are worried about who the money is going to get spread around to politically, so it's always a little harder to raise money for Cattle-PAC. But we had a lot of good things for people to bid on, and we got some very generous bidders."

These funds are critical to keeping pro-livestock, probusiness officials in office and securing victories for years to come. Those who were unable to attend the event but are interested in supporting the Cattle-PAC can contact the CCA office about joining the Cattle-PAC 200 Club at any point during the year. Additionally, select bottles of CCA Private Reserve Whiskey are available for purchase at the CCA office year-round. Bottles are $100, and proceeds go directly to Cattle-PAC.

With CCA’s 2021 summer meeting in the books, leadership now looks forward to the 105th CCA/CCW Convention and Tradeshow coming up December 1-3. The event will take place at, the same location it was held in 2019, the Peppermill Reno. Registration for the event and the CCA rooming block are now open. To see the meeting schedule, register and reserve your room visit calcattlemen. org/events.