LEGISLATIVE BULLETIN
November 20, 2023
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Sunday, 11/26 is the final day to register online for the 107th CCA/CCW Annual Convention
The 107th CCA/CCW Annual Convention is quickly approaching. If you have not yet registered, be sure to so. The final day to register online is Sunday, Nov. 26. After this, all registrations will take place onsite. To learn more about the event, view the scheudle and see who our guest speakers are, click here.
Congress Averts Government Shutdown with Continuing Resolution – with a One-Year Extension of the Farm Bill
President Joe Biden on Thursday signed H.R. 6363, a ‘laddered’ continuing resolution which funds the federal government into January and February 2024. The move, which followed quick action by the House and Senate last week, averted a government shutdown, as prior funding authorizations had been set to expire at midnight on Friday.
The continuing resolution is ‘laddered’ in that it extends funding through January 19, 2024 for some government agencies and through February 2, 2024 for others. Of particular interest to cattle producers, agencies funded through January 19 include the U.S. Department of Agriculture, U.S. Department of Transportation and the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (Livestock Mandatory Reporting provisions have also been extended through January 19). Agencies funded through February 2 include the Department of the Interior, the Environmental Protection Agency and the Small Business Administration.
Perhaps of greatest significance for cattle producers, the continuing resolution includes a provision which extends the 2018 Farm Bill an additional year, through September 30, 2024. Most Farm Bill appropriations under the extension will remain at 2018 levels.
New Episode of Stories From California Cattle Country
A new episode of Stories from California Cattle Country “Visiting Our First Ever Feedlot and Joe Dan Cameron in Imperial Valley” is out now! Stories from California Cattle Country is produced by the California Cattlemen’s Foundation with support from the California Cattle Council. To listen to the episode click here.
California Rangeland Trust Invites You to the Premier Screening of their Documentarty, You Just Can’t See Them From the Road
The California Rangeland Trust invites guests to join them for the Premier Screening of their new Award-Winning Documentary, You Just Can’t See Them From the Road. The screening will take place on Tuesday, Nov. 28 at the Nuggest Casino Resort’s Chalet View Terrace in Sparks, Nev. The event starts at 5:30 p.m. with a social hour and the screening will being at 6:30 p.m. Tickets to attend the premier are $20 each and an RSVP is required. The last day to RSVP is Tuesday, Nov. 21. To RSVP email Joyce Vitug at jvitug@rangelandtrust.org or call 916-444-2096.
CCA Wolf Policy Subcommittee to Meet During Annual Convention
CCA’s Wolf Policy Subcommittee will meet at 7:00am on Thursday, November 30 in conjunction with the 107th Annual CCA Convention at the Nugget Casino Resort in Sparks, Nev. The meeting will be focused on the California Department of Fish & Wildlife’s Wolf Compensation Pilot Program and will feature Dr. Ken Tate and Dr. Tina Saitone from University of California Cooperative Extension.
2023 Vesicular Stomatitis Virus (VSV)
From the California Department of Food and Agriculture Animal Health Branch
The VSV incident and situation in California remains active and ongoing, and continues to require vigilance throughout the state. Ongoing and active outreach to encourage prompt reporting of suspect lesions in horses and susceptible livestock and an immediate movement of any suspect animals will continue to assist with preventing virus spread by infected animals. To download the most recent information sheet, click here. To learn more, see the August 14 edition of Legislative Bulletin.
Upcoming CCA Events
107th CCA + CCW Annual Convention and Industry Tradeshow
Nov. 29 – Dec. 1, The Nugget Casino Resort, Sparks, Nev.
Don’t forget to register for the 2023 CCA/CCW Convention! The final day to regisrter online is Sunday, Nov. 26. Register and learn more information at https://calcattlemen.org/convention2023. A revised schedule is now available on our website. To view the schedule, click here.
CCA in the News
California Cattlemen’s Association on Senate Bill 389 AgInfo.net “As agriculture groups celebrate the passage of legislative bills during this California legislative session, some organizations remained active until the session’s conclusion to prevent specific bills from becoming law. Let’s delve into Senate Bill 389, a measure initially opposed by the California Cattlemen’s Association. Despite CCA’s initial opposition, the group later shifted its stance to neutral by the session’s end, and the bill was ultimately signed into law by Governor Newsom.” To continue reading, click here. [Editor’s Note: part two of this story is available here; listen to the CCA Sorting Pen podcast upon which this reporting is based here.]
Industry News
Wolves have returned to California after nearly 150 years. Not everyone is happy The Guardian “John Guthrie, 54, a sixth-generation cattleman in Porterville, says she misses the point. It’s not that ranchers hate wolves, ‘it’s the opposite. I respect nature but we need balance.’ Guthrie, who also grows oranges, walnuts and almonds, hasn’t lost any cows, but figures it’s ‘only a matter of time.’ His cattle also graze around the forests wolves have reclaimed, but more than cows are at stake. ‘It’s the livelihoods of families like mine.’” To continue reading, click here.
Nothing to “baa” about: BLM California and partners use BIL investments to reduce wildfire hazards at Fort Ord National Monument Bureau of Land Management “Typically, goat herds graze on the Monument land from December to April. However, due to the BIL funding, the BLM was able to extend goat grazing through June, treating brush and grassland fuels in the State Route 68 corridor where these dedicated goats completed more than 3,000 acres of grazing treatments.” To continue reading, click here.
Cattle Producers Praise Farm Bill Extension, Urges for Swift Passage National Cattlemen’s Beef Association “The National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) praised Congress for passing a government funding package that includes a one-year extension of the 2018 Farm Bill through September 30, 2024, and extends the Livestock Mandatory Reporting program until January 19, 2024.” To continue reading, click here.
A new episode of Sorting Pen: The California Cattleman Podcast is out now. In this week’s episode, CCA Feeder Chair Joe Dan Cameron and Vice Chair Mike Sulpizio join Katie on the podcast to provide an update on the feeder sector of California’s beef industry. To listen to the episode click here.
