CALIFORNIA CATTLEMAN WEEKLY

Dec. 1, 2025

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CDFW Issues New Wolf Updates, Including New Livestock Depredation Reporting
The California Department of Fish and Wildlife released a Wolf Management Update late last month overviewing the agency’s wolf population monitoring efforts between July and October. The Department highlighted the lethal removal of the Beyem Seyo Pack from Sierra Valley in October and confirmed a new wolf pack, the Grizzly Pack in southern Plumas County, meaning the state’s overall number of packs remains steady at ten. In a separate update, CDFW revealed that wolves killed 175 livestock animals through just the first 10 months of 2025 – nearly three times the number of depredations suffered throughout all of 2024. For more details from the Department’s updates, see last week’s edition of California Cattleman Weekly.

EPA and Army Corps Propose Re-Defining “Waters of the U.S.” – Again
The Environmental Protection Agency and Army Corps of Engineers published a proposed rule last month to revise the definition of “Waters of the United States,” waters over which the federal government has jurisdiction for Clean Water Act permitting purposes. The proposed rule seeks in part to comply with the United States Supreme Court’s 2023 ruling in Sackett v. EPA, which limited federal jurisdiction of wetlands to those which have “a continuous surface connection” with a traditional navigable water, “making it difficult to determine where the ‘water’ ends and the ‘wetland’ begins.” Alongside its release of the proposed rule, the Trump Administration released a “Fact Sheet for the Agricultural Community” which clarifies the extent to which prior converted cropland, waste treatment systems and ditches are excluded from federal jurisdiction under the proposed rule. For more details from the Department’s updates, see last week’s edition of California Cattleman Weekly.

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CCA in the News

Where do cows go when they die? Western FarmPress “Specifically, Assembly Bill 411 by Assemblywoman Diane Papan, D-San Mateo, authorizes up to 100 cubic yards of on-ranch compost at any given time, equivalent to about 6-10 animals. According to the California Cattlemen’s Association, which sponsored the legislation. That equates to about 40 animals per year, assuming a 90-day compost cycle.” To continue reading, click here.

Industry News

Common Ground group focuses on financing young ranchers, risk protection and more Tri-State Livestock News “A dozen cattle and beef industry spokesman got together in Washington, D.C., in October, to discuss with a group of Senators and Congressional representatives their ideas for restoring confidence in the cattle industry. Jake Parnell, a California cattleman, owner of Cattlemen’s Livestock Market and President and Chairman of the Board of Western Video Market told TSLN that Montana Senator Tim Sheehy, a Republican, invited the group to gather in D.C., and he believes Mississippi Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith was also instrumental in lining up the meeting.” To continue reading, click here.