CALIFORNIA CATTLEMAN WEEKLY
August 3, 2026
To read the full version each week, please subscribe below.
Join CCA for Washington, D.C. Fly-In
The California Cattlemen’s Association is excited to invite members to attend the Association’s Washington, D.C. Fly-In, taking place Sept. 13 – 16.
On Monday, Sept. 14 and Tuesday, Sept. 15 CCA will schedule visits with federal agencies, members of California’s Congressional delegation and relevant stakeholders to advocate for California’s ranchers.
If you are interested in joining the delegation, please email CCA Executive Vice President Billy Gatlin at billy@calcattlemen.org by this Friday, August 7. Participants are responsible for the costs of travel and lodging. Those attending should plan to arrive at any time on Sunday, Sept. 13 and depart at any time on Wednesday, Sept. 16.
USDA to Reopen Southern Ports for Live Cattle Crossing
The U.S. Department of Agriculture announced late last month that the agency will initiate a “phased reopening of southern cattle ports” contingent upon Mexico’s adherence to a joint action plan between Mexican and American animal health agencies. The southern border has been closed to cattle crossings since July 7, 2025 due to the northward spread of New World screwworm.
The phased reopening will begin with the Douglas, Ariz. port of entry, set to reopen on August 24. Last week, USDA also announced that it is investing $25 million toward opening a new sterile fly dispersal facility in Arizona. For more information, see last week’s edition of California Cattleman or USDA’s press release.
USFWS Announces Rules Reforming Federal Endangered Species Act
On Tuesday, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service published two rules amending its regulations implementing the federal Endangered Species Act. The first rule eliminates the ‘blanket 4(d)’ rule, under which all ‘threatened’ species were managed in the same manner as ‘endangered’ species. The second rule permits USFWS to consider all relevant factors when designating critical habitat for threatened and endangered species under the ESA, including social and economic costs. The rules – which formally take effect on August 20 – are substantially similar to reforms implemented at the end of the first Trump Administration which were subsequently rolled back under the Biden Administration. For more information, see last week’s edition of California Cattleman.
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.
Upcoming Industry Events
Public Lands Council 58th Annual Meeting
September 15-17, Copper Mountain, Colorado
The Public Lands Council will host its Annual Meeting at the Copper Mountain Conference Center in Copper Mountain, Colorado from September 15-17. All California federal lands permittees are encouraged to attend. Early bird registration ends August 14. To register, click here.
CCA in the News
Industry News
The key to protecting California’s giant sequoias from wildfire — controlled fires LAist “When wildfires tore through the Sierra Nevada in 2020 and 2021, they burned thousands of giant sequoias at rates not seen for millennia. But the destruction would have been far worse had the trees not undergone prescribed burns, according to a new UC Davis study published in Nature Communications.” To continue reading, click here.
Parts of California are ‘abnormally dry.’ Which areas face drought conditions? The Sacramento Bee “Roughly two-thirds of California is now considered “abnormally dry” as much of the state braces for another round of triple-digit temperatures, according to the latest U.S. Drought Monitor update.” To continue reading, click here.
