CALIFORNIA CATTLEMAN WEEKLY

July 6, 2026

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Four Groups Receive CDFW Grants to Administer Wolf-Livestock Compensation Funding
The California Department of Fish and Wildlife announced Wednesday that it has awarded Wolf-Livestock Compensation Program grants “to four organizations to support efforts to reduce wolf-livestock conflict.” The grants were awarded from what remains of the $2 million appropriated to the Department for Wolf-Livestock Compensation in the Fiscal Year 2025-26 State Budget.

According to the California Farm Bureau, the organization’s California Bountiful Foundation has been awarded a $1.1 million grant to administer direct-loss compensation to ranchers suffering confirmed or probable livestock losses to wolves. While Farm Bureau will administer payments to ranchers, the organization clarified that “Eligibility will continue to be determined by CDFW in accordance with the Wolf Livestock Compensation Program.”

“This grant wouldn’t be possible without the Department of Fish and Wildlife, California Cattlemen’s Association and others,” said Shannon Douglass, President of California Farm Bureau. “While not a solution to the conflict, the Wolf Livestock Compensation Program is one avenue that helps ranchers deal with loss. Until we have more options to deter wolves, we will keep seeing more attacks on livestock. I appreciate Director Hertel’s leadership and CDFW for providing more tools to ranchers.”

Additional grants were awarded to the Sierra Valley Resource Conservation District (RCD) study the use of electronic ear tags in cattle for detecting wolf-livestock conflict and to provide outreach, training and equipment for approved hazing techniques; to the Honey Lake Valley RCD to provide rancher assistance with hazing and deterrence; and to Working Circle to “provide outreach to livestock producers geared toward reducing cattle vulnerability to wolf depredation through herd management and stockmanship.”

For additional details, see CDFW’s press release.

PLC Annual Meeting Announced for Copper Mountain, Colorado
The Public Lands Council – CCA’s national partner for federal lands policy– has announced that it will host its 58^th Annual Meeting at the Copper Mountain Convention Center in Copper Mountain, Colorado from September 15-17. According to PLC, the event boasts “a packed schedule of informative general sessions, policy committee meetings, cocktail hours, our annual awards banquet, and more.” CCA encourages public lands ranchers to attend, particularly permittees of the Bureau of Land Management and U.S. Forest Service. Early bird registration closes August 14. For more information and to register, click here.

Newsom Signs 2026-27 State Budget Into Law
Governor Gavin Newsom signed the 2026-27 State Budget into law on June 29, just days after announcing that his administration had reached a funding agreement with Legislative leaders and shortly before the new fiscal year began on July 1.

The $351.7 billion spending plan is a mixed bag for livestock producers. According to an Assembly Floor Report, the negotiated agreement includes $1.25 billion to backfill state operations and fire protection funding at CAL FIRE and appropriates $228,000 for CDFA’s implementation of CCA-sponsored AB 411 (Papan, 2025), which authorizes on-ranch composting of routine livestock mortalities. Unfortunately, despite CCA’s dogged advocacy efforts, the Budget does not propose additional funding for CDFW’s Wolf Program to fund compensation, collaring and other management priorities. That said, additional Budget activity is possible in August, when lawmakers return to Sacramento. For additional details on the Budget, stay tuned for the August edition of the California Cattleman magazine.

2026 California Cattlemen’s Association Scholarships are Open Now! 
In 2025, CCA awarded over $51,000 in scholarships to students studying agriculture. Applications must be typed and returned in full to the California Cattlemen’s Association office by Thursday, October 1, 2026 at 11:59pm via email to Gracie at gracie@calcattemen.org. For more information about CCA’s offered scholarships and to access the scholarship application, click here.

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CCA in the News

California Rancher Testifies in Support of Rep. McClintock’s Land Management Bill Oklahoma Farm Report “Yesterday, Public Lands Council (PLC) and California Cattlemen’s Association (CCA) member Tim Erickson testified in a House Natural Resources Federal Lands Subcommittee hearing on Rep. Tom McClintock’s H.R.8454. This legislation would authorize a land swap of two parcels between the U.S. Forest Service (USFS) and the National Park Service (NPS). The parcel that would go to USFS had been part of Mr. Erickson’s grazing management for more than 100 years before it was transferred to NPS a decade ago. This transfer will restore Erickson’s grazing management, return productive meadow to multiple use, and facilitate continued public access on a county road that goes through the parcel.” To continue reading, click here.

California’s wolf wars create strange allies POLITICO “An unlikely alliance that includes the California Farm Bureau, California Cattlemen’s Association and conservation groups such as Defenders of Wildlife and the National Wildlife Federation is pushing the state to spend more on wolf management.” To continue reading, click here.

Industry News

Forest Service publishes proposed rule to redefine, streamline guidance for employees USDA Forest Service “The U.S. Forest Service is inviting public comment on a proposed rule to modernize its directives system – the agency’s internal documentation that guides how employees carry out their work. The proposal would redefine the agency’s manual and handbooks to reduce procedural burdens, encourage innovation and return decision-making authority to employees closest to the land.” To continue reading, click here.

USDA Launches $500 Million SPUR Program to Fortify Independent Beef Processors Drovers “In a move to shore up a thinning middle market for American cattle, Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins announced the Strengthening Processing for U.S. Ranchers (SPUR) Program Tuesday, June 30. The initiative will deploy up to $500 million in payments to eligible beef processing plants, aiming to protect the independent infrastructure ranchers rely on as the national cattle herd continues to hover at historic lows.” To continue reading, click here.