Referendum Results Establish California Cattle Council

SACRAMENTO, Calif.— The California Cattle Council is now fully operative after the California Department of Food and Agriculture announced the results of the recent California Cattle Council Referendum on April 5. With 68 percent of the results being votes in favor of implementation, the referendum passed with the needed majority and has now been declared operative by the Secretary of Food and Agriculture.

The California Cattle Council referendum was a vote of the state’s beef producers to determine if $1.00 should be assessed on the sale of live cattle to fund the California Cattle Council in order to provide more resources to defend and promote cattle production in the state. Efforts were led by the California Cattlemen’s Association to pass Senate Bill 965, creating the opportunity for cattle producers to vote on the formation of the council through a referendum conducted by the California Department of Food and Agriculture. Members of the California Cattlemen’s Association, along with agricultural allies, campaigned for support during the voting period of February 21, 2019 to March 22, 2019.

“I am extremely pleased with the strong support demonstrated by ranchers throughout California for the Cattle Council,” said Dave Daley, chair of the Cattle Council Outreach Committee. “It became clear to me very early on that once ranchers learned more about the Cattle Council, they were overwhelmingly supportive.”

With the referendum providing a green light to establish the California Cattle Council, the California Department of Food and Agriculture is now accepting nominations for the board of directors. The California Cattle Council board of directors will be comprised of cattle producers to direct the activities of the California Cattle Council and select funding priorities. All producers are eligible to serve on the California Cattle Council.

To obtain a nomination for please visit www.cdfa.ca.gov/go/cattle. Nominations must be received by the California Department of Food and Agriculture no later than May 22, 2019. Once the California Secretary of Agriculture appoints the members, the board will begin meeting to establish the California Cattle Council’s goals and budget.

“This outcome is reflective of the dozens of grassroots volunteers throughout the state and the thousands of volunteer hours that have gone into educating ranchers over the last two years,” said Daley. “I now look forward to continuing our grassroots effort as we shift into achieving the objectives of the Cattle Council.”