October 2022 California Cattleman

CALIFORNIA CATTLEMEN’S ASSOCIATION

Since 1917

1221

CA 95814

(916) 444-0845

THE KITCHEN TABLE

by CCA Second Vice President Sheila Bowen

For many years now one of my family’s favorite landing spots has been sitting around the kitchen table in my father and mother-in-law’s home. Carver and Alice Bowen have an open door policy for family and friends. While their kitchen table seats six comfortably, it is not unusual to have 10 to 12 people tucked in around the table with two or three babies and toddlers either on the floor playing with toys from Grandma’s toy box or propped on the laps of those table attendees. Often these gathering have four generations in attendance. With the 17th great grandchild due in January, Grandma’s toy box has seen a lot of action. There are toys from three eras and the sixty-yearold toys are as popular as the newer ones. Refreshments are served in everything from highball glasses to sippy cups and delicious snacks appear out of nowhere to be devoured by hungry ranch hands, handymen, neighbors, family and littles who all seem to have spontaneously converged on the kitchen.

The conversation is fun and lively. When asked about memories of her grandparents’ kitchen table, my daughter, Alicia, put it this way.

“From early morning cattle drives with a hot breakfast waiting for us in Grandma’s kitchen, to ending any given day of work on the ranch with drinks around the kitchen table – my grandparents’ kitchen was always the center of good food, hot coffee, stout pours of whiskey, stories from the day and a place where the history of the ranch was passed down. Sitting there together, stories would unfold of not only our ancestors but also a running history of horses, dogs, and many other characters that left their mark on the ranch. Nothing could top the day off better than drinks and a good visit around my grandparents’ kitchen table.”

All 10 of the grandkids remember summer afternoons swimming in their

grandparents’ pool. The sun warmed the top six inches of water; it was the nine feet below that which would test their resolve. It only took a few minutes to adapt to the contrast of the hot day to the cold water, and then it was fun and games the rest of the afternoon. After drying off, the swimmers would slip into the kitchen where a bowl of Dewar’s chews was waiting as a special treat on the kitchen table. This table was where the grandkids sat for holiday meals and the laughter coming from the kitchen was infectious.

At 91 years old, Carver Bowen is the fourth generation to call this ranch home. He is the branch in this family tree that knew both the early pioneers in this ranching family and the generations descended from them. The stories he told around the table were the oral history of his family and this ranch. These stories were laced with humor and hardships, tragedies and triumphs, everyday routines and life changing events. They didn’t all get told at once. They came out over time. Many were told and retold over the years and others were less familiar to those listening. There is a respect and reverence in his voice and demeanor when he speaks of his parents and grandparents. It’s as if he knows full well the hard work they put in to make this ranch a reality and the love and nurturing that they gave him. Our family would like Carver and Alice to know that we appreciate the love they have shown to their family, the guidance they have given, the hard work they have put in and of course the fun they provided around their kitchen table.

With the holidays approaching, I extend my best wishes to each of you and your families. May your get-togethers be fun and teeming with memory making moments.

SERVING CALIFORNIA BEEF PRODUCERS SINCE 1917

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OCTOBER 2022

ASSOCIATION PERSPECTIVES

CATTLEMEN’S COLUMN 4

Family tradition

BUNKHOUSE 6 Podcast series visits Eastern Sierra ranchers

YOUR DUES DOLLARS AT WORK 8 CCA engaged in budget discussion

NATIONAL PERSPECTIVE 24 United or divided?

HERD HEALTH CHECK 30 When to buy, when to sell

SPECIAL FEATURES

Daley honored at national public lands meeting 12 CCA members share tour meeting insights 18 CDFA on pinkeye prevention 20

Heifer retention in dry times 34

Safe travels: precautions for hauling cattle 38

READER SERVICES

Cattlemen’s Report 40 Obituaries 42

Wedding Bells 43

Buyers’ Guide 44

Advertisers Index 50

ON THE COVER

With fall now upon us and early feeding taking place statewide, cattlemen and women look ahead to rain season with high hopes for much needed moisture.

UPCOMING EVENTS

OCTOBER 21

Madera Cattlemen’s Coarsegold

OCTOBER 21 Modoc County Cattlemen’s Alturas

OCTOBER 29

Los Angeles Cattlemen’s Fall Meeting Location to be determined

OCTOBER 30

Ventura County Cattlemen’s Fall Meeting Location to be determined

NOVEMBER 30 – DECEMBER 2 106th CCA and CCW Convention and California Cattle Industry Tradeshow The Nugget Resort & Casino, Reno

DECEMBER 21

Lassen County Cattlemen’s Fall Meeting Susanville

KICKING OFF SEASON 2 stories from cattle country visits eastern sierras

by Ryan Donahue for the California Cattlemen's Foundation

I woke before sunrise at the Portuguese Joe campground in Lone Pine, hopped in the rental car and drove about a mile into the Alabama Hills. I unloaded some camera equipment and after a short hike was positioned to photograph the famed Alabama Hills sunrise. Turns out I was over-eager. Those familiar with photographing sunrises or sunsets know that the window of opportunity is quite short with the soft pastel palette erased quickly with the extremes of brightness or darkness of day or night. Not so much in Alabama Hills. The hills are basically the foyer to the Sierra mountains when facing west and feature geologic formations that are almost alien. The rock formations are smooth and undulating, looking like a pile of gumdrops. The hills are contrasted further west by the stark peaks of the Sierra Nevada mountains, including Mt. Whitney which are menacing; angular and jagged. The majesty of the sunrise is delayed by the Inyo Mountains to the east. Though most people in this time zone have already experienced their sunrise, residents in Owen’s Valley have to wait for the sunlight to clear the mountains. The result is a wash of pink and orange that paints the hills from top to bottom for over 15 or 20 minutes. Producing the podcast Stories from California Cattle Country has afforded dozens of experiences like this. Dozens of stories. Over the last year we have produced 24 episodes from every corner of the state. There was, and still is, a learning curve. We initially ran with a see what sticks approach where we documented everything. That first season of exploration and ideation is now behind us. We’ve settled on a rough formula for the episodes in our second season, of which there are currently five. We’ve found that to tell the complete

1 P.M. FOLLOWING FALL FEMALE SALE

story we would need to also highlight the setting... the communities, topography and even meteorology to paint a more complete picture. These communities often rely on the ranches as much as the ranchers rely on them. This realization made us think we might be leaving a lot on the table regarding communicating how ranches affect the communities they call home. Other citizens can be fickle, leaving in times of hardship or chasing other opportunities, but ranchers tend to persevere while participating in and often documenting the rich history of remote California communities.

That said, you are not our audience. The purpose of this podcast is to reach and engage listeners who have not had the benefit of ever living in California agricultural communities. If you have any feedback on how we could best represent California ranchers or if you have tips on communities to visit you can email me directly at ryan@calcattle.org. I’d love to hear from you.

Moving forward our approach will be systematic and intentional. By the time you read this we will have completed our eastern California trek starting in Bakersfield and ending in Modoc County. Next we'll be moving up the western side of the state. Perhaps we’ll see you.

MONEY TALKS

CCA ENGAGED ON ITEMS IMPACTING YOU

by Vice President of Government Affairs Kirk Wilbur

Late into the evening on Sunday, Aug. 28, California legislators unveiled 13 bills related to the state budget. While the bills had been introduced earlier in the legislative year, they were mostly “intent” bills – empty vessels which could be heavily amended later in session to reflect ongoing budget negotiations. With voters adopting a constitutional amendment in 2016 requiring that legislation be in print for 72 hours before being eligible for a legislative vote, the Aug. 28 amendments ensured that the bills could be voted on – but not further amended – before the constitutionallymandated close of legislative business on Aug. 31.

Fortunately, CCA had been engaged in budget discussions throughout the year, and those late-session budget bills contained several provisions supported by California’s ranching community.

The most significant of these bills was Assembly Bill 179, the “Budget Bill Junior” which amends the Budget Act of 2022 initially signed into law on the final days of June.

The “Budget Bill Junior” – which Governor Newsom signed on Sept. 6 – contains several promising wildfire resilience provisions which should be attractive to California’s cattle producers. For instance, the legislation augments by $3 million the amount available as local assistance for wildfire prevention and forest resilience and provides $20 million to the Department of Conservation for regional forest and fire capacity.

The Budget also allocates $2 million to the California Air Resources Board for enhanced permitting for prescribed fire and provides an additional $2 million to support University of California Fire Advisors. Streamlined permitting for prescribed fire has been a CCA policy priority since 2018, and University of California Fire Advisors like Lenya Quinn-Davidson in Humboldt County have been invaluable advisors to CCA’s Fire Subcommittee and play a

crucial role in deploying ‘good fire’ throughout the state.

The Budget Bill Junior also includes promising funding provisions regarding grazing and grazing infrastructure. For years, CCA has sought to promote budget allocations to advance grazing as a fire-fuels management tool. In 2021, the Association sought a “one-time appropriation of $20 million to fund a pilot program providing grants to state lands grazing lessees/permittees for the purposes of installing and/or maintaining grazing infrastructure” which, regrettably, was not funded. This year, CCA followed up that request by joining nearly 40 other organizations asking for $8 million in the 2022-23 State Budget “to invest in prescribed and targeted grazing infrastructure” which would allow the state to better scale up the “proven and effective strategy for wildfire prevention” that is livestock grazing.

Fortunately, the Budget Bill signed into law last month does provide funding for livestock grazing and infrastructure to facilitate those grazing practices –provided ranchers apply for available grants. Specifically, among the $120 million allocated to Cal Fire for fire prevention and resource management in AB 179,

Good Jobs Challenge awards funding for forestry, fire-safety jobs training

California's forested, rural communities are suffering from record-breaking wildfires that burned 2.5 million acres and destroyed multiple communities in 2021 alone. To create well-paying jobs and improve forest health and fire safety, the Sierra Nevada and Cascade regions have received $21.5 million for a project that will strengthen infrastructure for workforce development and increase access to jobs for local community members from all backgrounds.

The project, funded by the federal Good Jobs Challenge, is being rolled out by the Foundation for California Community Colleges, California State University, Chico, University of California Agriculture and Natural Resources, and the Sierra Business Council.

“There is so much work to be done in California to increase the resilience of forests and communities to wildfires and climate change, and there are just not enough trained workers,” said Susie Kocher, UC Cooperative Extension forestry and natural resources advisor for the Central Sierra. “A recent assessment estimated upcoming shortages of 6,000 fire managers, 4,000 conservation scientists and foresters, 7,000 loggers and 1,500 utility line clearance technicians. California desperately needs skilled workers to fill jobs to protect and rebuild communities in rural parts of the state. And these are well-paying jobs with benefits.”

The project will help train qualified workers for jobs in the forestry sector, responding to needs to build economic and

climate resilience in California's forested, rural communities. Five community colleges – Butte College, Feather River College, Lake Tahoe Community College, Reedley College and Shasta College – California State University Chico, University of California Agriculture and Natural Resources and the Sierra Business Council are partnering on the project. This group has proven experience delivering effective workforce-training programs in partnership with industry and communities.

The emerging forestry and fire-safety sector has the potential to grow into a $39 billion industry. By working to recruit and train local workers in partnership with Hispanicserving institutions, Indigenous-led partners and other community organizations, the project will expand the industry's talent pool while diversifying the field.

The “California Resilient Careers in Forestry” project is being awarded one of 32 grants from the $500 million Good Jobs Challenge funded by President Biden's American Rescue Plan and administered by the Commerce Department's Economic Development Administration.

“We are honored to be selected as one of the award recipients alongside a talented group of partners...” said Keetha Mills, president of the Foundation for California Community Colleges. “This work is critical to help Californians access good jobs, especially as we help our state respond to the urgent needs of climate change and support economic growth in regions greatly impacted by the pandemic and natural disasters.”

$80 million has been set aside for Fire Prevention Grants which can be utilized for various treatments including “prescribed wildland grazing” and “prescribed grazing infrastructure.” CCA will continue to advocate in the 2023-24 Legislative Session for additional policies and funding that recognize and promote cattle grazing’s role as a method of removing fire fuels from the landscape.

Other budget bills introduced in the final days of session were “budget trailer bills,” legislation which amends state policy to effectuate provisions of the Budget. This year’s public resources budget trailer bill, AB 211, contains several wildfire- and drought-resilience measures which should benefit the state’s agricultural producers.

One provision of the public resources trailer bill seeks to streamline permitting for fire prevention projects by extending through Jan. 1, 2028 an existing California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) exemption for fuel reduction projects on federal lands which have already undergone National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) analysis. This provision improves upon this year’s CCAsupported AB 267 (Valladares), which would have extended the exemption through 2026 (AB 267 was moved to the Senate’s inactive file after its provisions were incorporated and expanded in AB 211). The trailer bill would also expand the exemption to projects undertaken only partially on federal land and would eliminate certain certification and reporting requirements related to the exemption.

AB 211 also earmarks $30 million for Cal Fire “for projects that support wildfire and forest resilience.”

The public resources trailer bill allocates more than $787 million to various state agencies for public resource management, most significantly in the form of funding for drought resilience. The legislation includes nearly $49 million to the Department of Water Resources “to support immediate drought response” and to support agriculture; $56 million for implementation of the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act; $122 million for projects that support aquatic habitat and drought resilience; and funding to various water agencies to improve drought resilience and water conveyance (among several other drought resilience efforts).

As of press time, Governor Newsom had yet to sign AB 211 (the Governor had until Sept. 30 to sign or veto bills passed by the Legislature in the final days of session), but the Governor’s endorsement of the vital trailer bill is virtually guaranteed.

AB 157, a budget trailer bill addressing state government, also contains drought relief provisions. Specifically, the bill would establish the California Small

Agricultural Business Drought Relief Program to disburse $75 million in small business relief grants approved in the Budget Act this June. Those grants would provide $30,000-$50,000 to agricultural operations which have lost revenue due to the ongoing severe drought and would be targeted to “businesses located in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Valley and then to additional areas experiencing drought impacts.”

AB 157 was also awaiting the Governor’s action as of press time but is expected to be signed into law.

The late-August legislative maneuvering was merely the last of several frenetic budget processes throughout the 2022 legislative year – flurries of lobbying and legislating also surrounded the Governor’s Budget introduction in January, the May Revise and June’s Constitutional deadlines for passage and enactment of a Budget Bill.

One CCA priority that was unfortunately not funded during those prior Budget processes was Williamson Act subvention payments. The Budget Act initially signed into law on June 27 included $25 million in funding for the Department of Conservation to disperse subvention payments – last funded in 2010 – to participating counties. Just three days later, however, an amendment to the Budget Act of 2022 was signed into law which redirected that funding to the Department of Conservation’s Sustainable Agricultural Land Conservation program.

CCA did enjoy some June success, however, during negotiations on the education omnibus budget trailer bill. Through diligent negotiation on that bill, CCA was able to ensure that plant-based meals were not elevated above traditional offerings in school cafeterias, including beef and dairy products. More importantly, negotiations surrounding the budget trailer bill ultimately resulted in favorable amendments being made to then-CCA-opposed AB 558 (Nazarian). AB 558 had initially incentivized school districts to provide plant-based meals instead of conventional offerings by offering them a per-meal reimbursement that greatly exceeded the extra costs of plant-based meals. Because matters surrounding school meals were largely dispensed with in the budget trailer bill negotiations – importantly, without financial incentives promoting plant-based meals – all plant-based meal provisions were ultimately amended out of AB 558, allowing CCA to remove its opposition to the bill.

The 2022-23 Budget process resulted in numerous wins for CCA’s state funding priorities, and the Association stands ready to again advocate for the state’s ranchers in the 2023-24 Budget process. Those negotiations will kick off soon – Governor Newsom faces a Jan. 10, 2023 constitutional deadline for his opening salvo in 2023’s Budget negotiations.

Be sure to catch next month’s edition of California Cattleman for a full recap on CCA’s 2022 legislative efforts.

...CONTINUED FROM PAGE 12

priorities of federal lands grazing permittees, Daley also chairs the California Cattle Council.

Daley’s selection for the presidential award was made by outgoing PLC President Niels Hansen, a Wyoming rancher, and presented by then-PLC Vice President Mark Roeber of Colorado. Roeber was effusive in his praise of Daley as he bestowed the PLC Presidential Award upon the California rancher.

“It is difficult to think of another permittee who has given more of their time, energy and personal mettle to the advancement and evolution of our industry than Dave Daley,” Roeber said. “He is relentless in his pursuit of the facts, a true champion for science-based land management and flexible, ecosystem-specific strategies. Dave’s dedication to science-based management is anything but dispassionate. He couples his intense knowledge on the issues with a vivid and sincere commitment to advocacy. He is a masterful storyteller and a masterful educator. His voice brings clear and thoughtful truths to those who may not otherwise have reason to encounter federal lands ranching, and his candid approach has given this industry new platforms to reach those who can meaningfully invest in this way of life.”

In recent years, Daley has been a passionate advocate for improved wildfire prevention and response measures on federal lands after suffering the effects of 2020’s Bear Fire on his Forest Service permit in the Plumas National Forest. Emerging from that experience, Daley has championed emergency ranch access during wildfires and other emergencies, grazing as a fire fuels treatment and improved post-fire management (among other priorities) and has reached an expansive audience with his writings about the Bear Fire, which have been republished by the Los Angeles Times and other outlets (an update on Daley’s experiences in the aftermath of the Bear Fire, “Reflections on a Tragedy… Two Year Later,” will appear in next month’s California Cattleman).

The closing banquet was also an opportunity for the public lands ranching community to pay tribute to former PLC president Brice Lee, a Colorado public lands rancher who passed away late last year. A silent auction held in conjunction with the banquet raised more than $11,000, which PLC says “will be donated in Brice’s name to the Colorado Cattlemen’s ‘Coming Home’ campaign.”

Finally, the banquet marked the installation of PLC’s new officer team which over the next two years “will lead PLC’s advocacy, education and outreach efforts in Washington, D.C. and across the West.” Colorado’s Roeber was elevated to the presidency, with Colorado

rancher Tim Canterbury being installed as vice president. Nevada ranch Ron Cerri joined the leadership team as PLC Secretary. Wyoming’s Hansen will now fulfill the duties of the immediate past president. Brenda Richards – a former PLC president representing the state of Idaho – continues her term as PLC Treasurer.

After more than two years apart – convening only via phone calls and computer screens – the Cody excursion was a welcome opportunity for old friends to reconnect and celebrate the work of grazing permittees. With any luck, permittees will gather in person again next year to celebrate the stewardship and lifestyle of public lands ranching.

ON TOUR CCA STAFF & OFFICERS MAKE ROUNDS AT LOCAL CATTLEMEN EVENTS

by CCA Associate Director of Communications Maureen LaGrande

The sound of a gavel and “I call this meeting to order” signals that business is about to begin.

Throughout the fall and spring members of the CCA staff and officers make it a priority to attend county cattlemen’s group tour meetings. The goal is to make it to at least one meeting for each local association every year. Every meeting is run differently from the next, enabling each group to add in their own unique twist to their meeting.

To schedule these fall tour dates, CCA Director of Finance and Events, Lisa Brendlen reaches out to the local presidents and contacts to mark down their tour date on the calendar. Staff and officers attend these meetings to provide updates to members on legislation and regulatory efforts.

Besides providing updates, the main purpose of CCA leadership’s attendance at these meetings is to connect with and hear of what is impacting members at the local level.

As CCA begins to make their fall tour meeting run up and down the state, local officers from a few different cattlemen’s groups share in this Q&A about their fall meetings for this year and years past. If you are involved with a local association, keep reading to hear how other groups around the state run their events and get ideas for your next meeting.

SISKIYOU COUNTY CATTLEMEN GRACE WOODMANSEE

What role do you play in your local cattlemen’s?

As the UC Cooperative Extension Livestock and Natural Resource Advisor for Siskiyou County, I collaborate with the Siskiyou County Cattlemen’s Association board to host educational and outreach events.

How often do you have meetings?

Board meetings are the first Thursday of every month.

What does the structure of your fall meeting that CCA staff and officers attend look like?

Our fall tour rotates between the three valleys in Siskiyou County: Scott Valley, Shasta Valley and Butte Valley. Traditionally, ranchers from the valley we’re touring host 2-3 tour stops and everyone comes together at the end of the tour for the BBQ and awards ceremony. This year, our tour was hosted by Scott Valley ranchers and focused on direct-to-consumer ranching operations. Our hosts

were Jenner Family Beef, Star Walker Organic Farms and Crown H Cattle Co. They created a really fun and informative program for us!

Is there anything unique about your meeting?

Along with our tour stops, we often host a tradeshow during the BBQ. This year, since our tour was focused on direct-to-consumer ranching operations, we decided to try something a little different. We were excited to highlight several of Scott Valley's diverse direct-to-consumer businesses at a tradeshow during our BBQ. Our vendors included Denny Bar Co. and Etna Brewery, the California Peony Company, Farm Girl Provisions and Siskiyou Farm Co.

Do you switch it up, or is the meeting in the same format most years?

The traditional, on-ranch tour format is what we usually plan, but occasionally topics are a better fit for a single location. For example, our 2021 tour featured a stockmanship clinic hosted by Curt Pate and sponsored by the California Beef Council.

What is the most crucial aspect of hosting a meeting?

I think it helps to start with a lot of enthusiasm for the tour topic. If you are excited about the program, that excitement carries through and gets others excited and engaged. It’s also really fun to plan tours that the whole community can engage in, which creates opportunities for folks to get more connected with local ranchers and learn more about the cattle industry.

How do you draw in attendees?

Everyone in the community is invited to the tour and regular meetings.

PLUMAS-SIERRA COUNTY CATTLEMEN CAROLYN ROBERTI

What role do you play in your local cattlemen’s group?

I serve as secretary and have for close to 10 years. Previously this position was also secretary/treasurer, but recently it was split into two positions.

How often do you have meetings?

We have a spring dinner, usually in June because most

of our members are here during the summer months. We also have a cattlemen’s BBQ at the Plumas-Sierra Fair in August and our fall tour meeting.

What does the structure of your fall meeting that CCA staff and officers attend look like?

Over the last few years, the structure of the meeting has changed. Last year Paul and Sheri Roen hosted the fall meeting and BBQ at their home. We also hosted a ranchers’ forum before the meeting where our local members had the opportunity to ask questions to the CCA staff and officers in attendance, Tony Toso and Billy Gatlin.

This year the meeting and BBQ will once again take place at the Roen’s home but this year we are adding in something fun, a dance with a DJ!

Is there anything unique about your tour meeting?

It’s always nice to have the CCA staff and officers come speak at our local meeting in the fall. We really want to hear from the staff, learn of what they are working on and what they have to say. We really appreciate the staff and officers that come to join us and want them to feel that they have enough time to fully update us. This year our main speakers will be the staff and officers who attend the fall meeting.

Do you switch it up, or is the meeting in the same format most years?

The last two years our meeting has stayed in the same location and I believe that our meeting next year will stay in Sierra Valley for a tour. A few years back our meeting took place in Indian Valley where we went on a bus tour and heard from those who ranched in the valley, had dinner and our meeting.

What is the most crucial aspect of hosting a meeting?

It’s great to come together as people involved in the same industry, the camaraderie and seeing those within our area. It has been a difficult last few years with the drought and it’s encouraging to speak with others, learn how they run their operations and celebrate what we do. What we do is feed the world and it’s cool to take that into perspective.

How do you draw in attendees?

We have a good email list, we send an e-invite, postcards and advertise on Facebook to help get the word out. We also invite our local supervisors to attend our tour meeting as well so that they can hear from our ranchers. To attend our events, you do not have to be a member. Anyone is welcome.

SONOMA-MARIN COUNTY CATTLEMEN MIKE FURLONG

What role do you play in your local cattlemen’s group?

I serve as president.

...CONTINUED ON PAGE 18

Siskiyou fall tour attendees at the Etna park BBQ.

Cattleman Dennis Wood accepting the 2020 Lassen County Cattleman of the Year award at Lassen Cattlemen’s 2021 fall meeting.

Mr and Mrs. Clause are known to make an appearance at Lassen Cattlemen’s tour meeting.

Members of the Plumas-Sierra Cattlemen at their fall meeting

How often do you have meetings?

Typically, we have meetings about every two months.

What does the structure of your fall meeting that CCA staff and officers attend look like?

During our fall tour meeting we host a social event for our members. This includes a setting where members can catch up with one another, hear from CCA staff and officers and have dinner together. We also hold our elections and vote at this meeting.

This year we are hoping to incorporate a day event and program leading up to the evening dinner meeting as well.

Is there anything unique about your tour meeting?

Our meeting is held at my cousin’s ranch inside of an old redwood grove in Occidental.

Do you switch it up, or is the meeting in the same format most years?

The format for our tour meeting stays the same every year. Our location for the meeting has also stayed the same for the last few years.

What is the most crucial aspect of hosting a meeting?

The most crucial aspect of hosting the fall tour meeting is that it allows a lot of our members to get a good view of what the state has done for our local association throughout the year and keep them up to date with what is going on. This gives our local members a chance to see what the staff and officers do for them.

How do you draw in attendees?

To draw in attendees, we mail out an invite to the meeting. Only members are invited to the tour meetings.

VENTURA COUNTY CATTLEMEN BEVERLY BIGGER

What role do you play in your local cattlemen’s group?

I have been the president for the last six years, treasurer for 13 and vice president for four.

How often do you have meetings?

With an exception for April and Oct., we have a meeting every month. Board meetings are open to our members and the public. Our meetings serve as a way to get any crucial information out to our members.

What does the structure of your fall meeting that CCA staff and officers attend look like?

Our fall tour meeting consists of a BBQ and a short business meeting at one of our members ranches. It’s important during this meeting that we focus on the information provided to us from CCA staff and officers. It is important that our members have the opportunity to meet the staff and officers in attendance, be able to ask questions and address concerns. During our meeting we also give out awards for our photo contest, the images are showcased at our Ventura County Fair booth.

Is there anything unique about your tour meeting?

I think ours is more of a social aspect, allowing our members to catch up with one another. After being shut

down for the last two years it is nice to be able to host events again.

Do you switch it up, or is the meeting in the same format most years?

The format of our meetings generally stays the same, but we host the tour meeting at different members ranchers in east and west county.

What is the most crucial aspect of hosting a meeting?

When hosting a meeting with cattlemen, you better have a good steak for dinner.

How do you draw in attendees?

To draw in attendees, we send out an email, for our tour meeting we invite the ag commissioner, elected officials and the general public to attend. This allows for them to interact with members and see what we do.

LASSEN COUNTY CATTLEMEN TREVOR WOOD

What role do you play in your local cattlemen’s group?

I serve as the president.

How often do you have meetings?

Throughout the spring and fall we have a meeting about every month and one in the summer which is typically just a board meeting. If there is a pressing topic or feedback the meetings are open for our membership to attend.

What does the structure of your fall meeting that CCA staff and officers attend look like?

About two years ago we combined our Christmas party with our tour meeting at the Elks Lodge. At our meeting we recognize the CattleWomen’s Cowbelle of the year and every other year Lassen County Cattlemen of the Year. We also here from the state staff and officers during this meeting. Santa even makes an appearance at our party and on occasion we will have an ugly Christmas sweater dress up or a give exchange.

Is there anything unique about your tour meeting?

Occasionally our members will have to drive through the snow to get to the party.

Do you switch your meeting up or does it follow the same format most years?

We have a small membership, so we usually follow the same format from year to year.

What is the most crucial aspect of hosting a meeting?

A lot of our members don’t have the chance to attend convention, so the tour meetings with the staff and officers is a good opportunity to mingle with them, learn of their efforts and ask questions.

How do you draw in attendees?

We provide advanced notice to our members sending out emails and letters to them. During our tour meeting only members and their families are invited to attend.

If you would like CCA staff and officers to attend your meeting or event please reach out to Director of Finance and Events, Lisa Brendlen at lisa@calcattlemen.org.

A PINCH OF PREVENTION IS WORTH A POUND OF CURE

Reducing on-farm disease as part of judicious antibiotic use

by Marissa Silva, MVB, California Department of Food and Agriculture’s Antimicrobial Use and Stewardship Branch and Gaby Maier, DVM DACVPM, University of California Cooperative Extension

Antibiotic stewardship, which encompasses factors like disease prevention, accurate diagnosis and targeted treatment, can save you money and increase the health and production of your animals. Implementing strategies to reduce the most frequent diseases that warrant antibiotic use should be a key foundation in your herd health plan. In 2017, the California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) Antimicrobial Use and Stewardship (AUS) program partnered with CCA to produce a cow-calf survey that assessed antibiotic use practices. Almost 1,000 cattle producers in California voluntarily participated. The top diseases that warranted the use of antibiotics across adult cows and calves were pinkeye, bovine respiratory disease and calf scours.

One of the main goals of antibiotic stewardship is to reduce antibiotic use through disease prevention. CDFA AUS partnered with Gaby Maier, DVM, Beef Extension Specialist at the University of California, Davis Cooperative Extension to provide up-to-date disease prevention resources for California cow calf producers. The goal of this collaboration was to compile the most

recent research on these issues, publish scientific papers and create engaging resources to promote strategies for disease reduction and provide helpful prompts for discussion between producers and their local veterinarian.

THREE DISEASE-FOCUSED RESOURCES FOR CALIFORNIA COW CALF OPERATIONS

The Cow Calf Disease Management Series was published this spring, and is designed to help producers and veterinarians target infectious bovine keratoconjunctivitis (IBK, pinkeye), scours and bovine respiratory disease (BRD). These conditions result in increased economic costs due to labor and equipment for treatment, potential production loss in the herd and higher antibiotic use in cows and calves. Marissa Silva, DVM, with CDFA AUS presented these findings from the survey and introduced this new series at the 2022 midyear meeting to CCA’s Animal Health Committee. These resources can be used as handy field guides for prevention and control of these diseases, or when you need a quick opinion out

in the pasture. They can also help provide a standardized description of a disease that can be useful to confirm detection, especially when seeing these diseases rarely or when describing the problem to your herd veterinarian.

Features of Strategies for Management Resources

Preventing diseases within the herd can save money by reducing treatment and labor costs, which can be a big motivator for operations. A seemingly small change in current management techniques can potentially have a large preventative effect with huge impact on disease outcomes. Ranch owners and managers can identify small steps that they can incorporate into future ranch planning for the upcoming year or years.

PINKEYE PROBLEMS

To better understand this approach, let’s take a closer look at one disease, pinkeye. Many of us are familiar with the signs of pinkeye: a closed or squinted eye that may have tearing, which of course may attract flies, and reddening of the white part of the eye. When it has progressed, eye ulcers-pits or eroded areas of the surface area of the eye- are present. This can lead to a slower rate of weight gain due to pain, production losses and increased cost of treatment. There are two main components to stewardship: reducing need for treatments by reducing the disease occurrence, and by targeting the treatment to only the cases that truly need it.

A large component of antibiotic stewardship is recognizing when not to treat pinkeye, in order to preserve the effectiveness of antibiotics in the herd. Applying antibiotics when the disease is not likely to respond can promote drug resistance in disease-causing bacteria while having no benefit on the disease outcome.

There are many options to reduce pinkeye’s impact on your ranch; however, should you get a case of pinkeye, initial considerations for treatment could include checking to make sure pinkeye is the true cause of the eye damage. The resource discusses several examples, including cancer eye and mechanical ulcers from foxtails that are often initially misidentified. A small ulcer on the outer edge of the eyeball often heals without antibiotics and, if a foxtail was the cause, once the foreign body is removed.

Antibiotic treatment of pinkeye is unnecessary once blood vessels have reached the eye ulcer, as shown in the images featured in the page 22 excerpt from Cow Calf Pinkeye: Strategies for Management, although you should follow your veterinarian’s specific instructions for any antibiotic treatment plan. For complicated cases of pinkeye, your veterinarian may recommend removing the eye or culling the cow based on welfare considerations. The pictures show different features of pinkeye and provide general guidance on when to consider treatment. These pictures, along with other detailed information, are available on the CDFA AUS website and can be printed or downloaded to a device to take into the field for quick reference.

When contemplating pinkeye prevention, consider the logistics of management and the costs of treating pinkeye, including product expense and labor, while making a strategy with your veterinarian for reducing prevalence

in your herd. Understanding the risk factors that lead to increased case numbers can allow for targeted prevention. Some contributing factors to consider are that calves are affected by pinkeye more often than older cattle, increased face fly numbers can lead to an uptick in cases, lack of eyelid pigmentation in individual animals may increase their susceptibility, and you can expect to see more cases in the warm months when increased sunlight favors infection.

Vaccination is one part of a multi-pronged approach to reducing pinkeye. Timing is an important consideration when vaccinating; plan to finish vaccinating roughly a month before face fly season to provide adequate immunity in advance of the expected pinkeye season. Take into consideration that some vaccines require a booster. For most regions of California, vaccinating sometime in April should be effective timing. It is notable that vaccines have shown little or no advantage in published field trials and that side effects are possible, especially if combined with other vaccines for Gram negative bacteria. Working with your veterinarian is critical to determine the need.

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

CDFA AUS and Dr. Maier have also produced resources for the other two leading diseases resulting in antibiotic use.

“Cow Calf Scours: Strategies for Management” features a fecal consistency scoring chart that can be helpful for describing the type of manure you are seeing to staff,

...CONTINUED FROM PAGE 21

managers and veterinarians. Also included are the ideal body condition scores for beef cattle at calving; along with the other benefits of appropriate body condition at calving, malnourished cows and heifers are more likely to have difficult births. Calves from difficult births are often prone to scours. Assessing calf vigor and ensuring adequate colostrum intake are also important steps to prevent calf scours. The included summary table of the different pathogens leading to scours and their distinguishing features, along with a visual of the typical calf age at the beginning of scouring based on the pathogen involved, can be helpful when discussing a treatment and prevention plan with your veterinarian. Not all pathogens capable of causing scours are susceptible to antibiotics, and the most effective treatment depends on the individual case.

“Cow Calf Bovine Respiratory Disease: Strategies for Management” describes the many environmental conditions and animal factors that can lead to the bovine respiratory disease (BRD) process. Understanding risks on your farm allows you to address them in a herd health plan to prevent the disease before it begins. Two important take-aways are that reducing cattle’s exposure to high levels of dust, especially at processing, and keeping cattle hydrated can reduce the occurrence of BRD. This can be

accomplished by hosing down surfaces before moving cattle through and providing them with water during wait times in corrals. Additional prevention strategies are outlined in the full document.

These practical guides can help cattle producers and veterinarians identify strategies to reduce their overall antibiotic use through preventive practices, accurate diagnostics, and the most targeted therapies, so that both the animal health and economic consequences of these reoccurring diseases can be reduced. Spanish versions of the infographics are available on the CDFA AUS website. In-depth, research-based veterinary summaries on each of the three diseases will be released soon, for those interested in learning more about the science behind the prevention measures.

CDFA AUS was able to create these resources thanks to voluntary participation of producers. We greatly appreciate your engagement and encourage any livestock producers in the State of California to reach out if you would like additional educational resources for other antibioticrequiring diseases.

To download and print this series and see more stewardship resources, please visit: https://www.cdfa. ca.gov/ahfss/aus/.

To contact CDFA AUS directly, please email us at: cdfa_aus@cdfa.ca.gov.

NATIONAL PERSPECTIVE

THE ENEMY WITHIN OUR INDUSTRY THE WEDGE ISSUES THAT DRIVE US APART

by NCBA President Don Schiefelbein

Six months into my tenure as the president of the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA), I have had the opportunity to travel and visit with fellow cattle producers from coast to coast. A couple of months ago at the Florida Cattlemen’s Convention, I had the opportunity to meet fellow cattle producer Kevin Escobar. Kevin mentioned that he had heard me visit with the Florida attendees and that the U.S. Cattlemen’s Association (USCA) officers and I, an NCBA officer, appeared to share so much in common.

The following week, Kevin asked if I would be willing to jump on call with three additional USCA officers. We visited for more than an hour and to the surprise of some, we almost unanimously agreed on what the real threats to our industry were. It was on that phone call, that the group challenged me to share my thoughts.

Like many of you, I come from a family farming, cattle feeding and ranching operation. Our large allfamily operation includes my father and mother, their nine sons (I am son number seven), eight daughters inlaw, 32 grandchildren and their 15 spouses and 32 greatgrandchildren. Our massive family group adds up to more than 80 members. Like any family operation, the key to our success is being able to work together for the benefit of us all. From my perspective, the beef community I serve has so many similarities to my large family.

Don’t Focus on Wedge Issues

As a family operation, we would not survive if we focused on the issues that our family is not in agreement

on. The term I use to describe these nonconsensus items is “wedge” issues. Every industry and every family has wedge issues. These are typically complex subjects where smart people on both sides simply disagree. Typically, these wedge issues bring about strong emotions and, if truth be told, the solutions are neither obvious nor easy.

In our current beef business, a few of these wedge issues include price discovery, use of checkoff funds and mandatory country of origin labeling. In each of these sensitive issues, good cattlemen disagree.

On the wedge issue of price discovery alone, our industry invested almost two years of precious time, spent lots of valuable dollars and groups on both sides of the issue used a tremendous amount of political clout. No consensus was reached… just lost opportunities.

Similarly, on the critical issue of the national Beef Checkoff and state beef council-led Checkoff programs, our industry spent millions of dollars fighting amongst ourselves in court only to have the Supreme Court affirm the legality of the Beef Checkoff and affirm that USDA

...CONTINUED FROM PAGE

has appropriate oversight of the state beef councils and checkoff programs.

Our Enemies Win

The only winners on these wedge issues are the lawyers and those that want to put us out of business. Our enemies have figured out that the best way to take down the beef industry is not by attacking us directly but by fostering hatred and disagreement within our ranks. It should not come as a surprise to anyone that a huge sum of the litigation expense against the Beef Checkoff was gladly funded by the likes of allies and partners of the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS), an organization with the primary goal of eliminating animal agriculture. As well, you should be alarmed to learn that Senator Cory Booker, a vegan who is not a friend of agriculture, has now become a member of the Senate Ag Committee and routinely supports the introduction of bills that further wedge our industry.

Let’s Focus on the 90 percent of Issues Where We Agree

There’s no shortage of issues that pose real and immediate danger to the long-term success of our industry. While our enemies remain focused on the wedge issues that divide us, large issues are quietly growing and are not being addressed proactively, like foreign animal diseases and cell-cultured fake meat.

If COVID-19 taught us anything, we should have learned that in the face of a disease crisis, our government can overreact and substantially disrupt the marketplace. Imagine if a cattle virus hit our nation. You can be assured that overnight our export market would cease, along with it, the loss of at least $500 of value per head of every fed beef animal processed. You could also anticipate that the enemies of our beef industry would take advantage of this terrible situation by attempting to completely shut down our domestic market. The result would be a disruption so large that it could cripple our industry.

Another huge, looming issue is cellcultured fake meat. This is not the fake meat we see in the store or on a menu. Cellcultured fake meat is grown in a petri dish. I am concerned that the beef community has been lulled to sleep with the recent failures of

fake meat companies. While not perfected yet, estimates suggest a product rollout within the next five years of cellcultured fake meat that may mimic the look, texture and even the flavor of our beef. Our industry cannot afford to lose focus on this potential game changing product. Now is the time to work together to put into place effective safeguards to preserve our future.

Foreign disease and cell-cultured fake meat are just a couple of issues our beef community faces. Our industry routinely defends producers on taxes, WOTUS, environmental overreach, death tax, endangered species, burdensome regulations, etc., etc., etc.

For the sake of the future of our business, we must work together as an industry. We need, as leaders, to find common ground on the 90-plus percent that will likely determine our long-term fate and avoid the death trap of wedge issues that place our industry groups in the circular firing squad where we inflict damage to each other as our enemies gleefully watch. Just as my father reminds our family, our industry needs to heed that same advice — the only way we lose is by attacking each other BUT if we stand united together, we are unstoppable.

College Students Encouraged to Apply for Convention Internship

The National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) is offering college students a unique behind-the-scenes experience through its annual convention internship program. The 2023 Cattle Industry Convention and NCBA Trade Show, the largest annual meeting of the U.S. beef cattle industry, will take place Feb. 1-3, 2023, in New Orleans.

Up to 18 interns will be selected and will be responsible for setting up the demonstration arena, assisting at committee meetings and Cattlemen’s College, participating in the NCBA booth, and posting on social media. NCBA will strive to provide students time to maximize industry networking.

Student interns must be able to work Jan. 29-Feb. 4, 2023, provide their own transportation to New Orleans, and be at least a juniorlevel college student at an accredited university at the time of the event. Applicants must have a minimum 3.0 GPA, preferably have a background in, or working knowledge of, the cattle and/or beef industry, and have experience with social media.

This one-of-a-kind opportunity offers college students the ability to network with industry stakeholders throughout the beef industry and gain valuable experience. Interns also receive a one-year NCBA student membership.

Interested students must complete an online Student Internship Application and submit college transcripts, two letters of recommendation and a resume. The application deadline is Oct. 21, 2022. For more information, contact Grace Webb at gwebb@beef.org.

2022 CCA & CCW ANNUAL CONVENTION + TRADESHOW

Sparks,

NETWORKING OPPORTUNITIES

There will be no shortage of chances to connect with both California and Nevada ranchers as this year’s event is being held with the Nevada Cattlemen’s Association.

TRADESHOW WELCOME PARTY

Enjoy the opening of the California + Nevada Cattle Industry Tradeshow on Wednesday evening while catching up with your fellow cattle producers from the West.

POLICY AND COMMITTEE MEETINGS

Come Thursday to participate in the policy-making process—one of the best ways to get involved and make your voice and vote count.

EXCLUSIVE CATTLEWOMEN SPEAKERS

One of CCW’s keynote speakers for 2022 is author and advocate Michele Payn, CSP, who connects the people and science of food and farming as principal of Cause Matters Corp.

CATTLEFAX BREAKFAST

Patrick Linnell will be giving the CattleFax Outlook at Friday’s breakfast, a favorite presentation of Convention year after year!

Brett Stuart with Global AgriTrends will be a General Session speaker. Plus, the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association and the Public Lands Council will give updates on issues they are tackling on behalf of U.S. ranchers. Stay tuned as more speaker details are announced on our website and in the October and November issues of the California Cattleman.

11

WEDNESDAY,

8 am - 5 pm

CRT Board Meeting

9 - 10 am Tradeshow Exhibitor/Allied Industry Meeting

10 am - Noon CCA Officer’s Meeting

11 am - Noon YCC Networking in the Tradeshow

Noon - 9:30 pm Tradeshow Open

Noon - 1 pm CCA Fire Subcommittee Meeting

Noon - 2 pm Calif. Cattlemen’s Foundation Board

1 - 2 pm

CBCIA Finance Meeting

2 - 3 pm CCA Finance and Membership Meeting

2 - 5 pm CBCIA Board Meeting

2:30 - 4 pm Media Training

2:30 - 4 pm CCW Executive Committee

3 - 4 pm Cattle-PAC Meeting

3 - 4 pm YCC Meeting

4 - 5:30 pm Opening General Session

5:30 - 6:30 pm Allied Industry Wine & Cheese Reception

6:30 - 9:30 pm Tradeshow Welcome Party

THURSDAY, DECEMBER

6:30 - 7:30 am

7 am - 1 pm

Prayer Gathering

Calif. + Nevada Cattle Industry Tradeshow

7 - 8 am Breakfast in the Tradeshow

7 - 8 am LMRF Meeting

7 - 10 am

Bloody Mary Bar

8 - 9:00 am CCW Executive Committee Training

8 - 10:00 am General Session #2

9 - 10 am CCW Heritage Meeting

10 - 11 am

CCW Meet and Greet with Standing Committee Chairs

10 am - Noon CCA Cattle Health & Well-Being

10 am - Noon Cattle Marketing & International Trade

10 am - Noon CCA Federal Lands

11:15 am - 2:15 pm Cowbelle of the Year Lunch Noon - 1 pm Lunch in the Tradeshow Noon - 1 pm Past Presidents Lunch

1 - 2 pm General Session #3

2 - 4 pm Cattlemen’s Poster Session 2 - 4 pm CCA Property Rights & Environmental Management

2 - 4 pm CCA Agriculture & Food Policy/Tax and Credit

2:45 - 5 pm CCW Workshop

3 - 4 pm

CCA Tax & Credit (Policy Breakout) 4 - 5 pm CBCIA Cattlemen’s College Session 4 - 5 pm Local Cattlemen’s Meeting

5 - 6 pm CCA President’s Reception

6:30 - 10 pm CCA & CCW Reception & Awards Banquet

6:30 - 7:30 am

-

CCA Nominating Committee

am CCW

-

CattleFax

am - Noon CCA

am - Noon CCW

PROGRESSIVE

WHEN DROUGHT PERSISTS SHOULD YOU FEED THEM OR SELL? AND WHEN?

by Josh Davy, Ph.D., Jeff Stackhouse, Ph.D., and Larry Forero, Ph.D., farm and natural resource advisors; and Jim Oltjen; Ph.D., beef specialist, University of California Cooperative Extension

Many ranches have a general plan that can be implemented when drought occurs. In the last two years some of these plans have not been an option. Rice straw and other low-cost feed supplements become unavailable or cost prohibitive as drought continues, and growing forage is a lost option. The severe drought decision always boils down to: “Feed them or sell them?” Feeding cows preserves the genetic base and maintains body condition score (BCS), but can you afford to keep them? Any cattle kept must be fed amply to maintain body condition, as this is the most important factor in reproductive success (Figure 1). To put this in perspective remember that reproductive success is 10 times more economically important than carcass quality and 5 times more important than growth.

Figure 1 clearly demonstrates the importance of body condition score needing to be maintained at the level of five to ensure reproductive success. Photo guides designed to determine BCS, although attempting to be helpful, can be hard to interpret and lead to confusion. The easiest way to check for adequate body condition is to look at the ribs. If the two back ribs are exposed, lacking cover, that cow falls into the bottom of a BCS of 5 and measures need to be considered to maintain that weight. If more than the last two ribs are visible, conception losses are likely.

The next step is to assess what feeds are available, what the costs of those feeds are, and what logistics are required to get that feed to the cows (troughs, storage, and delivery to feed grain, etc.). Assuming that the form of feed and logistics are not a problem, they can be plugged into ration calculators to formulate a balanced diet at the least cost. Current commodity prices were accessed and least cost rations were calculated in a ration balancing program for both a dry and lactating cow. These figures are only valid for the day they are calculated but do provide some kind of current context. The lactating cow ration cost $8.55 a day to maintain her current weight. The dry cow ration cost $2.61 a day, again just for a maintenance ration.

A calf on a lactating cow will gain roughly 2 lbs./ day. Even at a value exceeding $2/lb. the cost to feed a lactating cow is difficult to justify. Additionally, in the current market, 400 lb. steers are bringing $800950/ea. (less commission, yardage, freight, etc). The first logical step is to send the calves, but when does it make the most sense to ship them off the cow?

The question is, does it pay to keep the calf on the cull cows to capture that $2/lb. calf gain while losing a few pounds off the cull cow at a $0.70 to $1.05/lbs.

cull cow price? Be mindful, however, the biggest trick to this question is what feed the cull cows will be on, at what cost, and how much weight they will lose; all left out of this hypothetical math. When applying the math, figuring it out in the context of local feed/forage sources is critical. For the sake of this exercise, consider this hypothetical example:

Low yield culls and high yield culls were separated into two groups. These two groups are normally separated in price received, with the higher yielding (fatter) cows receiving a higher price. The low yield cows were figured to be a Body condition score (BCS) of 3 and 4 and the high yielding cow was considered a BCS of 5. Each BCS

...CONTINUED ON PAGE 32

FIGURE 1. Cow body condition scores and correlated pregnancy rates

FIGURE 2. Gross per head received for cull cows at varying body condition scores using average categorical prices

CUSTOMIZED INSURANCE YOU CAN COUNT ON

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WSR’S PHILOSOPHY IS DIFFERENT. We suggest coming up with a realistic budget and giving the program a chance, then possibly growing with us, if it makes good risk management sense.

WSR’s agents come from agricultural backgrounds and understand how hard you work to make an operation sustainable. There is an old saying about “Betting the Farm.” Not only do we strongly not recommend that approach, we believe it’s irresponsible to do so. Don’t be fooled by a startup agency with limited experience promising giant indemnities and handing out gimmicky gifts.

WSR has been writing PRF insurance for over a decade. We’ve seen the changes, handled the audits, found the NOAA weather stations, managed rainfall data and disputes. We really have “been there, done that.”

If you have any questions or concerns about how PRF works or your current policy’s design, please let us know. We are here to help. Sign up deadline is 12/1/2021 for 2022 policies.

over years

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...CONTINUED FROM PAGE 30

score change is generally a 100 lb. weight difference. For the sake of this exercise, consider the cow at a a BCS of 5 to be 1400 lbs. in weight and subtract 100 lbs from each score below a 5. Price was figured as the average price of each high and low yielding cows at the Orland Livestock Commission Yard from July 15 to Aug. 4.

Figure 2 aligns cow weight (based on BCS3, BCS4 and BCS5) with the associated gross sale receipt of each animal in their respective weight category and price received. Note the significant value difference between cull cows at variable weights and BCS (or yield).

The next step is to consider the combined income associated with the sale of the weaned calf added to the market value of the cull cow. Figure 4 shows the TOTAL value of the split pair based upon the weaning weight of the calf and the body condition score of the cow.

The take-home message is that overall income from sales decreases with the loss of cull cow weight. That is, her total value as a high yielding cull is greater than the gains seen by her calf when feed is limited and too costly to purchase. With the current market, if the cow even slightly starts to lose weight, it’s time to sell.

One other option is to ship calves and then hold the low yielding cows until they have gained 100 lbs., which would make them high yielding cull cows (BCS4-5). If these cows were held for 60 days they would need to gain 1.7 lbs./day to reach this mark. As stated earlier, the dry cow at maintenance cost $2.61 a day to feed a least-cost ration. The ration cost at maintenance (less expensive than would be necessary) is already higher than any weight gains would yield in return. The only way for this to work would be to have low cost, or already paid for, pasture that had enough quality forage to result in 1.7 lb./day gain. Again, it is just too expensive to feed even dry cull cows.

There are a multitude of reasons to want to retain ownership of your current cows. These include genetics, cattle that know and match the ranch, disease resistance and even an understanding of how the corrals flow. In the current market, the value of the cow should not be a reason to delay culling. Although markets may fluctuate

between years, the math of decision making stays the same, thus this information could be useful in the future even with a different cattle market. If you decide to cull many cows this year, be sure to reach out to your tax accountant early, and pay close attention to appropriate IRS code sections.

FIGURE 3. The per head value of a steer calf based upon its weight and average market prices

FIGURE 4. Total value of the split pair based upon the weaning weight of the calf and the body condition score of the cow

MANAGEMENT FLEXIBILITY

The Key to Female Retention Strategies

by Zach McFarlane, Ph.D., Beef Cattle Specialist, California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo

The keep or cull question is of even more important this year than ever before. Drought-stricken and wildfireravaged California rangelands need a flexible approach to female beef cattle management now more than ever.

The decision to keep or cull heifers, cows, bulls or any other class of cattle comes around every year. Typically, this question is based on reproductive performance. Did bulls pass their breeding soundness exam? Is the cow bred? Decisions become more complex as ranchers face the mounting pressures in 2022 with extreme drought conditions, limited forage availability, scarce stock water and a tight hay market.

“This year we have had to make tough decisions, in a normal year we could give a cow a chance if she weaned off a lighter calf or she had a bad eye,” states David Brandenberger, Brandenberger Cattle Company, Stonyford, “but this year we have culled deep in the herd to be able to stay on the little grass we have available. The choice to keep heifers was even more difficult. Waiting an entire year before she calves is not feasible in the current drought conditions we are facing.”

When you are in the corral today, the reasons to cull expand. Drought conditions in the fall of 2022 are severe when considering 98 percent of the state is experiencing severe to exceptional drought according to the U.S. Drought Monitor. Some of the following questions come to mind when considering your culling decisions.

Is the female structurally sound? When did she become pregnant during the breeding season? How did her calf perform? This final question may be one of the most important given the current drought conditions.

RETAIN OR SELL HEIFERS?

Strategic management can help make culling decisions for you. Heifers are the most fertile cattle in the herd because they do not have to cope with the nutritional stress of lactation during the breeding season. If heifers are not pregnant at the end of the breeding season, they will likely not be able to cope with rebreeding as a 2-yearold. At this age, they are required to partition nutrients towards the demands for growth and milk production which can reduce fertility. We know that heifers that calve and breed back early are retained in the herd at greater rates. A study conducted at the USDA Meat Animal Research Center using over 16,000 heifers indicated that heifers calving in the first 21 days of the calving season were retained at a greater rate in the herd. Additionally, these heifers produced heavier calves at weaning over their lifetime.

Opportunity costs are a very important consideration in sever drought conditions. Choosing to retain a heifer for breeding removes the opportunity for her to be sold for profit. This cost is not paid back until that heifer has several calves, and this may not be a viable option in these severe drought conditions. However, the word “opportunity” is important because heifers provide an “opportunity” to focus on genetic improvement in your herd. Not only are they typically highly fertile, but they are the largest source of new genetics in your herd aside from bringing in new breeding bulls. If choosing to retain heifers this year, the following considerations are helpful to reflect upon when making this decision.

HEIFER RETENTION CONSIDERATIONS

The biggest heifers in the pen at weaning may not be the best option for your herd. Cow size is an important factor to consider when selecting cattle that fit your production environment. We know that selecting for increased cow size increases her nutrient requirements. In turn, this could lead to a reduction in longevity if she does not receive the appropriate level of nutrients during the breeding season. First-calf heifers have the highest nutritional demand in the herd because they are still growing, lactating for the first time, and expected to breed back in a timely fashion.

Another factor to consider is to establish a specific strategy for heifer development. Two schools of thought regarding heifer development have emerged over the past several decades among beef researchers. One strategy focuses on developing heifers to a target body weight, typically 65 percent of mature body weight, to achieve reproductive success. The other school of thought has focused on developing heifers to a lower target body weight (roughly 50 to 55 percent of mature body weight) to reduce development costs without impairing reproductive potential. Overall, developing heifers to a lighter target body weight may provide more flexibility for management decisions while reducing development costs. Even more importantly, this strategy can reduce forage needs in the drought-stricken western United States.

Other phenotypic considerations like structural soundness and feet and leg structure are also imperative for female longevity. Cows must have the physical ability to graze, carry a calf to term and wean a calf in various topographic and climactic conditions. The American Angus Association developed a foot scoring system that categorizes foot angle and claw set in a categorical distribution from 1 to 9, with a score of 5 being ideal. Research has shown this scoring system has a moderate heritability, but more data collection and research is necessary. Research at Chico State and Cal Poly suggests that body condition score and age effect hoof angle. Older and fatter cows seem to have undesirable hoof angles. Over time, cattle with poor structural correctness will break down regardless of breed. Selection for these traits is a priority for bull buyers and should absolutely be a priority for heifer selection and retention.

CHALLENGES WITH DROUGHT STRATEGY TO DEVELOP HEIFERS IN THE FEEDLOT

Research at the University of Nebraska, Lincoln and the University of Tennessee was conducted to estimate the amount of time it would require for heifers to payback development costs. Heifers developed in pasture-based, low-cost systems became profitable after approximately four years of age when compared with a payback period of over 10 years of age for feedlot-developed heifers. Research from New Mexico State University has shown that heifers raised in a feedlot were retained in the herd at a significantly lower rate when compared to heifers developed grazing native rangeland.

Aside from the added expense of developing heifers in a feedlot, the “feed them to breed them” mentality does not allow for management flexibility and marketing scenarios. Consider developing heifers like stocker cattle. This system provides producers flexibility if a heifer is not bred at the end of the breeding season. She can become over-fed and fleshy, losing that opportunity for the alternative marketing opportunity for a heifer as a stocker.

Heifer development and management should be approached as a dynamic decision-making process. Cattle that are retained in the herd should be able to adapt to the rigors of your nutritional and managerial environment. Heifers raised grazing in the environment they will live in most of their life will stay in the herd at a greater rate. Many studies have illustrated that raising heifers in confinement and then turning them out to graze has reduced reproductive performance.

Matching cattle to their production environment is crucial to improve longevity and reproductive efficiency. Overall, a flexible management style can keep producers in business even during years of drought or financial hardship. Allowing heifers to match their production environment through this flexible management style may be the best opportunity to improve reproductive and economic efficiency of the cowherd.

This year, ranchers have many tough decisions to make. Focus on female selection and retention to support the genetic future of your herd.

NCBA URGES SENATE COMMITTEE TO PASS LIVESTOCK REGULATORY PROTECTION ACT

On Sept. 7, the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) urged the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works to approve the Livestock Regulatory Protection Act.

“American cattle producers’ commitment to reducing their environmental footprint while simultaneously improving efficiency makes our farms and ranches the most sustainable in the world. Unfortunately, overregulation and excessive permitting would jeopardize the cattle industry’s progress towards greater sustainability,” said NCBA Chief Counsel Mary-Thomas Hart. “NCBA strongly supports the Livestock Regulatory Protection Act, which protects farmers and ranchers from onerous regulation. We thank Senators John Thune (R-SD), Kyrsten Sinema (D-AZ), John Boozman (R-AR), and Mark Kelly (D-AZ) for their sponsorship and we urge all senators to support this bill.”

The Livestock Regulatory Protection Act aims to prevent the Environmental Protection Agency from issuing Clean Air Act Title V permits for emissions like carbon dioxide, nitrogen oxide, water vapor, or methane that result from livestock production.

These emissions are naturally occurring due to cattle’s

biological functions and cattle producers continue to employ innovative practices to mitigate the impact of these emissions on the environment. Overall, emissions from cattle production represent only a very small portion of total U.S. greenhouse gas emissions. For example, methane emissions from cattle account for just 2 percent of total U.S. emissions.

“SDCA thanks Senators Thune and Sinema for working to prevent the EPA from requiring unnecessary air quality permits for livestock producers,” said Eric Jennings, president of South Dakota Cattlemen’s Association (SDCA). “America’s beef producers, like consumers and regulators, are focused on continuous improvement in environmental conservation and sustainability. Creating burdensome permitting requirements that aren’t firmly backed by sound science aren’t an effective solution to improving the environment, incentivizing good environmental management is.”

Today, the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works heard testimony on the legislation. The committee will now need to vote on the bill before sending it to the full Senate for consideration.

NCBA SEEKING SUMMER PUBLIC POLICY INTERNS FOR D.C. OFFICE

The National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA), in conjunction with the Public Lands Council (PLC), is now accepting applications for public policy internships in the NCBA Washington, D.C., office for summer 2023.

Interns will have the opportunity to engage with NCBA and PLC staff on several fronts, including policy, communications and membership, and will work closely with the D.C. lobbying and regulatory teams to advance policies important to the beef and sheep industries.

Key responsibilities for public policy interns include participating in lobbying efforts, communicating with NCBA and PLC members, reviewing Federal Register notices, participating in meetings with federal agencies, collaborating with Congressional and agency staff, and other duties as assigned.

Applicants must be a junior or senior undergraduate student, or a graduate student. A background in agriculture or the beef industry is preferred. Applicants must have a minimum GPA of 3.0 and be available for the duration of the internship (May 2023 – August 2023). Successful applicants will also have excellent research, writing and communications skills.

NCBA and PLC are affiliate organizations working on

behalf of cattle producers and ranching families across the country. NCBA represents cattle producers and advocates for federal policy while PLC specifically represents livestock producers that hold federal grazing permits. Together, NCBA and PLC represent the cattle and sheep industries and producers who operate on both public and private lands.

Interested students should apply here or visit the careers page of ncba.org. Questions about the internship program may be directed to Justyn Tedder (jtedder@beef.org).

A STEP AHEAD

THE ADVANTAGE YOU CAN TRUST

GENETICS BUILT FOR ALL WEATHER & TERRAIN

This map shows the states G+ buyers are putting OUR GENETICS TO WORK.

SAFETY CONSIDERATIONS ON THE RANCH AND HAULING CATTLE

from the National Cattlemen's Beef Association

The third week of September was National Farm Health and Safety week, which brought awareness to the importance of human safety on any operation is critical because every day approximately 100 agricultural workers suffer a lost-work-time injury. In 2019, 410 farmers and farm workers died from a work-related injury, resulting in a fatality rate of 19.4 deaths per 100,000 farm workers.

While many efforts for improving safety and health on farms and ranches are focused on the cattle, it is just as crucial to keep those working and handling the cattle safe and healthy.

When working with large animals and large pieces of equipment, there is always the opportunity for potential harm. Understanding the animals as well as the best handling practices and how to use equipment properly keep those who handle cattle safe. Below is a list of actions to consider doing or avoiding when handling or hauling cattle.

Do

1. Renew your BQA certification every three years to stay up to date with the most recent worker safety information.

2. Consider human safety first when handling cattle.

3. Wear personal protective equipment such as closetoed boots, masks, goggles and gloves when around poorly ventilated areas, using pesticides, for biosecurity purposes and for general safety around large animals.

4. Read the label on any animal health product you are administering and know how to properly dispose of

needles and animal health product containers.

5. Develop an Emergency Action Plan for your operation and have multiple copies in your office and where employees are frequently working.

6. Effectively communicate needs and instructions between all individuals before and while handling cattle. Doing so reduces the risk of injury to both humans and cattle.

7. Apply basic sanitation practices to equipment, vehicles and clothing to decrease the chance of microbial contamination.

8. Maintain all vehicles and trailers used to transport cattle to ensure the safety of personnel and cattle during loading, transporting and unloading.

9. Before transporting cattle, check the weather and route to ensure a safe and uneventful trip.

Do Not

1. Risk human safety for the safety of cattle.

2. Leave exposed animal health products in open areas on your farm or ranch. Always store them in a designated area that meets product-label storage requirements like a refrigerator or climate-controlled closet that minimizes light.

3. Move cattle through facilities that are not conducive to human safety.

4. Euthanize an animal with a firearm unless you are trained and understand how and where to properly utilize this tool to carry out euthanasia.

5. Open an overturned cattle trailer. Be sure to always

check the safety of humans first.

6. Operate heavy equipment unless you are trained and experienced to use the equipment.

7. Haul cattle if you are fatigued.

8. Stand in between a gate panel and swinging gate. Always give yourself adequate room to exit the space to avoid becoming trapped.

In addition, consider the younger farm hands, children and grandchildren that help raise cattle. Youth family members that help on a cattle operation should consider going through the Think F.A.S.T. program offered by the American Farm Bureau Federation. The free program is tailored to a 14- to 17-year-old audience and focuses on general safety, leadership and critical thinking skills. There are 10 modules, and each takes 10 minutes to complete. This program is offered online, and there are downloadable, in-person training materials for educators.

A healthy operation cannot continue to do business without healthy farmers and ranchers. Mental health is directly related to physical health. Remember to take care of your mind while you take care of your body. In the need of immediate and effective support services for farm families experiencing crisis, please call 1-800-FARMAID. Or visit www.farmstateofmind.org for state-specific resources.

For additional resources for handling cattle safely during hauling, encourage your local law enforcement to go through the Bovine Emergency Response Program (BERP).

“The Bovine Emergency Response Program is about training first responders on how to handle Livestock in an emergency,” said Steve Boyles, BERP trainer and Ohio BQA state coordinator. To improve stockmanship on your farm, consider attending a Stockmanship and Stewardship Tour in your area. To learn more visit stockmanshipandstewardship.org. The Beef Checkofffunded Beef Quality Assurance (BQA) program has many tools to train employees and improve human and animal safety. To learn more about worker safety on cattle operations and during cattle hauling, visit bqa.org.

2022 FALL BULL SALE RESULTS & AVERAGES

VINTAGE ANGUS RANCH “CARCASS MAKER” BULL SALE

SEPT. 1, LA GRANGE, CA

Rick Machado

ANGUS BULLS $9,086

BYRD CATTLE CO. "DISTINCTLY DIFFERENT" BULL SALE

SEPT. 2, LOS MOLINOS, CA

Col. Rick Machado

ANGUS BULLS

$7,903

FEMALES $5,000

EZ ANGUS RANCH BULL SALE

SEPT. 3, FARMINGTON, CA

Col. Rick Machado and Col. Jake Parnell Managed by Parnell Dickinson, Inc.

ANGUS BULLS $8,505

HERITAGE BULL SALE

Five Star Land and Livestock, Bar R Angus, J/V Angus and Tri-T Farms

SEPT. 4, WILTON, CA

Col. Jake Parnell Managed by Parnell Dickinson, Inc 79 ANGUS BULLS $6,477

GENOA LIVESTOCK 12TH ANNUAL PRODUCTION SALE

SEPT. 5, MINDEN, NV

Rick Machado

HEREFORD BULLS

O’NEAL RANCH “PERFORMANCE PLUS” BULL SALE

SEPT. 6, MADERA, CA

Col. Jake Parnell

ANGUS BULLS $5,279

TEIXEIRA CATTLE COMPANY PRODUCTION SALE SEPT. 7, PISMO BEACH, CA

Rick Machado Managed by Matt Macfarlane Marketing

ANGUS BULLS $5,000

DONATI RANCHES

Matt Macfarlane Marketing

Jason Judge and BJ Macfarlane catching up at the Tehama Angus Bull Sale.

Stepaside Farm's Lalo Camarena with Kurt and Sharon Hertlein at the EZ Angus Bull Sale.

Matt Myers, EZ Angus' Travis Coy and Doug Worthington kicked off the 2022 Bull Sale Season at the annual Vintage Angus Ranch "Carcass Maker" Bull Sale in LaGrange on Sept. 1.

Justin Mora and Kevin Borror at the Tehama Angus Bull Sale.

Herb Holzapfel, Jake and Holton Martin and Kurt Urricelqui at the Tehama Angus Bull Sale in Gerber on Sept. 9.

Col. Rick Machado with Seth Scribner at the EZ Angus Bull Sale in Farmington on Sept. 3.

TEHAMA ANGUS RANCH “GENERATIONS OF PERFORMANCE” BULL SALE

SEPT. 9, GERBER, CA

Col. Rick Machado

124 ANGUS BULLS $8,016

ARELLANO BRAVO & DIABLO VALLEY ANGUS BULL SALE

with Diablo Valley Angus and Dixie Valley Angus

SEPT. 10, GALT, CA

Col. Rick Machado

71 ANGUS BULLS $4,578

VISALIA LIVESTOCK'S CATTLEMEN'S SELECT BULL SALE

SEPT. 11, VISALIA, CA

Col. Randy Baxley

106 BULLS $5,985

67 ANGUS $6,309

30 RED ANGUS $5,415

5 SIMANGUS $5,700

4 HEREFORD $5,187

BULLSEYE BREEDERS BULL SALE

SEPT. 14, MODESTO, CA

Col. Rick Machado

129 ANGUS BULLS $6,474

RANCHO CASINO & DAL PORTO LIVESTOCK BULL SALE

SEPT. 15, DENAIR, CA

Col. Rick Machado and Col. Max Olvera

139 ANGUS BULLS $6,687

13 FEMALES $3,211

WATCH FOR

ISSUE

AND

Angus. America’s Breed.

Austin Flynn, Regional Manager Arizona California Nevada Utah

A reliable business partner is difficult to come by. Contact Austin Flynn to locate Angus genetics, select marketing options tailored to your needs, and to access American Angus Association® programs and services. Put the business breed to work for you.

Contact Regional Manager Austin Flynn: Cell: 559.361.9701 aflynn@angus.org

3201 Frederick Ave. | St. Joseph, MO 64506 816.383.5100

www.ANGUS.org

Bull buyers Joe Clarot and Pat Kirby in Galt on Sept. 10.

David and Becky Gibbs and Jim and Jenny Perry waiting for the Arellano Bravo and Diablo Valley Bull Sale to get underway on Sept. 10 in Galt.

Dominic Ciafinchi, John Ginochio and Ryan Prior in Denair on Sept. 15.

WSR's Dugan Kelly and Angus breeder Justin Rhoades at the Visalia Cattlemen's Select Bull Sale on Sept. 11.

Marty Williamson with Col. John Rodgers at the Rancho Casino and Dal Porto Livestock Bull Sale in Denair.

Hereford breeder Bobby Mickelson and WLJ Fieldman Jared Patterson catch up at Visalia Livestock Market.

Association

In Memory

Widely known and loved for his support of local youth, Petaluma rancher and livestock auctioneer Antone “Tony”

Gonsalves Brazil died peacefully at his home Aug. 24. He was 96.

For more than 60 years, Brazil had sponsored a little league team while also volunteering his auctioneering skills to the local junior livestock auction, helping it become one of the largest in the state. Of Portuguese descent, he was also an important figure in regional Portuguese societies with vast knowledge and pride in his heritage.

“My dad was a loving husband and father, with a generous and humble heart,” said Terri Hohener, one of Brazil’s six children. “A hard worker with a sense of humor, he loved kids and was very community spirited.”

Brazil was born in 1926 in Sausalito to Elias and Maria Brazil, immigrants from the Azores, a Portuguese archipelago west of Portugal. Elias and Maria were part of the large Portuguese community of dairy farmers in southern Marin County.

After graduating from Tamalpais Union High School in 1945, Brazil became a partner with his father in the family dairy business. They built up a herd of about a hundred milking cows and eventually purchased an 800acre ranch in Muir Woods-Franks Valley.

Brazil met Theresa Avila, whose parents were also from the Azores, at a social function of one of the many Portuguese societies in the region, some of which still function today. The couple married in 1950.

In 1955, the state bought Brazil’s ranch, enabling the family to relocate to Petaluma in 1960 where they established a cattle ranch and built their own home on a low hill east of town. He also bought the Petaluma Livestock Auction.

A self-taught auctioneer, Brazil never formally retired from the auction. Only the COVID-19 pandemic put an end to his regular weekly schedule of orchestrating the sale of pigs, goats and cattle. Today, the auction operation is owned and managed by Brazil’s son, Manuel.

A fixture of Petaluma Little League, Brazil sponsored the Lucky 7 team, named for his ranch, for six decades.

“Win or lose, Tony would always treat the boys to hot dogs at the food stand after the game,” said Corinna Neve, whose two sons played on the team. “He rooted for the kids.”

Neve is the widow of Petaluma farmer Robert Neve, who was one of Brazil’s closest friends.

“Tony was truly old-time Petaluma,” she said. “He was the salt of the earth.”

To support local 4-H and Future Farmers of America programs, Brazil donated his auctioneering skills to the Junior Livestock Auction at the Sonoma County Fair for 63 years.

Having grown up in the world of Portuguese-owned dairy farms in Marin County, Brazil was a valuable resource for historians interested in the North Bay. He had deep knowledge of the early dairies, ranches and slaughterhouses in the region, as well as of regional Portuguese societies — a world where people worked the land, helped one another and practiced self-sufficiency.

Mike Moyle, a local historian associated with the Sausalito Historical Society, has a particular interest in the early days of the hundreds of Portuguese dairies in Marin County. He valued Brazil’s deep knowledge of the North Bay Portuguese community and dairymen.

“Tony had an excellent memory for the details and was wonderfully helpful,” Moyle said. “He even prepared a handwritten map for me of the many Portuguese dairies in southern Marin County back in those early years.”

Ken Gonsalves, of Lake Shastina, remembers Brazil as “a man of integrity that I want to emulate and teach my kids to emulate.”

Gonsalves’ father, Norman Gonsalves Sr., was a close friend of Brazil. The two men played leadership roles in local Portuguese organizations.

“He was a man you could respect and admire,” Gonsalves said.

Brazil is survived by his wife of 71 years, Theresa Ann Brazil, 89; their six children, Terri Brazil Hohener, Gerry Maffei, Antoinette Brazil, Manuel Brazil, Tony Brazil Jr. and Jeanette Jennings; 10 grandchildren and eight greatgrandchildren.

Memorial article reprinted from the Petaluma Argus-Observer.

wedding bells

Bianchi & Pirnik

Erica Bianchi and Steven Pirnik were wed in a ceremoney on August 6 at Paicines Ranch surrounded by family and friends.

The parents of the bride are Robert and Chris Bianchi, Gilroy. The parents of the groom are Jim and Michelle Pirnik of San Jose. The bride is a managing partner at her family's BR Beef, LLC and the groom has a career as a plumber. The couple has made their first home in Gilroy.

Tony Brazil

Duane Martin, Sr.

Duane Martin Sr. passed away on Wednesday, Aug. 17 at his home in Ione at the age of 82. He was born on March 6, 1940 in Hayward to Inez and Frank Martin.

Duane grew up on his father’s dairy in San Jose, where he learned the value of hard work and perseverance. Growing up. "Senior," as he was called later in life, had a love of cool cars and regularly talked about his '57 Chevy two door hard top he had. He then attended Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo for a whole quarter as a dairy science major until he decided he “knew more than the teachers did.” After returning home Duane joined the army for a brief period of time.

Finally, at the age of 24, Duane got his start in the cattle business. While driving a Redi-mix truck, he purchased 20 cows from his father and never looked back. Duane had such a passion for the cattle industry, any “vacation” he took over the next 58 years had to involve cattle, or it wasn’t really a vacation for him.

Duane started with ranching in the bay area. He then relocated to Acampo in 1971 and began trading cattle as well. He then moved to Ione in 1997. From then on, there was no slowing down for Duane. He accumulated numerous ranches, leased many others and owned several red cattle trucks. Through years of hard work and determination he grew his operation with the help of his son to become one of the top 25 largest cow-calf producers in the United States, while running a large stocker operation and feeding cattle.

Duane took great pride in his cattle, his business and his family. He couldn’t have been happier starting to bring the third generation into the family business. He enjoyed meeting all the new people in this industry and sharing his knowledge wherever he went. He always said that the cattle business “isn’t an exact science,” and he always encouraged people to give things a try and when things got tough to “stay with it, don’t weaken!”

Duane is survived by his wife Penny Martin; children, Duane, Jr. (Lynette) Martin and Lisa (Tom) Hopley; stepchildren, Dallas (Laura) Welch and Whitney (Nic) Evans; and grandchildren Brooke and Brittany Martin, Thomas Hopley; Nixon, Greyson and Crew Evans; and Harper, Ensley and Taytum Welch. He is preceded in death by his parents and his first wife Marlene Martin.

A celebration of life was scheduled for Oct. 3 at Duane’s home ranch in Ione.

John Spencer

John Paul Spencer of Etna, passed away peacefully in his sleep Sunday, July 31 at the Hearthstone Rehabilitation center in Medford, Ore. John was born on May 8, 1941, the youngest of three children to Harold and Pauline Spencer of Whittier. The family enjoyed showing horses and from a young age John had an undying love for his horses. He was also in Boy Scouts, played football in high school, and was active in the FFA.

He graduated from La Habra High school in 1959 and then attended UC Davis where he majored in Animal Science. John played football and was a member of the Alpha Gamma Rho Fraternity where he made many lifelong friends. It was also during this time that he spent summers working for Glen Barnes on a work study program and he was introduced to Scott Valley. At that time John knew he wanted to make the beautiful valley his home.

After graduating from UC Davis in 1964, he enlisted in the United States Coast Guard and headed across the country to Yorktown, Virginia for Officer Candidate School. After completing his training, John was deployed to Vietnam and served there in 1966-1967.

Soon after returning from Vietnam and being honorably discharged from the Coast Guard, John met Carol Ann White at a cousin’s wedding. They were married one year later, on Sept 7, 1968. The Spencer family had purchased a ranch in Scott Valley and the newlyweds started their life on the new enterprise. John was passionate about showing horses and traveled to Nebraska that same year to purchase his foundation stud horse Johnny Pine. Together they traveled far and wide to horse shows, earning points to make Johnny Pine an American Quarter Horse Association champion and put the Spencer Ranch on the map. People from all around sent their mares to be bred to Johnny Pine and he was very well regarded.

John also developed a well-known commercial cow herd. His scientific approach utilized performance testing and artificial insemination in a planned cross breeding program. His cattle were high performing and excelled in the feedlot earning him the California Beef Cattle Improvement Association commercial beef cattle producer of the year in 1983.

John and Carol had two children, Jerry was born in 1972 and Jennifer in 1975. The family worked on the ranch and were very active in the 4-H and FFA. John served many years as a 4-H leader and FFA booster. He was also active in the local cattlemen’s association and was honored as the Cattleman of the Year in 2005.

John never wavered in his love of his family, horses, and his ranch. He attended as many ball games and kid events as possible supporting his kids and grandkids. He enjoyed fishing and spending time in the mountains. He passed on his love of horses and ranching to his kids and grandkids to continue his legacy.

John is survived by his wife Carol and children Jerry Spencer (Anne Spencer) and Jennifer Thackeray (Sam Thackeray), his eight grandchildren, Jack, Calvin, Mae, Jane and Blair Thackeray, and Elizabeth, Audrey and Charlotte Spencer. In addition, John had two older siblings, Florence Wilkins of Yreka and Art Spencer of Fort Jones. A grave side service was held August 6th at the Fort Jones cemetery. Donations in memorandum for John Spencer can be made to Scott Valley Scholarships PO Box 352, Etna, CA 96027.

is an infectious parasitic disease in cattle, spread primarily by ticks and blood sucking insects like mosquitoes. The killed anaplasmosis vaccine protects cows and bulls of any age from infection and requires a booster given 4 to 6 weeks after the initial vaccination. Find out below if you should order the vaccine!

MEMBERSHIP

1221 H Street Sacramento, CA 95814 916-444-0845 (Office) · 916-444-2194 (Fax) www.calcattlemen.org

RANCH/BUSINESS NAME: ADDRESS:

NAME(S):

CITY: STATE: ZIP:

E-MAIL ADDRESS: PRIMARY PHONE:

Recruited By_________________________

Step 1: CCA Membership

P M

Cattle Numbers Dues

2500 & Over $1,765

1600-2499 $1,275 1000-1599 $970 800-999 $725 500-799 $615 300-499 $460 100-299 $325 0-99 $240

Calves under 6 months of age are not counted.

Stockers pay at ½ the total number of stockers owned each year or minimum dues, whichever is greater.

A M F C

N -V M

Statewide Allied/Feeder Associate $220 (includes Feeder Council Associate, Allied Industry membership and second membership. Second membership does not include Allied Industry voting rights.)

Statewide Stewards of the Land $150 (Available to non-producers that own land on which cattle could or are run.)

CCA Supporting Member $100 (Available to non-producers who support the industry.)

Y C M

N -V M

Young Cattlemen’s Committee $ 25

Must own fewer than 100 head of cattle.

Must be 25 years of age or younger or a full-time student

Applicant’s Birth Date:_______________

- ORif over 25 years of age

Applicant’s expected date of Graduation:

Amador-El Dorado-Sac $20.00

Butte $10.00

CBCIA

Humboldt-Del Norte $15.00 Monterey County $25.00 Santa Clara $25.00 Ventura County

Inyo-Mono-Alpine $25.00 Napa-Solano $20.00 Shasta County $20.00 Yolo County

Calaveras $10.00 Kern County NA Plumas-Sierra $10.00 Siskiyou County $10.00 Yuba –Sutter

Contra Costa -Alameda $25.00 Lassen County $20.00 San Benito $20.00

Sonoma-Marin $10.00

Fall River-Big Valley $25.00 Madera County $30.00 San Diego-Imperial $10.00 Tahoe $15.00

Fresno-Kings $20.00 Mendocino County $30.00 San Joaquin-Stanislaus $5.00 Tehama County $20.00

Glenn-Colusa $20.00 Merced-Mariposa $30.00 San Luis Obispo $30.00 Tulare County $5.00

High Desert $25.00 Modoc County $25.00 Santa Barbara $25.00 Tuolumne County $10.00

$35.00 $25.00 $25.00

Advertisers’ Index

44 Farms 33

Amador Angus Ranch 44

American Angus Association 41

American Hereford Association

Animal Health International 47

Arrowquip 11

Bar Ale Premium Livestock Feeds 48

Bar KD Ranch

Bar R Angus 44

Bayer 23

Birch Creek Angus 19

Bovine Elite LLC 48

Broken Box Ranch 47

Buchanan Angus Ranch 44

Byrd Cattle Co. 44

Cattlemen's Livestock Market 15

Chico State College of Ag

Conlin Supply Company, Inc. 9

Dal Porto Livestock 44

Dixie Valley Angus 44, 51

Donati Ranch

EZ Angus Ranch 44

Freitas Rangeland Improvments 39

Fresno State Ag Foundation 47

GenePlus 37

Genoa Livestock .................................................46

Harrell Hereford Ranch 46

HAVE Angus 45

Hogan Ranch 45 Hone Ranch .........................................................45

Hufford's Herefords 46

JMM Genetics 48

Kessler Angus 45

Knipe Land Company

Lambert Ranch 3, 46

Little Shasta Ranch 47

McPhee Red Angus 46

Memory Ranches 27

Morrell Ranches 46

Noahs Angus Ranch 45

O'Connell Ranch 45

O'Neal Ranch 45

P.W. Gillibrand Cattle Co...................................46

Pacific Trace Minerals 47

Red River Farms 45

Sammis Ranch 45

Schohr Herefords 46

Sierra Ranches 47

Sonoma Mountain Herefords 47

Spanish Ranch 47

Stepaside Farms 45

Stokerose Angus 13

Tehama Angus Ranch 45

Teixeira Cattle Co. 45

Tumbleweed Ranches.........................................46

Turlock Livestock Auction Yard 7

VF Red Angus .....................................................46

Vintage Angus Ranch 46, 52

Watkins Fence Company 48

West Coast Brangus Breeders 47

Western Poly Pipe 39

Western Stockman's Market 25

Western Video Market 2

Wraith, Scarlett, Randoph Insurance 31