CALIFORNIA CATTLEMAN WEEKLY

May 28, 2024

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New Episode of Sorting Pen: The California Cattleman Podcast
A new episode of Sorting Pen: The California Cattleman Podcast is out now! In this week’s episode, the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association’s Vice President of Government Affairs Ethan Lane joins Katie to chat about what the current focuses are in Washington D.C., discuss the Farm Bill process, explain some of the confusion NCBA is hearing around the final traceability rule and more. To listen, click here.

UPDATE: CCA Priorities Continue to Fare Well at House of Origin Deadline
Last week’s California Cattleman Weekly reported that CCA’s legislative priorities had fared well during the Assembly and Senate Appropriations Committees’ May 16 “suspense day” hearings, during which legislators considered hundreds of policy bills with fiscal implications for the state. Notably, all CCA-supported bills had advanced out of the appropriations committees.

Last Friday was yet another significant milestone in the legislative calendar: the house of origin deadline. Any bill that had not passed off the floor of the legislative chamber in which it was introduced by the end of the day Friday is officially dead for the 2023-24 Legislative Session.

All CCA-supported bills successfully advanced out of their chamber of origin by Friday and remain viable. Unfortunately, several CCA-opposed bills that were not halted in the Appropriations Committees also advanced to the second house, though several CCA-opposed measures took significant beatings in floor votes. For instance, CCA-opposed AB 2079 (Bennett), which would impose significant restrictions on new groundwater wells, squeaked out of the Assembly with the bare minimum number of votes needed to pass. CCA-opposed AB 1963 and AB 2552, both authored by Assemblymember Laura Friedman (D-Glendale), likewise passed out of the Assembly with relatively few votes to spare.

CCA remains in a strong position to ensure passage of the Association’s slate of supported legislation, and last week’s first house votes on CCA-opposed bills places the Association in an advantageous position to secure favorable amendments to those bills – or continue seeking their defeat – in the second house. CCA will continue to keep members apprised of the status of CCA’s 2024 lobbying priorities; for additional details on these and other bills CCA is lobbying at the Capitol, see the May/June edition of California Cattleman.

Governor Newsom Releases May Revision of Proposed 2024-25 State Budget
Governor Gavin Newsom earlier this month released the “May Revision” of his proposed 2024-25 State Budget, seeking to close this year’s projected budget gap of $27.6 billion and “next year’s projected $28.4 billion deficit” through a number of spending cuts, funding shifts from the General Fund to special funds such as the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund and delayed spending of previously-authorized expenditures. Of note for CCA members, the May Revise does not propose any additional funding for the Department of Fish and Wildlife’s Wolf-Livestock Compensation Program. Negotiations between the Administration and Legislature will continue over the next two weeks ahead of a June 15 Constitutional deadline for lawmakers to finalize a Budget, during which time CCA will continue advocating for funding for the Association’s fiscal priorities, including wolf-livestock compensation funding and wildfire-resilience investments. For more information, see the May 13 edition of California Cattleman Weekly.

CDFW Releases Gray Wolf Updates
On May 6, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife released its quarterly wolf update for the first quarter of 2024. The update names a new wolf pack identified in Nevada and Sierra counties as the “Antelope Pack” and identifies four “Areas of Wolf Activity” in addition to the known territories of seven previously-identified wolf packs in the state. The Department also released nine new depredation investigation reports from the first quarter of the year, confirming three new depredation events in Lassen and Siskiyou counties. For more information, see the May 13 edition of California Cattleman Weekly.

Sonoma-Marin Cattlemen’s Association Member’s to be Recognized at Sonoma County Farm Bureau Love of the Land Event
From the Sonoma County Farm Burea
Sonoma County Farm Bureau will honor a group of agricultural leaders at their annual Love of the Land celebration on July 11th at The Pavilion at Richard’s Grove, La Crema Estates & Saralee’s Vineyard.

Those being honored that evening are Cheryl LaFranchi, Farm Bureau Hall of Fame Inductee, Weber Family Farms, recipient of the Luther Burbank Conservation Award, the Carinalli Family of Sebastopol, named Farm Family of the Year, and Sam Dolcini, Friend of Farm Bureau.

Love of the Land is a mid-summer celebration honoring agricultural award winners leading the way to preserve Sonoma County’s rich farming heritage. The evening begins at 4:30 pm with the Sonoma Grown reception, where guests mingle, enjoy local food and beverages, and pursue the silent auction. Following the reception, guests pass through the wine country BBQ buffet and take their seats in preparation for the program & live auction. Funds from this event further Sonoma County Farm Bureau’s mission of preserving agricultural lands through advocacy and special programs and providing agriculture education for youth of all ages.

The mid-summer celebration is open to anyone who wants to join in honoring the agricultural award winners.

Tickets for Love of the Land are on sale now. For more information on the event and ticketing, visit www.sonomafb.org or call 707-544-5575. To view the informational flyer click here.

Upcoming Deadlines for Air District Grants
The California Air Resources Board (CARB) provides $60 million annually in grant funding to repower or replace older off-road and on-road equipment through the Carl Moyer Program. The program is administered by each of the 35 local air quality districts and often can provide funding to replace or repower ag equipment such as loaders, tractors, and pump engines. However, each district has some degree of latitude in how they administer the program, including the application process. While some districts accept applications on an ongoing basis, others have short application periods.

The Rancher Technical Assistance Program (RTAP) has compiled a list of these application periods and can help ranchers navigate the application process. Reach out to RTAP at (916) 409-6902 or rtap@wrstrat.com if you would like to know when your district’s application period is open or learn more about the Carl Moyer Program.

Air Quality Districts with upcoming Carl Moyer Program application deadlines: 

Colusa County APCD – Closes 5/31/24
North Coast Unified AQMD – Closes 5/31/24
Placer County APCD – Closes 5/31/24
Ventura County APCD – Closes 6/21/24

Upcoming CCA Events

Upcoming Industry Events

Industry News

NCBA Commends House Agriculture Committee for Passing Farm Bill National Cattlemen’s Beef Association “Today, the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) thanked the House Agriculture Committee for passing the next Farm Bill, known as the Farm, Food, and National Security Act of 2024. This Farm Bill includes top priorities for cattle farmers and ranchers including cattle health, voluntary conservation, and food security provisions.” To continue reading, click here.

Updates on H5N1 Beef Safety Studies USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service “USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS), as part of its ongoing efforts to ensure the safety of the food supply, has conducted tests on beef tissue from 96 cull dairy cows condemned at select FSIS-inspected facilities. Meat from condemned cows is prohibited from entering the food supply. On May 22, 2024, viral particles were detected in tissue samples, including muscle, from one cow.  To date, samples from 95 cows have tested negative for viral particles. No meat from these dairy cattle entered the food supply.” To continue reading, click here.

Anti-pollution Measure J sees backlash from Sonoma farmers CBS News “County Supervisors are unanimously opposed to the measure. ‘Everything is wrong with measure J,’ says supervisor David Rabbitt. ‘It is a disaster for Sonoma County.’ He claims an annual half-billion dollar hit to the economy. But since a measure like this has never been passed anywhere in the country, its effects are almost incalculable.” To continue reading, click here.