CALIFORNIA CATTLEMAN WEEKLY

Sept. 8, 2026

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President Trump Issues Executive Orders Aimed at Cattle Ranching and Beef Processing
President Donald Trump on Friday signed two executive orders impacting the ranching community, the first titled “Supporting America’s Ranchers” and the second aimed at promoting competition and expanding market access.

The “Supporting America’s Ranchers” Executive Order directs the Secretary of Agriculture and U.S. Trade Representative to “review all statutory and regulatory authorities that may permit the establishment of mandatory country-of-origin labeling for beef products.” The Executive Order does not itself impose mandatory country-of-origin labeling, as implementing the policy would require an act of Congress, but it does note that the Administration may subsequently “develop legislative recommendations regarding such labeling.”

The Executive Order also takes aim at Endangered Species Act regulations protecting gray wolves. The Order directs the Secretary of Interior to determine whether gray wolves and Mexican wolves should be administratively delisted from the ESA and calls for potential legislative action to delist the species. It should be noted that prior efforts to federally delist gray wolves were unsuccessful during both the Obama Administration and President Trump’s first term, and that existing legislation to delist the species has hit a roadblock in the Senate.

The Order also encourages the Secretary of the Interior to encourage states to delist gray wolves if the Secretary determines delisting is warranted. Gray wolves are listed as endangered under the California Endangered Species Act, and it is unlikely that the state would act to delist the species under pressure from the Trump Administration. Elements of the Executive Order regarding depredation investigations and lethal removal might also meet headwinds in California, where the California Department of Fish and Wildlife currently has primary management authority of gray wolves under an agreement with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

The President’s second Executive Order addresses enforcement of the Packers and Stockyards Act, streamlining state participation in USDA Food Safety Inspection Service programs and establishment of a guaranteed loan program for small regional beef processors.

The executive orders come as President Trump seeks to quell industry opposition to a recent presidential proclamation allowing up to 300,000 metric tons of lean beef trimmings to be imported into the United States without being subject to the existing out-of-quota tariff (the President said Friday that the beef would be sourced from Argentina, Brazil “and a couple of other places”). For more information on the Trump Administration’s recent initiatives regarding the beef industry, see last week’s edition of California Cattleman Weekly.

Wolf Program Funding Materializes in Final Hours of Legislative Session
California’s 2025-26 Legislative Session gaveled to a close last Tuesday. CCA’s legislative priorities fared incredibly well this legislative session, including a last-minute win as the Legislature approved $5 million for the Department of Fish and Wildlife’s Wolf Program, including $2.5 million for the Wolf-Livestock Compensation Program, via new Budget legislation. Governor Newsom now has until the end of the month to sign or veto any bills advanced to his desk by the Legislature. For more information, see last week’s edition of California Cattleman Weekly and the forthcoming October and November editions of the California Cattleman magazine.

Non-Lethal Gray Wolf Management Trainings Available
Ranchers in wolf territory are encouraged to participate in a free training session for the ability to use non-lethal projectiles (paint/powder projectiles) and pursuit to haze wolves interacting with livestock. The training sessions are authorized by the California Department of Fish and Wildlife and administered by USDA APHIS Wildlife Services.

Training courses are currently planned for September 10 in Sierraville; September 11 in Taylorsville; September 15 in Susanville; and September 16 in Alturas.

These training sessions are free and offered for livestock producers in wolf territory on a first-come, first-served basis. For more information and to register, click here. CCA will keep members informed as additional training dates are added.

Douglas Port Reopens to Cattle Crossing, with Additional Ports to Follow
The U.S. Department of Agriculture last month reopened the Douglas, AZ port to cattle crossings, a move the agency says is “guided by overlapping safeguards and a science-based import protocol jointly agreed upon between the United States and Mexico.” The southern border had been closed to cattle crossing since July 7 of last year due to the northward spread of New World screwworm. USDA is expected to continue its phased reopening of southern ports over the next 60 days, reopening ports at Santa Teresa, NM, and Columbus – though the agency maintains “The reopening timeline will remain flexible and may be adjusted based on Mexico’s progress” in addressing the spread of New World screwworm. For more information, see the August 24 edition of California Cattleman Weekly.

USDA Forest Service Initiates Repeal of 2001 Roadless Rule
The U.S. Forest Service has initiated a proposed rulemaking to rescind the 2001 Roadless Area Conservation Rule, which prohibits road construction (and reconstruction) and timber harvesting on more than 44 million acres designated as roadless areas throughout the nation’s forests, including more than 2.5 million acres within California. For the past 25 years, the regulation has imposed barriers to effective wildfire preparedness efforts, including timber harvest and grazing management. The Forest Service is taking public comments on the proposed rescission of the Roadless Rule through September 21. To comment, click here. For more information, see the August 24 edition of California Cattleman Weekly.

Share Your Perspectives on Conservation Stewardship Activities
The CalGLC (California Grazing Land Coalition) and California Rangeland Conservation Coalition encourage ranches to share their perspectives on conservation stewardship activities activities in a survey.

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’s legislative session closes to mixed reviews from ag Agri-Pulse “‘I do have a sense that we actually had a pretty successful year,’ Kirk Wilbur, the CCA’s vice president of government affairs, told Agri-Pulse.” To continue reading, click here.

Industry News

Wolf spotted in California coastal mountains just north of Bay Area San Francsico Chronicle “A gray wolf was spotted last week in rural Lake County, marking new territory for the endangered carnivore in California’s Coast Range. The sighting, one of the closest to the Bay Area in modern times, was confirmed by the California Department of Fish and Wildlife in and around the Mendocino National Forest, not far from Lake Pillsbury.” To continue reading, click here.

Contributor: Let livestock clear hard-to-reach shrubs and grasses before the next wildfire Los Angeles Times “In grasslands across the American West, four-legged fire prevention crews are busy at work, helping keep wildfire risk under control. These cattle, goats and sheep stomp down tall grasses as they munch their way through plants that could otherwise burn, lowering the risk of catastrophic fires.” To continue reading, click here.