CALIFORNIA CATTLEMAN WEEKLY

November 25, 2024

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Importation of Cattle from Mexico Halted Amid Detection of New World Screwworm
On Friday, Mexico’s Chief Veterinary Officer notified the USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) that New World screwworm has been detected in the Mexican state of Chiapas, along the nation’s southern border with Guatemala. According to APHIS, New World screwworm “are fly larvae that infest living tissue of warm-blooded animals, causing infection.”

Given the threat that New World screwworm presents to domestic livestock herds, APHIS has announced that it is restricting imports of live cattle and bison “originating from or transiting Mexico effective immediately and pending further information from Mexican veterinary authorities on the size and scope of the infestation.”

According to CCA partner the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association, “APHIS is working quickly to establish and implement protocols for cattle that are free of [New World screwworm] in order to resume trade across the border as safely and as quickly as possible.”

CCA will share further updates on this development as they become available.

Sorting Pen: The California Cattleman Podcast
A new episode of Sorting Pen: The California Cattleman Podcast is out now! In this week’s episode, California Beef Council Director of Food & Nutrition Outreach Kori Dover and host, Katie Roberti share about CBC’s engagement and efforts to promote beef at the California School Nutrition Conference in the middle of November. Tune in to learn what the conference entails, why it is important CBC invests in showing up at this conference annually, and how exhibiting at this event gives CBC the opportunity to share about beef with decision makers who are selecting what’s served as schools throughout California. To listen, click here.

California Election Results Continue to Trickle In
A week after Election Day, California Cattleman Weekly provided a recap of key legislative races and ballot propositions. Since then, Republicans have secured the majority in the U.S. House of Representatives, giving the party uniform control of the White House and Congress.

Nearly three weeks after the General Election, though, a few California races remain too close to call.

Currently Republicans control 219 seats in the House of Representatives, just one seat more than the bare minimum needed to control the majority. Of the three House races not yet called, two are in the Golden State (the third, in Iowa’s First Congressional District, is currently undergoing a recount).

In the race for California’s 45^th Congressional District in Orange County, Democrat Derek Tran led the incumbent, Republican Michelle Steel, by just 545 votes as of this morning. In the Central Valley’s 13^th Congressional District, incumbent Republican Congressman John Duarte leads Democratic challenger Adam Gray by a mere 204 votes.

In the State Legislature, Republicans are poised to pick up a small number of legislative seats – though Democrats will retain a supermajority in both chambers. As previously reported in California Cattleman Weekly, Republicans picked up a seat in the State Senate, with former Assemblymember Steven Choi defeating incumbent Democrat Josh Newman in Orange County’s Senate District 37 race.

Republicans have also flipped at least one Assembly seat, with Republican Jeff Gonzalez defeating Democrat Jose Acuña, Jr. in Assembly District 36, nabbing a seat most recently held by Democratic Assemblyman Eduardo Garcia. Republicans have a chance for another pickup, with Republican Leticia Castillo leading Democrat Clarissa Cervantes by 578 votes for the Assembly District 58 seat currently held by Asm. Sabrina Cervantes.

CDFW Issues Gray Wolf Updates
As reported in last week’s California Cattleman Weekly, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife recently provided a number of gray wolf updates. It now appears that California has nine known wolf packs, including the recently-named Diamond Pack in eastern Plumas and southern Lassen counties and an as-yet-unnamed pack where the counties of Shasta, Tehama, Lassen and Plumas converge. CCA estimates a minimum statewide population of 65 resident wolves, with at least four additional wolves identified in “areas of wolf activity” in eastern Shasta County and eastern Tehama County. For more information, see last week’s edition of California Cattleman Weekly.

Virtual Fence Conservation Grants are Now Available
The Property and Environment Research Center’s (PERC) Virtual Fence Conservation Grants are now available. The fund’s initiative is aimed at “Empowering ranchers and conservationists to adopt virtual fencing technology on public and private lands.” To learn more about the grant, eligibility, and the application process, click here.

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CCA in the News

Sen. Marie Alvarado-Gil praised for her efforts to protect California ranchers The Office of Senator Marie Alvarado-Gil  “‘As California’s wolf population has increased, so too have the losses of calves and other livestock from wolf predation, demonstrating the need for a robust compensation program in the state. The California Cattlemen’s Association thanks Senator Marie Alvarado-Gil for her work this year to secure renewed funding for CDFW’s Wolf-Livestock Compensation Program, ensuring that the cattle ranchers most impacted by gray wolves can remain viable to continue their stewardship of the land,’ said Kirk Wilbur on behalf of the California Cattlemen’s Association.” To continue reading, click here.

New ‘Diamond’ wolf pack discovered roaming 50 miles from Lake Tahoe San Francisco Chronicle “‘Obviously we don’t want to undercut that wolves are a conservation success,’ said Kirk Wilbur, vice president of government affairs for the California Cattlemen’s Association. ‘But it’s important for people to know that as the population (of wolves) increases, we see a similar increase in the rate that cattle, sheep and other animals are killed by those wolves.’” To continue reading, click here.

NCBA and PLC Members Testify in Support of Grazing Bills to Prevent Wildfires Public Lands Council “California rancher and Public Lands Council member Sherri Brennan shared her personal experience from the 2013 Rim Fire that burned over 257,000 acres in Tuolumne County, CA and the need to prevent recurrent resource damage.” To continue reading, click here.

Industry News

PLC Congratulates Rep. LaMalfa on Selection as Western Caucus Chair Public Lands Council “Today, the Public Lands Council (PLC) congratulated Rep. Doug LaMalfa (CA) on his election to lead the Congressional Western Caucus. As the next Chairman, LaMalfa will lead the powerful caucus that was founded out of the need to unite Members of Congress from the West to fight undue federal interference with rural, agricultural, timber, water, energy and hunting values that are the foundation of the domestic economy and American heritage.” To continue reading, click here.

NCBA Congratulates Brooke Rollins on Nomination as Secretary of Agriculture National Cattlemen’s Beef Association “From her time as a college student studying agriculture development to her distinguished career in Texas and Washington, Brooke Rollins has a history of fighting for Main Street and rural America. America’s cattle producers need a Secretary of Agriculture who will protect family farms and ranches, roll back crushing regulations, and stand up for rural values—and we look forward to working with Secretary-Designate Rollins to make it happen.” To continue reading, click here.