CALIFORNIA CATTLEMAN WEEKLY

May 12, 2025

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CALL TO ACTION: Oppose Fish & Game Commission Limiting Take of Coyotes
This Thursday, the Wildlife Resources Committee of the California Fish and Game Commission will meet in Sacramento to discuss and recommend “changes to regulations regarding the take of coyotes.” While full details of any forthcoming regulatory amendment are not yet known, what is known from a Jan. 15 hearing of the Committee is that Committee Co-Chair (and Commission President) Erika Zavaleta is proposing to remove coyotes from the class of nongame mammals which “may be taken at any time of the year and in any number” under existing regulation, severely limiting individuals’ ability to proactively manage the predators.

CCA is asking members to get involved to oppose any regulation which would restrict your ability to proactively manage coyotes threatening your livestock by taking them in any number and at any time. 

• There are several options for ranchers to participate in Thursday’s hearing:
  • Participate in-person at the Natural Resources Headquarters Building at 715 P Street in Sacramento;
  • Participate online using the Commission’s instructions for joining the meeting via the Zoom platform; or
  • Call in by dialing (877) 336-1831 and using the conference code 481000.

CCA submitted detailed comments opposing the regulatory proposal ahead of the May 2 initial comment deadline, and CCA staff will be on-hand Thursday to oppose the regulatory change. But it will be essential for Commissioners to hear directly from ranchers who would be impacted by limits on coyote take.

For more information, listen to the April 28 edition of the Sorting Pen podcast, and for additional background, see the Feb. 18 edition of California Cattleman Weekly.

Live Cattle Imports from Mexico Suspended Amid New World Screwworm Threat
Yesterday, the U.S. Department of Agriculture announced that the agency had suspended the importation of live cattle across the Mexican border “due to the continued and rapid northward spread of New World Screwworm (NWS) in Mexico.” USDA previously halted importation of live cattle from Mexico in November after NWS was discovered along the nation’s southern border with Guatemala, but were allowed to resume in early February. The new restrictions on cattle movement were necessitated by an “unacceptable northward advancement of NWS” to within “700 miles away from the U.S. border,” according to USDA.

Suspension of imports is anticipated to be on a month-to-month basis, until continued collaboration with Mexico to slow the northward progression of the parasite achieves “a significant window of containment.”

According to USDA, “Any livestock currently in holding for entry into the United States will be processed normally,” including inspection and treatment to ensure the animals are not carrying NWS.

CCA will share further updates on this development as they become available.

100th Episode of Sorting Pen: The California Cattleman Podcast!
The 100th episode of Sorting Pen: The California Cattleman Podcast is out now! To celebrate the 100th episode, we are launching our first episode in a new series on this podcast focused on “Sorting Through Stories with California Ranching Legends.” Starting with this interview, a couple of times a year, Sorting Pen host Katie Roberti will sit down with some of the great cattlemen and women in the West to hear their ranching stories, lessons, and more.

Our first legend is Mr. Ellington Peek. 

Ellington sat in his favorite seat in the stands outside the auction ring at Shasta Livestock Auction as Katie recorded a conversation full of stories about the auction yard, the beginning of the Western Video Market, and Ellington’s life. Hear what Ellington loves about buying and selling cattle and much more on this can’t miss episode. To listen, click here.

Upcoming CCA Events

Upcoming Industry Events

CCA in the News

Legislature considers compost alternatives for deceased livestock Agri-Pulse “Authored by Assemblymember Diane Papan, D-San Mateo, and co-sponsored by the California Cattlemen’s Association, AB 411 would allow ranchers and livestock processors to compost carcasses according to management guidance.” To continue reading, click here.

Industry News

President Trump Secures Trade Win for America’s Cattle Producers National Cattlemen’s Beef Association “Today, the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) announced support for President Donald Trump’s trade agreement-in-principle with the United Kingdom (U.K.). Most importantly, the agreement includes market access for beef. This announcement follows years of NCBA’s hard work building the foundation for a trade deal with the U.K., including numerous meetings with British industry stakeholders, Members of Parliament, the British Embassy, the U.K. Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, and other top British authorities.” To continue reading, click here.

Tehama County wolf pack confirmation prompts talks Red Bluff Daily News “Tehama County has a wolf pack roaming around. Agricultural Commissioner/Sealer Tom Moss shared that he recently received a call from the California Department of Fish and Wildlife confirming the pack, which has been named the Ishi Pack.” To continue reading, click here.

Wolves Roam California Again, Reviving Old Fears and New Conflicts in Ranch Country KQED “For decades, gray wolves were thought to have been hunted and poisoned into extinction in California, with the last sighting of the animal in the 1920s. But that changed in late 2011, when a wolf wearing a radio collar crossed into the state from Oregon. To continue reading, click here.