- Author: Daniel K Macon
There's still time to register for our first-ever Sierra Foothills Rancher's Fire Academy! We'll be covering topics like using prescribed fire to control rangeland weeds, planning your own prescribed fire, fire tool basics, ranching hardening, and managing livestock during wildfire. You'll learn from local and regional fire experts, UC researchers, and from your fellow ranchers! Each session is just $10 per ranch (with up to four people from each ranch eligible to participate)!
- Author: Dan Macon
While wildfire has always been a part of our foothill and mountain environments, the scope and intensity of recent fires are well beyond anything most of us have experienced. In the last decade, incidents like the Rim Fire, the Butte Fire, the King Fire - not to mention the North Complex Fire and the Dixie Fire - have severely impacted foothill and Sierra ranching operations from Mariposa County to Lassen County. More locally, the River Fire (on both sides of the Bear River) resulted in evacuations of several farming and ranching operations during the 2021 fire season). Other ranchers in Yuba, Nevada, and Placer Counties lost forage to smaller fires. With fire season starting earlier - and lasting longer - we all need to be better prepared!
To kick off this effort, we are collaborating with the California Cattle Council and the UC Sierra Foothill Research and Extension Center (SFREC) to host a Ranchers Wildfire Field Day on Friday, Feburay 18, 2021 at SFREC in Browns Valley, CA. Our agenda will include rancher panel discussions, presentations on fire behavior, wildfire preparation, prescribed fire, and sheltering-in-place options, and policy updates from the California Cattlemen's Association, California Farm Bureau Federation, and California Wool Growers Association. Here's a quick overview of the day:
- Surviving a Fire (Rancher Panel) - Dave Daley, Brian Kingdon, and Kevin Pharis
- Ranch Hardening and Fire Planning - Dan Macon, UCCE
- Fire Tools and Fire Behavior Basics - Chris Paulus, CALFIRE (retired)
- Using Fire as a Tool - Prescribed Fire on Working Landscapes - Jeff Stackhouse, UCCE (invited)
- Evacuate or Defend: Making Resilient Wildfire Response Plans in Ranching Communities - Dr. Amanda Stasiewicz, San Jose State University
- Rangeland Fire Protection Associations (Rancher Panel) - Mike Guerry and Rob Oxerango, Idaho Ranchers
- Policy Updates - CCA, CFBF, and CWGA
- 2022 Wildfire Update and Working with CALFIRE - local CALFIRE representative
Lunch will be sponsored by the California Cattle Council! Registration is just $5/person - register at http://ucanr.edu/2020_ranchers_wildfire_field_day
- Author: Dan Macon
Working in partnership with CALFIRE Nevada-Yuba-Placer, sheriff's offices, and offices of emergency services in Placer, Nevada, and Yuba Counties, the livestock community established a 3-county Livestock Access Pass program for commercial livestock producers. While the system was not formally tested in 2021, we have established a systematic approach to helping livestock producers gain safe access to their operations during an emergency. This post summarizes the 2021 efforts and identifies needs and opportunities moving forward.
Steering Committee
The Placer-Nevada-Yuba Livestock Access Pass Program was created by a steering committee comprised of ranchers from all three counties and the Agricultural Commissioners from all three counties, facilitated by UC Cooperative Extension.
Members
Joe Fischer (Placer County Rancher) Roger Ingram (Placer County Rancher)
Laura Barhydt (Nevada County Rancher) Kevin Pharis (Nevada County Rancher)
Carrie Richards (Yuba County Rancher) Justine Dutra (Yuba-Sutter Farm Bureau)
Josh Huntsinger (Placer County Ag Dept) Chris deNijs (Nevada County Ag Dept)
Steven Scheer (Yuba County Ag Dept) Dan Macon (UCCE)
Commercial Livestock Production
The steering committee established the following criteria for determining whether a livestock operation is commercial in nature (for the purposes of the program):
- Qualified Commercial Livestock Operator: For the purposes of this program, a commercial livestock operator is defined as an owner of livestock consisting of 50 head of livestock (including in utero, e.g., 25 bred cows), 100 poultry or rabbits, or 50 beehives or more that reside in Placer, Nevada, or Yuba County for at least a portion of the year, or a person who, through an agreement with that owner of livestock, has authority and is responsible to oversee the care and well-being of the owner's livestock.
- Livestock Species Covered by Program: This program applies to commercially raised species of livestock, including cattle, sheep, goats, hogs, poultry, rabbits, llamas, alpacas, and bees. “Commercially raised” means the livestock are raised as part of a business.
- Application for Registration: To become enrolled in the program, a Commercial Livestock Operator must provide contact information, APNs and/or physical addresses of grazing sites, general season of use, livestock description and count, and other information by completing an online form. Producers without internet access were able to enroll with assistance from UCCE.
Coordination with Other Agencies
The steering committee coordinated with CALFIRE, county sheriff's offices, and county offices of emergency services. Through this coordination, we identified communication needs, a system for integrating the program into the incident command system, and producer training needs.
Producer Training
UCCE and CALFIRE collaborated on organizing an initial four-hour training session in each county. Each session included an overview of the program (UCCE), a discussion about emergency management and the incident command system, a presentation on fire behavior and fire safety (CALFIRE), a presentation on disaster planning at the ranch level (UCCE), and a general discussion about rancher experiences with evacuations and other emergencies. At the conclusion of each training, each producer was photographed for inclusion in their Livestock Access Pass. The Placer County training was held in early August. Due to an increase in wildfires in August and September, the Nevada and Yuba County training sessions were not held until late October.
Producer Demographics
|
Placer County |
Nevada County |
Yuba County |
Total |
Producers registered |
21 |
41 |
24 |
86 |
Producers trained |
11 |
24 |
13 |
48 |
Operation Characteristics (registered producers)
Beef Cattle |
Sheep |
Goats |
Swine |
Dairy |
Poultry |
Rabbits |
Bees |
Other |
Average # of Species |
56 |
31 |
21 |
15 |
6 |
20 |
2 |
8 |
9 |
2.02 |
67% |
37% |
25% |
18% |
7% |
24% |
2% |
10% |
11% |
|
Pass Creation and Distribution
Following each workshop, UCCE staff created an individual, personalized pass for each participant. These were then mailed/delivered to the county agriculture department (in the producer's home county) for signature and sealing. Passes were returned to UCCE and mailed to participants.
Observations and Ideas for 2022
- Given the time it took to develop the program, we were fortunate to complete training sessions in all three counties. Ideally, the training should occur in the late winter or early spring in future years.
- Having Nevada County OES and Sheriff participate in the workshop in Nevada City was outstanding. We will make sure that OES and Sheriff representatives are available for future trainings.
- There are many more producers who we need to reach. We advertised via local cattlemen and farm bureaus, as well as through my newsletter list, but we still missed many producers.
- We'll be offering a 1-hour refresher training for current participants and a 4-hour training for new participants. While tempting to do both virtually, there is definitely value in an in-person interaction with CALFIRE and local agencies.
- Our programs are consistent with the provisions of the new state program created by Assembly Bill 1103 (Dahle). The state program does not necessarily require board of supervisors' endorsement, but we should think about formal presentations in each county.
If you're interested in participating in the Livestock Access Pass program in 2022, contact me at dmacon@ucanr.edu or call (530) 889-7385.
- Author: Dan Macon
Wednesday, October 28, 2020 – 6 p.m. (via Zoom)
The University of Cooperative Extension (UCCE) is organizing an informational meeting on forming a Rancher's Fire Safe Council in the Sierra Foothills and beyond on Wednesday, October 28, from 6-7:30 p.m. The meeting will include short presentations regarding the California Cattlemen's Association Wildfire Committee, community-based Fire Safe Councils, and Rangeland Fire Protection Associations. We'll be discussing ranching community priorities regarding fire prevention, fire response (including livestock evacuation), and coordination with emergency response agencies at the local, state and federal levels. Please note: this meeting is focused on the needs and issues of commercial-scale ranching operations.
To register (and receive a Zoom link for the meeting), go to: http://ucanr.edu/survey/survey.cfm?surveynumber=32171
For more information, please contact Dan Macon, UCCE Livestock and Natural Resources Advisor (Placer-Nevada-Sutter-Yuba) at dmacon@ucanr.edu or (530) 889-7385.
/span>- Author: Dan Macon
Like many of you over the last several weeks (and indeed, over the last several years), I've read heartbreaking accounts of ranchers losing livestock in this latest round of devastating wildfires. I've talked to neighboring ranchers who helped friends evacuate livestock, and who moved their own animals to safe zones. And I've constantly watched the horizon for new smoke, and the sky for fire planes and helicopters. I've wondered what we can do as a ranching community to address our unique concerns and needs in the face of increasingly dangerous wildfires.
According to the California Fire Safe Council,
“Fire Safe Councils are grassroots, community-led organizations that mobilize residents to protect their homes, communities, and environments from catastrophic wildfire. A local Fire Safe Council is often sparked by a catalyst – perhaps a recent fire or a group of neighbors eager to spread a fire-safe message – then embraced by the community, which turns that initial interest into a committed group that finds ways to empower the residents to do their part to make the community safe.”
Most of these local Fire Safe Councils are formed by geographically related communities – counties, towns, or neighborhoods. But what about communities of interest? What about the ranching community? Our needs, when it comes to preventing and responding to wildfire, can be very different than a residential homeowner's needs.
Ranching in the Sierra foothills is unique. Many of us operate on multiple parcels, some leased, others owned. These ranches are dispersed throughout the community – they may be surrounded by residential communities or public lands. Some of us still take livestock to the high country, while others rely on irrigated pasture during the summer months. Many of us have livestock at multiple locations.
Because these ranches are grazed (or in fire terms, because the fine and ladder fuels are modified), ranches may provide areas where fire behavior changes – where firefighters can attack a fire directly. Ranches that include irrigated pasture may provide additional firebreak benefits. Some ranches have ponds or other water sources that maybe helpful to firefighting efforts.
Rancher needs during a wildfire may also differ from the surrounding communities. Unlike backyard livestock owners, commercial ranchers often have more livestock than can be evacuated by a single truck and trailer – making evacuation difficult even with enough warning. Ranchers with leased pasture may have difficulty accessing property and livestock during an emergency due to roadblocks. And ranchers typically have first-hand, on-the-ground knowledge – and oftentimes equipment – that may be helpful in the initial response to wildfire.
All of this brings me to an idea:
What if we created a Rancher's Fire Safe Council?
What if we formalized our efforts to inventory the equipment and expertise that could help protect ranch lands and the surrounding community? What if we formalized our relationships with CalFire, law enforcement, and other emergency services? What if we could train ourselves (and our neighbors) on things like safe evacuation and fire behavior? What if we formally became a resource for protecting our ranches and our communities?
I'd like to invite you to a meeting to explore this idea in more detail. And please feel free to invite other ranchers to participate. I envision this group being comprised of commercial producers – ranchers who have more livestock than could be evacuated in a single trailer, who are raising livestock as a business.
WHEN: Wednesday, October 28, 2020 – 6-7:30 p.m.
WHERE: Via Zoom – link will be provided once you register
Please RSVP at: https://ucanr.edu/survey/survey.cfm?surveynumber=32171
Tentative Agenda
- What is a Fire Safe Council?
- Are there other ways to address the fire prevention, response, and recover needs of the ranching community?
- What could a Rancher's Fire Safe Council do? What are our top priorities?
- Who should be involved in this effort?
- Next steps
I look forward to hearing from you! What do YOU think a Rancher's Fire Safe Council could do? Leave a comment to this blog, or email me directly at dmacon@ucanr.edu.