Livestock & Pasture

Livestock production in Placer and Nevada Counties consistently ranks among the top five commodities produced. Many types of livestock are raised in the two-county area, including cattle, sheep, goats, horses, llamas, and alpacas.

Agricultural viability is a major issue in both Placer and Nevada Counties. Land development, increasing expenses, lack of economic and financial planning, and an aging agricultural population have contributed to a challenging situation.

To meet this challenge, the Livestock and Natural Resources program in Placer and Nevada Counties takes local and statewide UC research to producers to help them be economically and environmentally sustainable.

Ag viability translates to these core concepts:

• Structure your livestock operation to work with nature. This means matching your production cycles with nature’s cycles. This results in being a low-cost producer.

• Develop a plan for profitability over and above providing a salary for the rancher. This includes both economic and financial planning.

• Manage for the ecological landscape you want to create. This means understanding the ecosystem processes of energy flow, water cycle, and mineral cycle and how to use them to manage for a sustainable, productive landscape.

• Create a risk management plan for drought, marketing, and personal injury to make the ranch resilient in the face of adversity.

Dan Macon

I serve as the livestock and natural resources advisor for Placer, Nevada, Sutter and Yuba Counties. Previously, I was an associate specialist in rangeland science and management at UC Davis. My research and extension activities are focused on ranch economics and business management, drought resilience, predator-livestock coexistence, and irrigated pasture management. I have a master’s degree in integrated resource management from Colorado State University and a bachelor’s degree in agricultural and managerial economics from UC Davis.

We hold a variety of hands-on, production focused workshops and activities throughout the year. Check out the calendar of events to the right for upcoming events. You can also subscribe to my blog, Ranching in the Sierra Foothills.

The New Foothill Rancher Newsletter

I am continuing to publish a quarterly Foothill Rancher newsletter. You can sign up and receive the newsletter electronically by clicking this link or selecting the Foothill Rancher Newsletter button on the menu at left.