- Author: Dan Macon
Register now for the Sierra Foothills Cattle & Sheep Grazing School!
If you look back far enough in the histories of most foothill cattle operations, you'll find... SHEEP! Believe it or not, many long-time cattle operations also had sheep at one time. And today, there's increased interest in using multi-species grazing as a risk management and diversification tool!
If you're interested in learning more about managing both sheep and cattle on rangeland or pasture, sign up for the Sierra Foothills Cattle & Sheep Grazing School, July 14-15, 2022, in Auburn, California! This two-day school will include information - and hands-on experience - in grazing planning, estimating carrying capacity, fencing systems, stockmanship and husbandry practices, cattle and sheep nutrition, and economics! Our instructors include Dan Macon (UCCE Livestock and Natural Resources Advisor), Joe Fischer (Bruin Ranch), and Ryan Mahoney (R. Emigh Livestock). Every student will have an opportunity to graze both sheep and cattle!
Tuition for the 2-day program is $200, which includes meals and course materials. Producer scholarships are available through Sierra Harvest.
For more information, contact me at dmacon@ucanr.edu or (530) 889-7385. Let's get out there and graze!
/span>- 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
For many of us in Northern California, the 2017 and 2018 wildfire seasons are still very fresh in our minds. The late-season fires in Sonoma County in 2017, and the Camp Fire in Butte County in 2018, were among the most destructive deadliest fires in California's history. With above average precipitation - and above average forage growth - ranchers in the Sierra foothills and Sacramento Valley should start working now to prepare for what promises to be another very challenging fire season.
- Near normal temperatures and precipitation through August.
- Above normal snow pack gradually melting through July.
- Weak El Niño continuing through the summer.
- Heavy fine fuel crop [grass!], completely cured in June. Above normal brush growth.
- Below normal amount of summer lightning due to prevailing SW-W flow.
- Normal Significant Fire Potential in May. Above Normal at lower elevations from Sacramento Valley June-August, spreading north and including middle elevations beginning in August. Significant Fire Potential remaining quiet at high elevations.
While many of us have remarked that forage growth on our foothill rangelands seemed late this year, monitoring at the UC Sierra Foothill Research and Extension Center suggests that we're now above normal - the April 1 forage numbers are about 120 percent of the long term average. This data - as well as the NCGCC predictions above - was generated before the significant rainfall we've received over the last week. While the cooler temperatures and moisture will tamp down fire danger this month, we'll probably see increased fine fuel and brush growth as a result of these May storm systems. In other words, our fire danger will ramp up once the weather turns hot and dry.
At the risk of recycling a blog post from last fire season, here are some actions all of us can take in the coming weeks to prepare for increasing wildfire risk later in the summer:
Developing a Plan
What is at risk in your operation? Do you have livestock in multiple locations? Will you be able to access your home place or rented pastures in the event of a fire? Do you rely on dry forage in the fall before new grass germinates? A ranch wildfire plan should have several main components:
- Protecting Buildings, Infrastructure and Information: All of us should make our home places fire safe! Remove flammable vegetation within 100 feet of homes and other buildings. Don't forget other critical infrastructure like propane tanks, wells, equipment sheds and barns. Also be sure you have protected critical legal documents and insurance information. You should also check CalFire's suggestions for putting together an emergency supply kit (http://www.readyforwildfire.org/Emergency-Supply-Kit/).
- Protecting Forage: Many of us stock our operations conservatively to ensure that we have fall forage for our livestock. You might consider creating fuel breaks to protect this forage. Disking or grading around the perimeter of pastures, or at least adjacent to potential ignition sources, can protect this forage. Another alternative would be to use targeted grazing adjacent to roads or pasture boundaries - this can reduce the fuel load and slow a fire down. The width of any fuel break depends on the fuel type, topography/slope, and potential flame lengths that a fire might generate.
- Protecting Livestock: I try to think ahead of how I might move animals out of harm's way in the event of a fire. Given enough warning, I would either haul livestock away from a fire or herd them to a safe location. Many of us, however, have too many animals to evacuate on short notice. Leaving animals in pasture (or "sheltering in place") might be the only option in many cases. In our operation, I've identified areas like irrigated pastures or areas with little or no vegetation where we could put livestock until a fire passes. If you need to leave animals in place, be sure they have enough feed and water for several days. Will the animals have water if the power goes out? Be sure to take down temporary fences or other hazards that may injure animals as the fire moves through your property.
- Water Supply: Water is critical for protecting our properties and for keeping livestock healthy. Do you have adequate water supplies for wetting down your buildings and facilities, or for directly fighting fire? If you have to pump water, do you have a backup system in case you lose power? Can you provide stock water if the power goes out? You may wish to consider investing in a backup generator and/or additional water storage. Remember, PG&E will likely shut down the power grid during periods of severe fire risk.
- Escape Routes: Ideally, we should all have at least two routes in and out of our ranch properties. We try to think about at least two alternatives for moving our livestock to safety in the event of a fire - and this means loading and unloading facilities, a plan for gathering livestock, and a clear understanding of the road system near our pastures. Narrow roads can be problematic for navigating with stock trailers, especially when fire equipment is also inbound.
- Backup: Obviously, we can't all be on hand 24 hours a day, seven days a week to respond to a fast-moving fire. Consider working with friends, neighbors or colleagues to have a backup plan to evacuate or otherwise protect your livestock. Consider meeting with your neighbors to go over key livestock facilities, evacuation plans and access routes. Be sure to check in with these backup resources in the event of fire.
- Communication Plans: Do you have phone numbers for the other ranchers in your area? Do you know who runs the cows or sheep next door? Most of us probably do! During fire season, many of us text or call our neighbors when we see smoke. Perhaps it's time to formalize these calling trees. Contact me at dmacon@ucanr.edu if you'd like help setting up a calling tree for your area. Also, consider communicating with local law enforcement and animal control officials before an emergency occurs - letting these folks know where you have animals may be helpful in accessing your livestock during a fire.
- Situational Awareness: If you're like me, your ear can tell the difference between a fire plane and a regular aircraft. Whenever I'm outside during fire season, I scan the horizon for smoke - especially when I hear fire planes overhead. I carry fire tools and a 5-gallon backpack pump in my truck during fire season, as well, and I'm constantly aware of my surroundings when I'm working in dry grass or brushland.
Last summer, I put together a fillable form to help livestock producers write down a simple wildfire plan. In our sheep operation, I printed a copy of this plan for everyone associated with our ranch (family members, landlords, co-owners). I also shared our plan with our local animal control and law enforcement. The plan stayed in my truck until fire season ended. Thankfully, we didn't need to implement our plan - but the planning process itself instigated useful conversations within our business and with our neighbors. Click on the links below for more information:
Wildfire Preparation Strategies for Commercial Ranchers
Ranch Fire Preparation Plan (fillable form)
Finally, I want to hear from you! What steps are you taking to prepare for wildfire and other emergencies in your ranching operation! We can all learn from one another - please share your plans in the comment section!