CALIFORNIA CATTLEMAN WEEKLY

Oct. 6, 2025

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CCA-Sponsored AB 411 Signed Into Law
In a Saturday legislative update, Governor Gavin Newsom announced that he had signed into law CCA-Sponsored AB 411 (Papan), which legalizes on-ranch composting of routine livestock mortalities and butcher waste. Specifically, AB 411 authorizes up to 100 cubic yards of on-ranch compost at any given time, equivalent to about 6-10 animals (or about 40 animals per year, assuming a 90-day compost cycle).

Currently, ranchers have limited options for disposing of animal mortalities or butcher waste. Only a few rendering facilities are left in the state (mostly in the Central Valley and Southern California), leaving many producers with limited carcass disposal solutions. With composting prohibited by CalRecycle regulations, many ranchers’ only disposal option is bone piling, which can be a significant attractant for wolves and other predators.

AB 411 provides ranchers a disposal option that is proven to reduce predator interactions – though, importantly, the bill does not require ranchers to cease bone piling or begin composting.

The Governor’s signature on AB 411 is a huge win for CCA and California ranchers seeking alternative carcass disposal options. The bill received stiff opposition from rendering facilities, despite no evidence to suggest that authorized composting impacts rendering demand in the 42 states which already allow the practice. Additionally, because rendering facilities are staffed with union labor, the bill was opposed by many of California’s powerful labor organizations, including the California Federation of Labor Unions. Despite this strong opposition, the fierce lobbying efforts of CCA’s Government Affairs team and a broad coalition of supporters ensured that the bill never received a “no” vote throughout this year’s legislative process.

Before AB 411 can go into full effect and ranchers can begin composting, the California Department of Food & Agriculture will first have to develop best management practices for the composting of routine livestock mortalities.

CCA thanks Assemblymember Diane Papan for authoring this important bill, her staff for all their efforts getting it to the finish line, and the broad coalition of 18 other organizations which pushed for the measure to become law. For more information on AB 411, see the November edition of the California Cattleman magazine.

Bipartisan Congressional Delegation Pushes for Enhanced New World Screwworm Surveillance at California-Mexico Border
Led by Congressman David Valadao (R-CA22), a bipartisan coalition of California’s Congressional delegation late last month issued a letter to USDA requesting “enhanced surveillance at the California-Mexico border to help secure our country against the threat of New World screwworm” (NWS).

The request came after USDA announced on September 21 that NWS had been detected just 70 miles south of the U.S.-Mexico border. As the Congressional letter notes, California’s 140-mile border with Mexico is the only state border “without a robust NWS surveillance program,” representing a weak spot in USDA’s NWS prevention efforts which could be shored up with “relatively modest investments.”

In addition to Congressman Valadao, the letter was signed by Representatives Jim Costa (D-CA21), Jimmy Panetta (D-CA19), John Garamendi (D-CA08), Salud Carbajal (D-CA24), Jay Obernolte (R-CA23), Vince Fong (R-CA20), Doug LaMalfa (R-CA01) and Young Kim (R-CA40).

CCA helped coordinate the Congressional letter, which arose in part from meetings with California’s Congressional delegation on September 16 during CCA’s Washington, D.C. “Fly-in.”

For more information, see the press release from Congressman Valadao’s office.

CDFA Accepting Comments on Climate Resilience Strategy for Agriculture
The California Department of Food & Agriculture announced last week that it will accept public comment on its Climate Resilience Strategy for California Agriculture through November 7 (a free account signup is necessary to view the strategy document). According to CDFA’s news release, the Strategy “outlines a comprehensive vision to help California farmers, ranchers, farmworkers, and agricultural communities prepare for and adapt to current and future climate impacts.”

CDFA has announced two workshops for farmers and ranchers to learn more about the Climate Resilience Strategy and to share feedback. To register for the October 22, 6:30pm webinar, click here; to register for the October 28, 9:00am webinar, click here.

RMAC Accepting Comments on Local-Regional Grazing Guidance
The Range Management Advisory Committee of the California Board of Forestry & Fire Protection has released a draft Local-Regional Grazing Guidance mandated by SB 675 (Limón, 2024) and is accepting comments in response to the draft through November 7. For more information, visit the RMAC webpage.

Federal Government Shutdown Enters Third Week
The federal government officially entered a shutdown on Wednesday, October 1 after federal legislators failed to agree on a short-term continuing resolution to fund government operations. Today was the thirteenth full day of the shutdown, and with the House of Representatives not set to reconvene this week, federal operations are likely to remain shuttered at least for the remainder of the week. For details of how the government shutdown impacts federal agencies upon which cattle producers rely, see last week’s edition of California Cattleman Weekly. For greater details, ranchers can view USDA’s “Lapse of Funding Plan” and the Department of Interior’s “Operations in the Absence of Appropriations” plan.

California Rangeland Trust Documentary Screenings in October
Attend an upcoming screening of the California Rangeland Trust’s You Just Can’t See Them From the Road film as this powerful and honest documentary is making its way to communities throughout the state. A screening is set to take place Tuesday, Oct. 21, from 5:30 to 8:30 PM at the Angels Theatre in Angels Camp. Another screening is happening Wednesday, Oct. 22 at District 56 in Elk Grove. To get tickets and learn more about the film, click here.

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Industry News

Majestic wild horses are trampling Mono Lake’s otherworldly landscape. The feds plan a roundup Los Angeles Times “It would be a relief for some. Environmentalists say the horses are degrading the otherworldly landscape at Mono Lake, including bird habitat and its famed tufa — textured rock columns that would look at home on Mars. Ranchers say the animals are gobbling down plants needed to sustain their cattle. Federal officials highlight the safety hazard posed by horses that have wandered onto highways.” To continue reading, click here.

Forest Service lags on prescribed burns after Calif. loses 600-year-old trees to wildfire SFGate “Lightning-sparked flames raced through a roughly 3,000-acre tract of old-growth forest in the central Sierra Nevada during the Garnet Fire in September. Before this year, the Teakettle Experimental Forest had last burned in 1865. Its historic fire region, however, means the mixed-conifer and red fir research forest should have seen wildfire every 15 years or so. When the Garnet Fire recently tore through, 160 years of accumulated fuels powered the flames, which burned so hot and fierce that the wildfire killed the majority of the trees – some of which were 600 years old.” To continue reading, click here.

The slow cattle cycle timeline Western Livestock Journal “Increasingly, cattle producers, consumers and policymakers are asking how high cattle prices will go, when they will reach a peak and what happens after the peak. Questions about the cyclical peak in cattle prices and the trajectory of prices past the peak depend on factors that are still unknown at this time. We do not yet have any definitive indication of a cyclical bottom in cattle inventories—let alone the path of herd rebuilding to follow. The timeline of prices to the top has yet to be established and therefore speculation about the path of prices after the peak is widely variable at this point.” To continue reading, click here.