#45

Challenges faced by California Ranchers: Environmental, Regulatory, and Encroachment Pressures 

Seth Scribner, P. E.

Complexities in modern ranching range from advancing regulations to environmental constraints to a dwindling labor pool. As a professional rancher, I hope to give some insight to the challenges faced by today’s modern grazers, including:

California ranchers continually navigate a steady stream of ever increasing regulations targeting governance of their water and land usages. In many instances operations who’ve been in existence for generations feel it’s easier to sell their land to developers rather than fight tooth n’ nail for their right to farm and ranch.

What does it take to ranch under a conservation easement? From BMP’s to seasonal grazing to RDM, it takes a comprehensive grazing plan to keep the operator both profitable and in compliance. Each constraint not only adds to the complexity of the grazing regime, it comes at an economic cost as well. How about the current drought or next wildfire, what bearing will those have on ones operation?

In an industry where your office is outside, things sounds glamorous, but in reality animals need care 24hrs a day whether it’s 100 degrees outside or snowing or even on holidays. So when California forced agriculture to adhere to a 40hr work week, we’ve lost the lifestyle appeal and the labor pool.