CALIFORNIA CATTLEMAN WEEKLY
September 9, 2024
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CDFW Reports Quarterly Wolf News, Releases New Wolf Depredation Reports
The California Department of Fish and Wildlife on Wednesday announced that it has released fourteen new “livestock loss determination” reports regarding suspected wolf depredations of livestock, the first dated June 10 (not included in a tranche of June reports released August 7 and previously reported by California Cattleman Weekly) and the remainder from investigations occurring between July 10 and August 19.
The new reports confirm attacks on nine cattle across eight separate depredation events, with one calf depredation attributed to the Beyem Seyo pack in eastern Plumas County and the remainder attributed to Siskiyou County’s Whaleback Pack. Five investigations resulted in findings of an “unknown” cause of death, including two instances in which suspected depredations by Tulare County’s Yowlumni Pack could not be confirmed “due to the advanced stages of scavenging and decay” and one in which “the carcass could not be located” by investigators.
So far in 2024, CDFW has confirmed that 29 livestock animals have been killed by gray wolves in the state, including four lambs, a llama and 24 cattle. The Whaleback Pack is responsible for 18 of those losses, with eight attributed to the Beyem Seyo Pack and three to the Harvey Pack, which has territory in Lassen and Shasta counties.
Two days after releasing the depredation reports, CDFW released its quarterly Wolf Management Update for the quarter ending June 30. According to the update, California currently has a minimum of 63 known wolves across seven established packs (two wolves were also detected this quarter in eastern Plumas County and another two were spotted in eastern Tehama County). CDFW has operational tracking collars on five wolves, two on wolves in the Yowlumni Pack and one each on wolves in the Beyem Seyo, Harvey and Whaleback Packs.
As previously reported in California Cattleman Weekly, CCA this year secured $600,000 in the FY 2024-25 State Budget to fund CDFW’s Wolf-Livestock Compensation Program. CCA staff and officers are in Washington, D.C. this week in part to lobby for additional federal resources to deter wolf activity near ranches and compensate ranchers impacted by gray wolves.
2023-24 Legislation Awaits Final Action from Governor Newsom
As reported in last week’s California Cattleman Weekly, Governor Gavin Newsom has until the end of the month to sign or veto bills sent to his desk by the Legislature.
On Friday, the Governor announced that he had signed CCA-sponsored AB 2436 (Alanis), a bill which will enable the Bureau of Livestock Identification to remain revenue-neutral in the years to come. CCA thanks Assemblyman Juan Alanis (R-Modesto) for authoring the legislation and commends Governor Newsom for signing it into law.
Six other bills supported or opposed by CCA await final action from the Governor; for more information on those pending measures, see last week’s edition of California Cattleman Weekly.
While the 2023-24 Regular Session has concluded, Governor Newsom has convened a special session of the Legislature “to address the pernicious problem of gasoline price spikes at the pump.” On Tuesday, legislators introduced legislation which seeks to prevent price spikes when in-state refineries undertake maintenance, and on Wednesday Assembly Speaker Rober Rivas (D-Hollister) announced the 19 members of the chamber’s Petroleum and Gasoline Supply Committee. While Senate President Pro Tempore Mike McGuire (D-Healdsburg) initially balked at convening the upper chamber for the special session, several senators last week suggested the Senate may reconvene if the Assembly musters the votes needed to advance a bill to the second house.
California Beef Cattle Improvement Association Now Accepting 2024 Seedstock Producer of the Year Award Applications
The California Beef Cattle Improvement Association (CBCIA) is now accepting applications for the CBCIA Outstanding Seedstock Producer of the Year Awards. The awards recognize progressive beef cattle breeders who use practical, scientifically accepted selection and management methods and integrate them into successful ranching operations. Applications are due Oct. 1. To learn more about the award click here. To download the application click here.
2024 CCA Scholarship and Internship Applications Now Open
The application period for the 2024 California Cattlemen’s Association Scholarships and Convention Internship are now being accepted. To learn more, click here. Any young, regular or feeder member are eligible to apply for the scholarship and internship. Past recipients and interns are eligible to reapply. If you are not currently a CCA member and would like to join visit https://calcattlemen.org/join. Contact Maureen in the CCA office at maureen@calcattlemen.org with any questions.
Upcoming CCA Events
Registration Open for 108th CCA & CCW Annual Convention & California Cattle Industry Tradeshow!
Dec. 4 – 6, 2024, Grand Sierra Resort, Reno, Nev.
The 108th CCA and CCW Annual Convention and California Cattle Industry Tradeshow will take place Dec. 4 – 6, 2024 at the Grand Sierra Resort in Reno, Nev. Attendee registration and the hotel room block for the 2024 CCA/CCW Convention is now open! Register, reserve your room in CCA’s room block and get more information by clicking here. Click the links below for more resources related to the event. Reserve your Tradeshow Booth Now | Sponsorship Opportunities. A tentative schedule is now available on our website. To view the tentative schedule, click here.
Upcoming Industry Events
UCCE Offers AB 589 Water Measurement and Reporting Course
Sept. 13, 1:00-5:00pm, UCCE Conference Room, 1432 Abbot St., Salinas, CA
The University of California Cooperative Extension (UCCE) will offer a water measurement and reporting course, as authorized by CCA-sponsored AB 589 (2017) and SB 880 (2022), on Friday, September 13. Registration is $30 and pre-registration is required. For additional details and to register for the training, click here or contact Larry Forero or Sara Jaimes.
San Luis Obispo Cattlemen’s Political Action Committee Event
Sept. 14, 2024 Raven Ranch, 6pm, Paso Robles, CA
The San Luis Obispo Cattlemen’s Political Action Committee (PAC) is hosting a fundraiser event on Saturday, Sept. 14 at the Raven Ranch in Paso Robles. Attendees will be served a BBQ dinner, and have the chance to participate in a live auction and hear from guest speaker, Victor Davis Hanson, Author, Senior Fellow at the Hoover Institute and regular Fox News Contributor. For more information view the flyer here. To purchase tickets and register, click here.
Public Lands Council Annual Meeting
Sept. 17-19, DoubleTree by Hilton, Grand Junction, Colo.
Registration is now open for the Public Lands Council’s 56th Annual Meeting, to be held in Grand Junction, Colorado from September 17-19. Registration for the three-day in-person event is $375, with discounted rates available for family members, students and media. The entire event will be hosted in the DoubleTree Hilton. For additional details and to register, click here.
Post-Fire Resilience Workshop Series
Sept. 19 – Oct. 19, 2024, 6-7:30pm, Virtual
The University of California Agriculture and Natural Resources is hosting a series of Post-Fire Resilience Workshops that will focus on post-fire landscapes that were impacted in the last three years in the Lake/Mendocino/Colusa areas. The workshop will take place on Thursday evenings from 6-7:30pm with one in-person field trip on Saturday, Oct. 19 in Lake County. To learn more and register, click here.
American National CattleWomen WIRED Event
Sept. 28-29, 2024, Camp Marston, Julian, CA
The American National CattleWomen (ANCW) is hosting a Women in Education and Development (WIRED) event at Camp Marston in Julian, CA Sept. 28-29. The event will consist of hands-on training in cattle handling & pen design, animal health topics, pasture management, genetic selection and much more. To learn more about the upcoming event and to register, click here.
30×30 Partnership 2024 Summit
Oct. 2-4, California Natural Resources Agency Headquarters, 715 P Street, Sacramento, CA
The California Natural Resources Agency will host its annual 30×30 Partnership Summit on Oct. 3 in Sacramento, with a theme of “inspire, innovate, integrate.” A Wild and Scenic Film Festival Screening will precede the Summit on Oct. 2 and related field trips will be held on Oct. 4.
“30×30” refers to the state’s goal of “conserving 30% of California’s lands and coastal waters by 2030,” and the 30×30 Partnership is an effort launched by CNRA to support that goal. For more information, click here; to register before the Sept. 26 deadline, click here.
Industry News
‘Amazing’: Endangered Calif. animal makes stunning comeback according to new data SFGate “Some are not as excited about the gray wolf’s return. Janna Gliatto, a manager at Table Rock Ranch, where wolves have killed several calves, told SFGATE last year that she feels helpless when it comes to the attack of wolves on her livestock: ‘Our hands are tied. We’ve been invaded.’” To continue reading, click here.
Californians to face steep fines for violating water orders under new legislation CalMatters “California lawmakers late Friday, Aug. 30 approved a massive increase in fines for water scofflaws after ranchers intentionally defied state orders and pumped water from the drought-plagued Shasta River for eight days. ” To continue reading, click here.
A new episode of Sorting Pen: The California Cattleman Podcast is out now! In this week’s episode, California Cattle Council Executive Director Justin Oldfield explains why 10% of the Council’s Annual Budget is put into a response fund, of which dollars are only deployed if an emergency or a potentially significant disruption to California’s cattle industry arises. Tune in to hear how this response fund is proving to be vital and about the special educational campaign, it is currently funding in Sonoma County. To listen to the episode, click here.
