- Author: Morgan P. Doran
- Author: Gabriele Maier
- Author: Roselle Busch
A livestock producer recently contacted UCCE regarding a problem he was having getting livestock dewormers shipped to a California address from out-of-state online retailers. Three different online retailers told him that they don't have a license to ship the products to California. This was a headscratcher since the same retailers have previously shipped the same products to California.
The problem triggered an exploration into the regulation of livestock drugs in California, which is helpful to understand the issue encountered with the online retailers.
Below is a brief description of how livestock drugs are regulated in California, with many references to lists published by the California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA), and a final suggestion on what to do if you encounter the same denial to sell a dewormer or other livestock drug.
Here are the basics of California Livestock Drug Regulations
When you buy livestock drugs from a store or an online retailer you usually don't know or need to know the regulatory process that permits such transactions, unless you are buying an antimicrobial drug that requires a prescription. Drugs that don't require a prescription are classified as either a “livestock drug” or a “restricted livestock drug.” Here are the different livestock drug classifications and their corresponding regulations:
- Livestock Drug – does not have any restrictions to sell or purchase
- Restricted Livestock Drug – the drug retailer is required to have an approved retailer license issued by CDFA to sell the drug in California
- Restricted Livestock Drug, Rx – the retailer has the same requirement as with a Restricted Livestock Drug and the buyer must have a veterinary prescription to purchase the drug
Some restricted livestock drugs are further classified as Type A VFD (Veterinary Feed Directive) or Type A Non-VFD, but most livestock producers don't need to worry about Type A livestock drugs unless they are a confined animal feeding operation (CAFO).
Here you can download a complete list of CDFA Approved Livestock Drug Registrations and their classifications.
More on the Drug Classifications
Most drugs for livestock fall under the “Livestock Drug” classification and include drugs such as antiseptics, topical medications, pain relievers, vitamins, minerals, nutrients, insecticides, and many more.
Drugs in the “Restricted Livestock Drug” category include hormones, dewormers, coccidiostats, medicated feed additives and a handful of other drugs. Here you can find a list of “Restricted Livestock Drugs.” Purchasing “Restricted Livestock Drugs” in California is typically not a problem unless the retailer does not have an approved retailer license with CDFA.
Drugs classified as “Restricted Livestock Drug, Rx” include medically important antimicrobial drugs such as penicillin, oxytetracycline, sulfamethazine and others. Here is a list of “Restricted Livestock Drugs, Rx” that were available without a prescription prior to 2018 in California.” These are drugs that require a prescription from your veterinarian to be purchased in the state of California, as mandated by the Livestock: Use of Antimicrobial Drugs law (FAC § 14400 – 14408). Other livestock drugs, including antimicrobials such as tulathromycin or gamithromycin have always required a prescription and will continue to do so in the future. If you do not have a veterinarian's prescription, then you must establish a veterinary-client-patient relationship (VCPR) with a veterinarian so that the veterinarian knows you and your livestock operation and has confidence in your animal care practices and ability to properly use and administer the prescription drugs.
Why Did the Retailers Decline Selling the Dewormer Products
While one of the retailers clearly does not have a retailer license to sell restricted livestock drugs in California, the other two retailers do have an approved retailer license. When we contacted the two retailers who do have an approved retailer license, they both indicated that the purchases were denied due to a website error and suggested that the purchaser call their customer service phone number to order the restricted products. Given this response we suspect there may be confusion or glitches among some out-of-state online retailers on selling restricted livestock drugs in California. A contributing factor may be recent changes made across the nation regarding medically important antimicrobials. On June 11, 2023, the US Food and Drug Administration implemented GFI # 263 and all medically important antimicrobials in the nation now require a prescription from a veterinarian. The rest of the country essentially now follows what California has already been practicing since 2018. The drugs that were previously “Restricted Livestock Drugs, Rx” are now Federally labeled as Rx drugs and no longer require a special designation for sale to California residents. It did not, however, change the label status of other “Restricted Livestock Drugs” in California.
If you find yourself in a similar situation in which an online retailer declines the sale of a dewormer product or other restricted livestock drug, you can first check if the retailer has an approved retailer license using this CDFA Restricted Livestock Drug Licensee list. If the retailer is listed as having an approved license then you should call their customer service number to order the product and let them know of the website error so that it can be corrected.
You can find all the referenced lists of restricted livestock drugs, licensed retailers and information about the Livestock Drug Program in California at this CDFA website https://www.cdfa.ca.gov/is/ffldrs/LivestockDrug.html.
- Author: Devii R. Rao
On May 22, 2023 I had the opportunity to spend the day with Fernando Pulido, professor of ecology and land management at the University of Extremadura, in Plasencia, Spain. He is also the director of Proyecto Mosaico (Mosaic Project).
Mosaic Project
The Mosaic Project was started in 2015 in response to large-scale wildfires that had been burning through the Extremadura region of Spain. The goal of the project is to minimize the impacts of wildfires by developing “productive fuel breaks.” Productive fuel breaks are strips of land with lower levels of vegetative biomass, strategically placed in the forest. They are “productive” because they are grazed, or cultivated with crops that have lower canopy and more open spacing than the maritime pine trees (Pinus pinaster) that are dominant in the forest.
Some fuel breaks are maintained by goats and sheep. The Mosaic Project has a program, funded by the regional government, to pay goat and sheep producers to maintain and keep watch of the fuel breaks. Goats and sheep not only maintain the fuel breaks, but also produce meat and dairy products. Crops grown in these fuel breaks include olives, chestnuts, fruit trees, and vines. The Mosaic Project is introducing new crops with high commercial value and the ability to generate employment. They also support commercialization of products produced in the productive fuel breaks. The idea is that these ranchers and farmers can make a living off of using these fuel breaks for agriculture, so there is incentive to maintain them over time. In order to participate in the Mosaic Project, agricultural producers have to be part of local associations to work collaboratively among themselves and project leaders.
Sierra de Gata
The Mosaic Project covers the Sierra de Gata and Las Hurdes, two adjacent mountain ranges. Both are dominated by pine trees and have small-scale human population centers dotted throughout them. The week before I arrived in Spain a nearly 30,000 acre wildfire burned through the Mosaic Project's study area in Sierra de Gata. The day I was there, we visited the burn area, including an area grazed by goats that was impacted much less by the fire.
The goat grazed area had also burned in a wildfire two years ago. The blackened shrub stems you see in the photos below are from the previous burn. After that fire, they began grazing goats.The goat grazing has kept the vegetation low and limited the effects of the fire.
Abandoned Agricultural Lands
In addition to working in forests, the Mosaic Project is working in agricultural lands in the Sierra de Gata and Las Hurdes that are being abandoned. Many young people are moving to cities to make more money, leaving older farmers as the sole stewards of these lands. As they retire, many lands previously cultivated are converting to forests and have a much higher fire risk.
The Mosaic Project is working to revive agriculture on these abandoned lands. Some of the activities on these lands include harvesting resin from pine trees to make things like eye glass frames; producing cork from cork oak trees; livestock grazing; and cultivating pistachios, almonds, and cherries.
The Dehesa
Fernando Pulido, leader of the Mosaic Project, was born and raised in the dehesa. The dehesa is an oak savanna ecosystem in Spain and Portugal where agroforestry is practiced. Cattle graze on the grass. The main trees are cork oaks and holm oaks. Cork oaks are a renewable resource where cork is harvested every 9-10 years. Holm oaks offer shade for cattle and each holm oak tree is pruned by the land manager to retain it's typical low and wide canopy. Pruned tree limbs are sold for firewood. Acorns of the holm oak are eaten by pigs and give a specific flavor to the famous jamon iberico. Unlike California oaks, holm oak acorns are considered “sweet,” meaning that they don't have the level of tannins that our oaks have and they are not toxic animals. Holm oaks also facilitate the growth of truffles, providing another source of income to the ranchers. The dehesa is also home to a variety of wildlife species, including special-status species such as the Iberian lynx. The dehesa has been managed this way, for grazing and a variety of tree products, for centuries. Fernando got the idea for the Mosaic Project from his experience with management of these open dehesas.
Potential for Future Collaboration
Issues related to wildfire are similar in Spain and California. In the future, I hope to be able to collaborate with Fernando on the Mosaic Project and see how those concepts could apply in California.
- Author: Devii R. Rao
The Central Coast Prescribed Burn Association (CCPBA) is a project of UC Cooperative Extension San Benito County and the Resource Conservation District of Monterey County with funding from two CAL FIRE grants. We hosted our first prescribed fire training exchange (TREX) from June 3 - June 10, 2023. It was held at the Santa Lucia Conservancy headquarters in Carmel Valley, Monterey, Ca. A huge thank you to Santa Lucia Conservancy!
Even though it rained during the week, we were still able to burn around 20 acres at the Nyland property in San Benito County, plus more than 15 large machine built piles which was good preparation for a future broadcast burn at Santa Lucia Preserve in Monterey County. We even had the help of a small new start-up called Burn Bot who brought their equipment to test out creating a type of control line called a blackline at one of our burn unit boundaries.
A big thanks to CAL FIRE for funding the CCPBA and being an incredible partner doing a ton of work in the background to make sure the TREX could happen.
Throughout the week we offered 13 trainings from burn planning to shelter deployment to how to use radios. There were also 12 presentations on topics such as burning in Ecuador, fire management in Spain, cultural fire, and prescribed fire with CAL FIRE.
75 people participated in the TREX, including:
- 2 Fire Depts (Hollister FD, Santa Clara Co Fire)
- 2 fire contractor (Defensible Space Services, Wildfire Specialist)
- 3 CA tribes (Amah Mutsun Tribal Band, Esselen Tribe of Monterey County, Auburn Rancheria)
- 3 State Park Districts (Monterey, Diablo, Santa Cruz)
- 5 international Spanish speaking burners (Honduras, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Spain)
- 2 local RCDs (Monterey, Santa Cruz)
- 2 local foresters (ARC, Hamey Woods)
- 4 local Land Trusts (Big Sur Land Trust, Peninsula Open Space Trust, San Benito Ag Land Trust, Santa Lucia Conservancy)
- 2 Regional Park Districts (East Bay Parks, Santa Clara Parks)
- 1 fire technology start up (BurnBot)
- 1 Nature Conservancy N. America Fire Program employee
- 2 reporters (SF Chronicle, California Academy of Sciences)
- Roughly 20 observers throughout the week
- Many local community members
We are so excited to train more people in prescribed fire so that they can help a variety of landowners and land managers conduct their burns safely and effectively in the future. For more details about the TREX, check out the Central Coast Fire Twitter page managed by Barb Satink, UCCE Fire Advisor for San Benito, Monterey, Santa Cruz, and Santa Clara counties: https://twitter.com/CACoastFire.
- Author: Devii R. Rao
I'd like to invite you to observe the Central Coast Prescribed Burn Association's (CCPBA) week-long prescribed fire training exchange (TREX). Observation days are June 4-9. The CCPBA is a program of UC Cooperative Extension San Benito County and the Resource Conservation District of Monterey County, with funding from CAL FIRE.
Click here to see the press release with more details.
We hope you are able to come for a day to see the good work we are doing training our local community on safely conducting prescribed fire!
For questions, contact:
Jamie Tuitele-Lewis, Fire Fuel Mitigation Program and Forest Health Coordinator, jtlewis@rcdmonterey.org
Barb Satink Wolfson, UCCE Area Fire Advisor, bsatinkwolfson@ucanr.edu
Central Coast Cal TREX Press Release.docx
- Author: Devii R. Rao
DAVIS, Calif., March 23, 2023 – U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Rural Development California State Director Maria Gallegos Herrera today announced the availability of grants to help people repair their homes that were damaged by severe weather or natural disasters in 2022, including the California Mosquito, Oak, Coastal, Fairview, and Mill fires as well as severe winter storms, flooding, landslides, and mudslides.
People living in identified counties in California may be eligible for the funding. The homes must be located in presidentially declared disaster areas.
“We understand the challenges faced by rural communities such as Planada, Pajaro, Allensworth, and others in the aftermath of natural disasters, and remain committed to helping those most in need,” said Gallegos Herrera. “That's why the Biden-Harris Administration and USDA Rural Development stand ready to help people across rural California access the resources they need to rebuild their homes, their communities and their lives. Together, we will work towards a stronger and more resilient future for all communities."
The grants will be available through supplemental disaster funding under the Rural Disaster Home Repair Grant Program. Through this program, people may apply to receive grants of up to $40,675 directly from USDA to repair their homes.
Funds will be available until expended. They may be used to:
- Pay for home repair expenses that were a result of a presidentially declared disaster in calendar year 2022.
- Prepare a site for a manufactured home.
- Relocate a manufactured home.
To be eligible:
- Applicants must have household incomes that do not exceed the low-limits based on their household size and county.
- Homes must be located in an eligible rural area.
- Homes must be located in a presidentially declared disaster areas 2022.
Residents in the following counties may be eligible for the funding:
Alameda, Alpine, Amador, Butte, Calaveras, Colusa, Contra Costa, Del Norte, El Dorado, Fresno, Glenn, Humboldt, Inyo, Los Angeles, Madera, Marin, Mariposa, Mendocino, Merced, Monterey, Napa, Nevada, Orange, Placer, Riverside, Sacramento, San Benito, San Diego, San Francisco, San Joaquin, San Luis Obispo, San Mateo, Santa Barbara, Santa Clara, Santa Cruz, Siskiyou, Solano, Sonoma, Stanislaus, Sutter, Tehama, Trinity, Tulare, Tuolumne, Ventura, and Yolo
For more information on how to apply, contact Stephen Nnodim stephen.nnodim@usda.gov (530) 792-580 or visit https://www.rd.usda.gov/programs-services/single-family-housing-programs/single-family-housing-rural-disaster-home-repair-grants.
Background
The Biden-Harris Administration championed the bill known as the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2023, that made this funding possible.
In the coming weeks and months, USDA expects to announce additional funding availability under the bill to help rural people in presidentially declared disaster areas who were impacted by natural disasters in 2022.
This additional funding will assist eligible organizations help rural people repair and improve their homes. It will also help rural communities repair water infrastructure and essential community facilities.
Additional resources to support rural communities seeking disaster assistance are available at https://www.rd.usda.gov/page/rural-development-disaster-assistance.
Under the Biden-Harris Administration, Rural Development provides loans and grants to help expand economic opportunities, create jobs and improve the quality of life for millions of Americans in rural areas. This assistance supports infrastructure improvements; business development; housing; community facilities such as schools, public safety and health care; and high-speed internet access in rural, Tribal and high-poverty areas. For more information, visit www.rd.usda.gov/ca. To subscribe to USDA Rural Development updates, visit our GovDelivery subscriber page.
USDA touches the lives of all Americans each day in so many positive ways. Under the Biden-Harris Administration, USDA is transforming America's food system with a greater focus on more resilient local and regional food production, promoting competition and fairer markets for all producers, ensuring access to safe, healthy and nutritious food in all communities, building new markets and streams of income for farmers and producers using climate-smart food and forestry practices, making historic investments in infrastructure and clean energy capabilities in rural America, and committing to equity across the Department by removing systemic barriers and building a workforce more representative of America. To learn more, visit www.usda.gov.