2023 Butte County Rangelands Tour
On April 19, 2023 a bus load of Butte County Staff, Board of Supervisors and state officials that directly impact cattle ranching joined a tour of the Foster Ranch and the Daley Ranch. The tour showcased the economic and ecological importance of cattle grazing in Butte County while educating attendees on the entire beef production lifecycle, from pasture to plate. The California Cattle Council graciously funded this rangeland education tour in Butte County that was coordinated by UC Cooperative Extension and the Butte County Cattlemen.
The tour was to showcase the importance of grazing to promote healthy ecosystems, protecting and enhancing biodiversity, groundwater recharge, reducing fuel loads, maintaining open spaces, contributing to rural economies, and growing high quality protein. The tour kicked off with a welcome by hosts Dr. Dave Daley, rancher and Tracy Schohr, UC Cooperative Extension Livestock and Natural Resources Advisor. Attendees then heard from Dr. Leslie Roche, an associate professor of cooperative extension at UC Davis, who synthesized the ecological value of California’s working rangelands for tour attendees.
The bus tour took elected official and community members across the county, narrated by Dave Daley. The first tour stop was on the Foster Ranch where Holly Foster discussed the ranching operation overview, rotational grazing, challenges with fires, grazing at Butte College, and drought resiliency. Tim Collins with Cal-Fire also shared about the role of grazing to reduce fire fuels and collaboration between CAL-Fire and local ranchers to reduce fire fuels in the region with training burns and the Vegetation Management Program (VMP).
The second tour stop was the Daley Ranch, including a tri-tip lunch prepared by local cattlemen. Dave provided an overview of the ranching operation, challenges with fires, and gave a working dog demonstration. Also, at this stop tour guests heard from Cal-Fire Chief Garrett Sjolund about the Ag Pass Program that allows ranchers access during fires to care for and evacuate cattle, and the importance of working rangelands in firefighting tactics. Dan Taverner, Natural Resources Conservation Service District Director shared about conservation efforts on working rangelands and voluntary projects he is working with ranchers on across the county to improve forage value, drought resiliency, watershed health, and create wildlife habitat.
The tour concluded with a bus ride across the “forgotten rangelands” of Butte County that are plagued with illegal groves and littered with waste, narrated by Dave Daley. At the end of the tour, guests provided overwhelmingly positive feedback on the value of the tour and importance of connecting with ranchers and fellow attendees during the day to learn more about working rangelands in the county.
In the NEWS!
- Chico Enterprise Record
- Article: Farm tour offers intricate look into cattle ranching:https://www.chicoer.com/2023/04/20/farm-tour-offers-intricate-look-into-cattle-ranching/
- Dave Daley Letter to the editor: https://www.chicoer.com/2023/04/22/letter-thank-a-rancher-for-wide-open-spaces/
- California Cattleman Magazine - July 2023
