CALIFORNIA CATTLEMAN WEEKLY
May 4, 2026
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CDFW Shares Wolf Program Updates, Identifies Three New Packs
The California Department of Fish and Wildlife recently released several reports about the state’s gray wolf population. The agency’s Quarterly Wolf News report reveals that the state currently has 12 known wolf packs, including three which have been recently recognized based on six months of consistent presence in their respective regions. The Department has also posted an update to its 2026 Wolf-Livestock Depredation Report which details five confirmed wolf depredations of livestock and five probable depredations since losses were last reported through February 20. In total, there were 26 confirmed or probable depredations in the first three months of the year. For more information, see last week’s edition of California Cattleman Weekly.
Take Action: Tell the U.S. Senate to Pass the Pet and Livestock Protection Act
CCA partner the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association has launched a call-to-action campaign in support of H.R. 845, the Pet and Livestock Protection Act, which would delist gray wolves from the federal Endangered Species Act throughout the lower 48 states and ensure that federal courts cannot upend the delisting. The legislation passed the U.S. House of Representatives late last year with bipartisan support and is currently awaiting action from the Senate before it can advance to President Donald Trump’s desk. NCBA has released a simple online tool to help ranchers communicate their support for the Pet and Livestock Protection Act to their senators. For more information and to lend your name to the effort, click here.
Permittees Encouraged to Attend PLC Grazing Roundtable May 20 in Susanville
The Public Lands Council invites grazing permittees to a roundtable on May 20 in Susanville to discuss federal lands grazing issues. Interested permittees can RSVP for the event here. The address of the meeting and additional details will be shared with respondents ahead of the roundtable. Southern California permittees are welcome to join the May 12 roundtable in Queen Creek, Arizona (RSVP here for that event). Permittees unable to attend either roundtable will have an opportunity to participate in a virtual roundtable at a later date, though in-person participation is heavily encouraged. For additional details, see the April 13 edition of California Cattleman Weekly.
Upcoming CCA Events
May 20-21, 2026, San Diego
Our room block at the Hilton and registration are now open. Click here for more details.
CCA Midyear Meeting
June 24-25, 2026, Reno
CCA’s 2026 Midyear Meeting will be held June 24th and 25th at the Atlantis Casino Resort in Reno, NV. Click here to book your room now. We encourage you to maximize your membership by attending and being an active part of the CCA policy making process. Come discuss issues with fellow producers and hear updates. We are excited to be back at the Reno Rodeo for their Wednesday night performance! Register now!
Click here for more details and to view the tentative schedule.
Upcoming Industry Events
Continuing a Legacy: Succession Planning for Cattle Producers Webinar
May 6, 6:00pm CDT, Remote
From family conversations to business continuity, succession planning plays a critical role in the future of cattle operations. Succession planning is one of the most important and most challenging conversations facing today’s cattle producers. Hear from Shannon Ferrell of Oklahoma State University as he shares practical strategies for transitioning today’s cattle operations to the next generation.
Tune in to learn about the key components of a succession plan and actions you can take today! Register for this webinar here.
Public Lands Council Arizona Grazing Roundtable
May 12, 1:00-4:00pm, Queen Creek, Ariz.
The Public Lands Council (PLC) invites grazing permittees in southern California, Arizona and western New Mexico to a roundtable on May 12 in Queen Creek, Ariz. to discuss federal lands grazing issues. The roundtable will bring together permittees and lessees with leadership from the U.S. Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management to increase dialogue and on-the-ground problem solving for grazing issues in fulfillment of the USDA/DOI Grazing Industry Plan released by the Departments last fall.
Please RSVP here in advance for the location and further information ahead of the roundtable.
Public Lands Council California Grazing Roundtable
May 20, 1:00-4:00pm, Susanville
The Public Lands Council (PLC) invites grazing permittees in Oregon, California and Nevada to a roundtable on May 20 in Susanville to discuss federal lands grazing issues. The roundtable will bring together permittees and lessees with leadership from the U.S. Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management to increase dialogue and on-the-ground problem solving for grazing issues in fulfillment of the USDA/DOI Grazing Industry Plan released by the Departments last fall.
Please RSVP here in advance for the location and further information ahead of the roundtable.
Livestock-Predator Workshops
June 9, 6:30-8:30pm, Jackson
June 10, 6:30-8:30pm, San Andreas
UC Cooperative Extension Central Sierra is hosting two workshops for ranchers who want to learn more about managing livestock in the presence of predators like gray wolves and mountain lions. Topics will include:
- Gray Wolf Ecology and Behavior, Livestock Conflict, and Lessons from Northen California, presented by Dr. Kaggie Orrick, UC Berkeley
- Economic Impacts of Gray Wolves / Compensation Programs, presented by Dr. Tina Tate, UC Davis
- Mountain Lion Deterrents Research, presented by April Wood, Utah State University
- Livestock Guardian Dogs and Other Livestock Protection Tools, presented by Dan Macon, UCCE
Registration is free, but please RSVP to Dan Macon at dmacon@ucanr.edu or 209-454-8472.
CCA in the News
Push to bring grizzly bears back to California faces backlash SFGate “‘California is already struggling to take care of the apex predators that we have now, and what’s happened with the wolves has woken people up to the fact that we don’t have enough prey for the predators that we have, and we don’t have the staff for CDFW to manage them,’ said Rick Roberti, a Sierra Valley rancher and president of the California Cattlemen’s Association. ‘And wolves are nothing compared to the grizzly.’” To continue reading, click here.
Industry News
Lab-grown Meat Could Still Be a Long Way From Widespread Availability When South Dakota’s New Ban Expires Successful Farming “South Dakota’s new five-year ban on cell-cultured protein targets a product whose path to mass market availability is operating on ‘generational-level timescales,’ according to a scientist dedicated to the topic.” To continue reading, click here.
Will California ever build the Delta tunnel? Major battles ahead as Newsom era nears end CalMatters “‘Nobody seems to care about the people out here on the ground,’ said Duane Martin Jr., a third-generation cattleman in the Delta. Martin steered his pickup down country roads, along the orchards and pastures of Sacramento County. Great egrets strutted the edges of fields to snatch small, struggling creatures from the grass, and red-winged blackbirds clung to golden stalks of mustard. Martin worries for his cattle operation. His father was a cattleman. His grandfather was a cattleman. Now a father himself, his daughters’ cattle graze in the pasture outside his home.” To continue reading, click here.
