CALIFORNIA CATTLEMAN WEEKLY

December 9, 2024

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108th CCA/CCW Convention and Tradeshow Concludes
Last week, hundreds of cattlemen and women gathered in Reno for the 2024 CCA/CCW Convention and California Cattle Industry Tradeshow. The few days provided the opportunity to reconnect with old acquaintances, discuss policy and hear updates on the latest news and issues relevant to California Ranchers.

The event marked the end of a two-year term as CCA President for Steve Arnold (San Luis Obispo County). CCA Second Vice President Frank Imhof (Contra Costa County) and CCA Second Vice President Mike McCluskey (Tehama County) also stepped off of CCA’s officer team as their two-year term expired. CCA staff and leadership thanks Arnold, Imhof and McCluskey for their dedication to serving California’s cattle industry over the past two years as CCA officers.

Rick Roberti (Plumas County) now has the reigns as CCA President, with four years of experience on CCA’s officer team behind him. Mike Williams (Los Angeles County), past CCA Second Vice President rejoined the officer team as CCA First Vice President. John Austel (San Diego County) has one year remaining in his term as CCA Second Vice President. Bev Bigger, (Ventura County) will continue as CCA Treasurer in 2025.

CCA welcomes two new officers to the team, Steve Lambert (Butte County) and Anthony Stornetta (San Luis Obispo County) were elected as the two incoming CCA Second Vice Presidents.

CCA would also like to recognize and thank the 2024 Top Hand Award winners for all their efforts in recruiting new members into our Association.
1st Place: Ben Renteria (San Luis Obispo)
2nd Place: Katherine Moretti (San Diego-Imperial)
3rd Place: Albert Conlin (San Joaquin-Stanislaus)

CCA Sues to Halt Removal of Elk Exclusion Fence at Point Reyes National Seashore
Late Tuesday, CCA sued the National Park Service (NPS), seeking a temporary restraining order halting the removal of an eight-foot-tall elk fence that excludes a large herd of Tule elk within the Tomales Point area of the Point Reyes National Seashore from the “Pastoral Zone” where beef ranchers and dairy farmers raise cattle.

On Monday, the NPS announced its decision to remove the elk fence, arguing that it would “allow elk to access additional habitat, increase the species’ population resilience during drought, and promote a more natural population cycle.” NPS wasted no time executing its plan, beginning removal of the fence early Tuesday.

Elk damages to ranches and cattle herds at Point Reyes are well-documented. Tule elk compete with cattle for grass and supplemental forage. They knock down fences on ranches, allowing cattle to stray onto roadways and adjacent ranches. Elk have been documented goring cattle in an effort to access feed and water, and they risk spreading Johne’s Disease and other transmissible illnesses to beef and dairy herds. In light of these demonstrated risks, the National Park Service has, until only recently, typically emphasized the need to exclude Tule elk from the Pastoral Zone.

CCA’s lawsuit against the Park Service seeks to avoid these harms.

A Friday hearing in the case proved encouraging, with the Park Service agreeing to halt removal of the elk fence. Unfortunately, roughly 850 feet of the 2.2-mile fence had already been removed – more than enough of an opening for elk to stray onto the farms and ranches at the Seashore.

Further hearings in the case are not expected until mid-February. CCA will continue to keep members apprised of our efforts to preserve the proud history of ranching at the Point Reyes National Seashore as the case develops.

New Episode of Sorting Pen: The California Cattleman Podcast
A new episode of Sorting Pen: The California Cattleman Podcast is out now! In this week’s episode, National Cattlemen’s Beef Association CEO Colin Woodall joins Katie on the final episode of Sorting Pen Season 4. Tune in to hear Colin share about the status of the Farm Bill, how NCBA feels about some of the nominations that have been made by the incoming Administration, why taxes are a priority for NCBA and much more as we look ahead to a new Congress starting on Jan. 3. To listen, click here.

Federal Court Enjoins Enforcement of the Corporate Transparency Act
In August, California Cattleman Weekly reported on the federal Corporate Transparency Act, which would require many farms and ranches with 20 or fewer employees to file “beneficial ownership information” with the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) by January 1, 2025.

On Tuesday, a judge for the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Texas issued a nationwide injunction halting enforcement of the Corporate Transparency Act, finding that the Act and the Reporting Rule implementing it were “likely unconstitutional as outside of Congress’s power” and prohibiting enforcement of the January 1 enforcement date.

CCA partner the National Cattlemen’s Beef Associated hailed the announcement, but noted that “we must continue fighting for a long-term solution…to protect cattle producers from onerous reporting requirements like the Corporate Transparency Act” and stressing that ranchers should consult their own attorneys and tax professionals to determine what impact the Corporate Transparency Act may have on their operations.

Importation of Cattle from Mexico Halted Amid Detection of New World Screwworm
In response to a November detection of New World screwworm in the Mexican state of Chiapas (along the nation’s southern border with Guatemala), USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) has announced that it is restricting imports of live cattle and bison “originating from or transiting Mexico effective immediately.” APHIS is working with Mexican authorities to establish a pre-clearance protocol for Mexican cattle to resume importation, though the agency originally estimated that the border will remain closed to cattle imports for at least three weeks. For additional details, see last week’s edition of California Cattleman Weekly.

Upcoming Industry Events

CCA in the News

National Park Service agrees to halt removal of disputed Point Reyes seashore fence, but Tomales Point elk are already roaming freely The Press Democrat “San Francisco attorney Tony Francois, who filed a preliminary injunction Tuesday and temporary restraining order Wednesday on behalf of the California Cattlemen’s Association and its member ranches on the West Marin peninsula, was pleased with the outcome. ‘We think it’s a good day,’ he said. ‘And it tends to show that probably somebody at the Park Service realizes that, like the expression about asking for forgiveness instead of permission, they really should have proceeded in a more straightforward manner with this.’” To continue reading, click here.

As California’s wolf population claws its way back, some ranchers are nervous USA Today “‘The vast majority of depredations that have been confirmed are beef cattle. And a couple of sheep at and least one llama,’ said Kirk Wilbur, vice president of government affairs with the California Cattlemen’s Association. There was also support to help ranchers add flags to fences to deter wolves and also to help fund monitoring of cattle, often on horseback. ‘We raise cattle not to feed wolves but Americans,’ he said. Wolves and ranchers can co-exist but ‘but it costs money.’” To continue reading, click here.

Industry News

NCBA Endorsed Disaster Tax Relief Bill Passes Senate National Cattlemen’s Beef Association “Today, the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) thanked the U.S. Senate for passing the Federal Disaster Tax Relief Act (H.R. 5863). In addition to providing much needed relief to victims of hurricanes, this legislation would provide tax relief for cattle producers who received payments due to wildfires. Previously, these payments counted as taxable income, meaning producers who already suffered from disasters were hurt again by having their relief payments taxed.” To continue reading, click here.