CALIFORNIA CATTLEMAN WEEKLY

August 31, 2026

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Wolf Program Funding Materializes as California Legislature Sprints Towards Finish Line
Midnight tonight is the deadline for the Legislature to act on bills introduced in the 2025-26 Legislative Session. Accordingly, the past week has seen a flurry of legislative activity, including over the weekend.

On Thursday, Assemblymember Buffy Wicks (D-Oakland) revived CCA-opposed AB 1156. As recently amended, AB 1156 provides that Williamson Act contracts can be nullified (and cancellation fees waived) when certified solar projects are approved on Williamson-Act-enrolled agricultural lands in critically overdrafted water basins. As of press time, the bill still needed to secure votes on the Senate and Assembly floors before the close of Session; CCA continues to actively oppose the measure.

In more encouraging developments, two CCA-supported wildfire resilience measures successfully passed out of the Legislature in recent days: AB 1699 (Rogers), a.k.a. The Good Fire Act, and AB 1891 (Connelly), which would establish the Beneficial Fire Capacity Program within CAL FIRE, are now sitting on Governor Gavin Newsom’s desk.

The California Constitution provides allows the Legislature to consider urgency statutes even after tonight’s end-of-session deadline, and legislators in recent days have appended urgency clauses to a few late-negotiated measures in an effort to beat the clock.

Most importantly for CCA, an amendment to the Budget Act of 2026 went into print early Saturday which would provide $5 million for the Department of Fish and Wildlife’s Wolf Program, including $2.5 million for the Wolf-Livestock Compensation Program. Funding for the Wolf Program had been CCA’s signature Budget priority but was not included in the 2026-27 State Budget approved at the end of June. If signed into law, the $5 million proposed in the Budget Act will be a major victory for CCA and for cattle ranchers in wolf territory.

A legislative compromise on Governor Newsom’s end-of-Session push to limit the wildfire liability of power companies also went into print early Saturday morning with an urgency clause attached.

After the Legislature adjourns, Governor Newsom will have until the end of September to sign or veto bills. CCA will provide more end-of-Session updates in next week’s edition of California Cattleman Weekly, with a full recap of CCA’s legislative efforts in the November edition of the California Cattlemanmagazine.

USDA Announces Ranchers First Initiative After President Trump’s Beef Processing Statement
On Friday, President Donald Trump announced on social media that he was “authorizing legal documents to be drawn in order to allow Farmers and Ranchers to be given the right to PROCESS THEIR OWN FOOD” to increase competition with “the Big Processors.” The wording of the announcement raised eyebrows, with CCA national partner the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association responding that while the organization “strongly supports increasing competition in the cattle markets and creating more opportunities for small and regional beef processors,” it opposes any proposals “weakening federal meat inspection and food safety standards.” CCA’s member-driven policy likewise supports robust USDA inspections for meat and poultry.

Following President Trump’s announcement, this morning Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins announced the “Ranchers First Initiative.” The initiative includes a grant program “to help support regional processing” and a new program to support heifer retention, among other provisions. The policies announced this morning largely build on existing USDA programs to the benefit of the beef industry, and importantly do not implicate the health and safety of domestic beef production. CCA will keep members apprised of any further announcements from USDA in furtherance of the President’s beef-industry priorities.

The announcements came after President Trump last week signed a proclamation allowing up to 300,000 metric tons of lean beef trimmings to be imported into the United States over the next three months without being subject to the existing out-of-quota tariff. CCA condemned the decision, noting that “If we want more affordable and abundant American beef in the years ahead, we need policies that encourage American ranchers to produce more cattle—not policies that increase our reliance on foreign beef.” CCA partner the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association also issued a statement expressing disappointment in the President’s announcement, and a coalition of national beef industry advocacy groups has called on the President to rescind the proclamation. For more information, see last week’s edition of California Cattleman Weekly.

Non-Lethal Gray Wolf Management Trainings Available
Ranchers in wolf territory are encouraged to participate in a free training session for the ability to use non-lethal projectiles (paint/powder projectiles) and pursuit to haze wolves interacting with livestock. The training sessions are authorized by the California Department of Fish and Wildlife and administered by USDA APHIS Wildlife Services.

Training courses are currently planned for September 10 in Sierraville; September 11 in Taylorsville; September 15 in Susanville; and September 16 in Alturas.

These training sessions are free and offered for livestock producers in wolf territory on a first-come, first-served basis. For more information and to register, click here. CCA will keep members informed as additional training dates are added.

Douglas Port Reopens to Cattle Crossing, with Additional Ports to Follow
The U.S. Department of Agriculture last week reopened the Douglas, AZ port to cattle crossings, a move the agency says is “guided by overlapping safeguards and a science-based import protocol jointly agreed upon between the United States and Mexico.” The southern border had been closed to cattle crossing since July 7 of last year due to the northward spread of New World screwworm. USDA is expected to continue its phased reopening of southern ports over the next 60 days, reopening ports at Santa Teresa, NM, and Columbus – though the agency maintains “The reopening timeline will remain flexible and may be adjusted based on Mexico’s progress” in addressing the spread of New World screwworm. For more information, see last week’s edition of California Cattleman Weekly.

USDA Forest Service Initiates Repeal of 2001 Roadless Rule
The U.S. Forest Service has initiated a proposed rulemaking to rescind the 2001 Roadless Area Conservation Rule, which prohibits road construction (and reconstruction) and timber harvesting on more than 44 million acres designated as roadless areas throughout the nation’s forests, including more than 2.5 million acres within California. For the past 25 years, the regulation has imposed barriers to effective wildfire preparedness efforts, including timber harvest and grazing management. The Forest Service is taking public comments on the proposed rescission of the Roadless Rule through September 21. To comment, click here. For more information, see last week’s edition of California Cattleman Weekly.

Producer Reminder: Watch for Toxic Blue-Green Algae Blooms
As late-summer heat can contribute to blue-green algae blooms, CCA is reminding producers to be alert for potentially toxic algae in stock water. A producer member recently contacted CCA after losing cattle that had been exposed to toxic blue-green algae, underscoring the importance of checking ponds, lakes and other water sources for blooms before allowing cattle access.

Read this article from UC Agriculture and Natural Resources for more information on identifying blue-green algae and protecting livestock.

Watch for a feature story on blue-green algae in the next edition of California Cattleman.

Share Your Perspectives on Conservation Stewardship Activities
The CalGLC (California Grazing Land Coalition) and California Rangeland Conservation Coalition encourage ranches to share their perspectives on conservation stewardship activities activities in a survey.

Share Your Favorite Recipe from Your California Ranch!
The California Cattlemen’s Foundation is collecting recipes from California ranching families to share with Californians through upcoming storytelling projects, including the CalResilient newsletter and a special event celebrating the International Year of the Woman Farmer. We’re looking for recipes that tell a story, such as family favorites, meals made after a long day working cattle, dishes passed down through generations, or seasonal recipes that bring people together. Right now, we’re especially looking for late-summer and fall recipes, but recipes of all kinds are welcome. If you’d like to participate, please send your recipe to katier@calcattlemen.org. If you’re able, include a few sentences about the recipe’s story or significance to your family, along with a photo of the finished dish, your family, or the people who make it. Have questions or want to learn more? Reach out to Katie.

2026 California Cattlemen’s Association Scholarships are Open Now! 
In 2025, CCA awarded over $51,000 in scholarships to students studying agriculture. Applications must be typed and returned in full to the California Cattlemen’s Association office by Thursday, October 1, 2026 at 11:59pm via email to Gracie at gracie@calcattemen.org. For more information about CCA’s offered scholarships and to access the scholarship application, click here.

Upcoming CCA Events

Upcoming Industry Events

CCA in the News

This Week with George Stephanopoulos Full Broadcast – Sunday, August 30, 2026 ABC News “You heard what the president announced on Friday. What does that mean for you? Mike Williams, California Cattlemen’s Association Vice President: Well, I think it’s unfortunate. I understand what he’s trying to do. I don’t agree that that’s the best way to go about achieving his goals.” To continue watching the interview, click here.

Ranchers react to Trump’s tariff-free beef import plan LiveNow FOX “Tony Toso with the California Cattleman’s Association joins LiveNOW’s Alexandra Goldberg to react to President Trump’s tariff-free beef import plan.” To continue reading, click here.

Industry News

SLO County ranchers are losing livestock to bears. Now some want a hunting season The San Luis Obispo Tribune “In September 2025, San Luis Obispo cattle rancher Pat Abel heard a high-pitched moo ring out as one of her Angus cows cried for her missing 3-day-old newborn.  Abel had been tending to the healthy calf the night before, so she was alarmed that the baby was no longer beside its mother. Her mind raced to the three bears she had witnessed hours before playing in the creek on her property and tearing down avocado tree limbs.” To continue reading, click here.

A New Federal Petition Wants to Strip Protections From California’s Wolves Active NorCal “The effort, led by the property rights group American Stewards of Liberty, argues that wolves in the lower 48 states represent only a small slice of a massive worldwide population stretching through Canada, Alaska, Europe and Asia. Because of that, the petition claims, the animals do not qualify as a distinct species, subspecies or population segment worthy of federal listing.” To continue reading, click here.