May 2020 California Cattleman

May 2020

Inside this issue... marketing season brings questions and concerns Direct to consumer beef marketing uc Estimates impacts of COVID-19 on beef industry May 2020 California Cattleman 1

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CLM REPRESENTATIVES Jake Parnell .................916-662-1298 George Gookin .........209-482-1648 Rex Whittle.................209-996-6994 Mark Fischer ..............209-768-6522 Kris Gudel ................... 916-208-7258 Steve Bianchi ............707-484-3903 Joe Gates ....................707-694-3063 Jason Dailey ...............916-439-7761 Brett Friend ..................510-685-4870 WEDNESDAY WEEKLY SCHEDULE Butcher Cows ................................... 8:30 a.m.

Cow-Calf Pairs/Bred Cows ..... 11:30 a.m.

Feeder Cattle ........................................ 12 p.m.

AUCTION MARKET Address 12495 Stockton Blvd., Galt, CA Office........................................209-745-1515 Fax ............................................ 209-745-1582 Website/Market Report ..www.clmgalt.com Web Broadcast ......www.lmaauctions.com 2 California Cattleman May 2020

CLM SPECIAL FEEDER SALES AND THE 2020 AMADOREL DORADO-SACRAMENTO AND CALAVERAS COUNTY CATTLEMEN’S SPECIALS

Cattlemen’s Feeder Sales are open to consignments from any County Cattlemen’s Association.

A portion of the proceeds will be donated to each respective County Cattlemen’s Association.

COUNTY CATTLEMEN’S..... MON., MAY 11 CLM SPECIAL ........................... WED., MAY 20 COUNTY CATTLEMEN’S..... MON., JUNE 1 CLM SPECIAL ........................... WED., JUNE 10 COUNTY CATTLEMEN’S..... MON., JUNE 15 CLM SPECIAL ........................... WED., JUNE 24 CLM SPECIAL ........................... WED., JULY 8 CLM SPECIALS .......................... BEGIN AT 12 P.M. COUNTY CATTLEMEN’S....... BEGIN AT 9 A.M.

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CALIFORNIA CATTLEMEN’S ASSOCIATION ______________ Since 1917

1221 H Street Sacramento CA 95814 (916) 444-0845

NEVER SEEN ANYTHING LIKE THIS

by CCA President Mark Lacey

The saying “I’ve been to a holy roller meeting, a windmill greasing and a goat rodeo, and I’ve never seen anything like this,” pretty well sums up what our nation has been through since the first of the year.

We‘ve witnessed unprecedented actions on behalf of governments, the collapse of a strong economy, opportunistic and despicable acts by politicians, polarization of a national crisis, a loss of civil liberties and at the same time generous acts of unity and charity.

Here at home, one of the impacts that has disappointed me greatly is the cancellation of our tour meetings. The county groups did a great job working with the office to eliminate conflicting dates and it looked like I would be able to make every single meeting. Depending on how long this crisis lasts, hopefully we can reschedule for summer or fall. As of the date of this column, the Cattle Feeders Meeting is likely to be canceled, and the Midyear Meeting will probably be postponed, or held on a very limited basis so we can handle business that needs consideration before convention.

As disappointed as I am about the disruption of our schedule, the disruption of the economy and cattle market that inturn causes direct impacts on our members is what gives me the greatest concern. The cattle feeders have experienced substantial losses going back to at least March.

Stocker operators, who have been hampered by dry conditions all year coupled with distressed market conditions, have either already sold for a loss, or are standing by to take a pretty serious hit. Last, but not least the cow-calf folks in many parts of the state have also been dealing with drought conditions while trying to anticipate what the calf market could be like this summer and fall.

So, the $64,000 question becomes: When in the midst of a (hopefully) once-in-a-generation worldwide crisis, what do we do about it?

Well, CCA has been around for over a hundred years, mostly because of the never quit, independent and resilient attitude of cattle ranchers. We have members that grew up in the aftermath of the great depression, World War II, drought and bad markets. I myself am old enough to remember seeing the Western Livestock Journal after Nixon instituted price controls that caused cattle markets to lose half of their value.

The joke was that guys tried to give cattle away, but no one would take them unless they paid the freight too.

The point is CCA, and our members, have overcome many challenges because of ranchers’ adherence to the ideology of self-reliance (i.e., not relying on the government for the success of our businesses.) So, what are we doing in 2020? Going to the government for help! Now, we all know that we get some help from the government in the form of disaster insurance and conservation programs from time to time. This, 4 California Cattleman May 2020

however, may be the first time we legitimately need and want government aid because, while our markets were still slightly distressed, the unprecedented actions of the federal and state governments completely decapitated the live cattle/feeder markets, and depressed the calf market by at least 15 to 20 percent. So, this time we will gladly accept some help.

So, what is CCA doing about it? Within a week of the government announcement we sent a letter to the California congressional delegation asking them to support producers and giving them some detailed suggestions. Next, staff worked closely with NCBA to support passage of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act that has $9.5 billion for livestock, specialty crops producers, local food systems (farmers markets). It sounds like quite a bit, but it will depend on how aid is distributed.

To that end, we formed an ad hoc crisis committee to gather information on estimated lost value on cattle sales since the government intervention, and discussed different ideas for structuring aid payments for each sector including cattle feeding, stocker, calf ranches and cow-calf operations.

These ideas were forwarded to NCBA’s working group going through the same process. In addition to payment structure ideas, suggestions were sent regarding tax treatment of aid payments and exempting capital gains on forced sale of livestock related to the crisis and drought, support of the agriculture labor force, transportation regulations and the availability of operating capital with low interest rates. Our priority is moving the aid out to producers, so we continue to work with NCBA to accomplish that.

As you all know, government programs are not fast nor simple. There is likely to be a round four of stimulus and CCA will be working hard for the interests of California producers.

Our state has been through a lot since last year; from wildfires, to drought, and now a national crisis that will have lasting impacts on the economy and cattle markets. Honestly, it must feel like the trials of Job for many. Just as it has been for the last 100 years, CCA staff is working – albeit under quarantine guidelines – to represent and support its members. In the absence of our face-to-face meetings, please call the office if you need services or have questions. You can also check the website for regular status updates.

Together we will persevere, and rise to meet the challenges before us. The reason I feel confident in that statement is that cattle ranchers are a breed apart; independent, tough and resilient. That is why I love this way of life and the fellow ranchers I share it with. If we have faith, and remain steadfast in our values we will be rewarded like Job when this is all over. I hope all your families have faired well through this ordeal.

ON THE COVER

MAY 2020

Volume 103, Issue 5 ASSOCIATION PERSPECTIVES CATTLEMEN’S COLUMN Uniting during times of uncertainty

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BUNKHOUSE A time that will go down in history

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YOUR DUES DOLLARS AT WORK CCA COVID-19 response

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HERD HEALTH CHECK Things to consider before sending calves to sale

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This month’s cover photo was taken by ranch and outdoor photographer Kenny Calhoun at Yocha Dehe in Yolo County. To see more of Calhoun’s work, visit: www.kennycalhounphotography.com.

This May issue features California livestock auction markets and contains a directory for current marketing dates up and down the state.

CHECKING IN ON YOUR BEEF CHECKOFF 34 Crisis management at the California Beef Council

UPCOMING CCA MEETINGS & EVENTS

PROGRESSIVE PRODUCER FARM Club hosts producer symposium

May 20-22 California & Arizona Cattle Feeders Meeting

SPECIAL FEATURES

Auction yards working for producers Direct meat-to-consumer marketing Early COVID-19 impacts on beef prices

READER SERVICES

36

14 22 32

— Canceled —

As the COVID-19 situation evolves, please watch for updates from CCA on social media, the website, Legislative Bulletin, the Hot Irons newsletter or this magazine.

For questions about specific events and local meetings, contact the CCA office at (916) 444-0845.

CCA Executive Committee 2020 CCA Livestock Market Directory Buyers’ Guide Obituaries New Arrivals Advertisers Index

13 28 38 44 45 46

SERVING CALIFORNIA BEEF PRODUCERS SINCE 1917 Bolded names and businesses in editorial represent only current members of the California Cattlmen’s Association or California CattleWomen, Inc. For questions about your membership status, contact the CCA office at (916) 444-0845.

The California Cattleman is published monthly except July/August is combined by the California Cattlemen’s Association, 1221 H Street, Sacramento, CA 95814, for $20/year, or as part of the annual membership dues. All material and photos within may not be reproduced without permission from publisher.

Periodical postage paid at Jefferson City, Mo., and additional mailing offices. Publication # 8-3600 National Advertising Group: The Cattle Connection/The Powell Group, 4162-B Carmichael Ct, Montgomery, AL 36106, (334) 271-6100.

POSTMASTER: Send address changes to: California Cattleman, 1221 H Street, Sacramento, CA 95814

May 2020 California Cattleman 5

Resilience Keeps Us Strong Over generations, catastrophic disasters, both natural and man-made, have shaped our livelihoods and our operations. In the end, our resilience helps us adapt and always makes us stronger.

The COVID-19 pandemic has tested California like never before and as we emerge from this crisis, we must thank those who put themselves in harm’s way to protect our communities and our most vulnerable. California’s first responders, emergency room nurses and doctors – many from the cattle community – put themselves at great risk to protect the vulnerable, and they deserve our respect and gratitude.

Just as cattle ranchers emerge from disasters like drought, floods, wildfires and recession stronger than before, history will reflect that our shared resilience as Californians united and defined who we are as a community.

I’m proud that the California Cattlemen’s Association and our members continue to provide a safe, plentiful supply of beef to nourish families and keep them healthy during this very difficult time.

There is no doubt we will emerge from this darkness inspired by the resilience of our first responders, the ranching community and of our neighbors.

As we continue to monitor the situation, look for updates on our Twitter, Facebook and Instagram pages and follow the hashtag #ResilientRanches.

Stay safe. Stay resilient.

Mark Lacey, President, California Cattlemen’s Association

6 California Cattleman May 2020

resilience [re•sil•ience] noun

an ability to recover from or adjust easily to misfortune or change

For California cattle ranchers, resilience is more than a word, it’s who we are.

That resilience has allowed us to adapt in the face of adversity while continuing to produce safe, environmentally sustainable, and nutritious food for our neighbors.

As this pandemic passes, our shared resilience will ensure California emerges stronger than ever. #ResilientRanches #ResilientCalifornia May 2020 California Cattleman 7

BUNKHOUSE

FOR THE HISTORY BOOKS

by CCA Director of Communications Katie Roberti Something I enjoy occasionally doing in the office is flipping through the older issues of the California Cattleman.

With over 100 years of content, each year’s issues are leather-bound together and live on the shelves of the CCA conference room.

What interests me about going through these books is partially how much our issues in the beef business have stayed the same decade over decade, yet the world today is far from what it was even just a few decades ago. But mostly, I am fascinated by the stories of eras and events I wasn’t around to be a part of or attend.

The times we are living in right now will be talked about by generations to come. Those who weren’t here to experience the outbreak will someday seek to try and understand what it was like during the COVID-19 pandemic.

I don’t have answers to what will happen, when life will get back to normal, or how this will change our lives. Still, I think it’s worth writing down a few observations for people who pick up this magazine in the future.

From my experience, it’s been unreal to watch the world fight an invisible enemy and take part in the social distancing happening because of the pandemic.

While China and other parts of the world had already been facing extreme outbreaks of the disease months before it impacted the U.S., I’ve learned through this that it’s hard to grasp the severity of a situation like a pandemic until it starts invading your own routine and becomes personal.

The first event that made me stop and think “this virus is no small issue” was on March 11, when the NBA announced

Bare grocery shelves at a market in Sacramento in late March.

8 California Cattleman May 2020

to suspend all games. I was watching the Sacramento Kings’ pre-game at my apartment in Midtown Sacramento. Players were warming up, and fans were finding their seats when the announcement at Golden One Center was made that there KATIE ROBERTI would be no basketball game played that evening, and fans should exit the arena.

On March 12, like dominos falling one by one, the cancelation of events and social gatherings began. CCA staff and leadership decided to postpone the Annual Steak & Eggs Breakfast for the first time in the event’s history. March Madness was canceled, MLB postponed Opening Day and even Disney parks, the happiest places on earth, closed their gates indefinitely.

By Saturday, March 14, grocery stores in my area had been flooded with customers stocking up on supplies. My local Trader Joes and Safeway stores had full aisles cleared out—no toilet paper, paper towels, hand sanitizers or soaps, canned goods, bread, flour, milk or eggs to be found, and extremely limited quantities of fresh produce, meats and frozen foods still available.

Sunday, March 15, was the first Sunday many churches closed the doors to services and held their first online experiences—not knowing this would be the start of weeks and months of church bodies watching services online and having their Easter 2020 services at home.

President Trump announced on March 16, guidelines for “15 Days to Slow the Spread.” At the end of the 15 days, these guidelines were added to and extended for an additional “30 Days to Slow the Spread” through April 30.

On March 17, Sacramento County (the county I live in) released a directive for all people in the county to stay at home to help slow the spread of the virus.

Two days later, California Governor Gavin Newsom issued a stay at home order for the entire state. I’ve been working from my family’s ranch in Sierra Valley (rather than out of the CCA office in downtown Sacramento) ever since.

Since March 19, it has all seemed to be a blur for me.

I went ten days straight without leaving the ranch, stopped visiting my grandma next door to keep her safe and I now wear a mask in the grocery store.

For many, nothing is standard about these days. There have been freshly powdered ski slopes with no skiers, sunny afternoons with no patio happy hours, Holy Week with empty churches and no Easter hats or dresses, crisp spring (or more likely freezing in Sierra Valley) mornings with no little league games, supermarkets with longer lines to get into the store than to checkout and the list of movie-like scenes from the past month goes on and on. ...CONTINUED ON PAGE 10

THE CENTRAL CALIFORNIA LIVESTOCK MARKETING CENTER Upcoming Western Video Sales from Cottonwood, CA: MAY 7 • MAY 28 JUNE 12

TURLOCK LIVESTOCK AUCTION YARD Contra Costa-Alameda and San Joaquin-Stanislaus County Cattlemen’s Associations 38th Annual ales

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howcase Feeder

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MAY 2 • MAY 16 • MAY 30

ALSO SELLING CATTLE FROM THESE CALIFORNIA COUNTY CATTLEMEN’S ASSOCIATIONS:

Merced-Mariposa • Santa Clara • Napa-Solano • Madera • Calaveras • Tuolumne • Fresno-Kings • San Benito • Tahoe

FEATURING NHTC NATURAL/AGE AND SOURCE VERIFICATION CATTLE

These sales will feature some of the best cattle producers in the state of California have to offer, so whether your cattle are enrolled in a special program or not, these are the sales for you!

SALE DAY IS PAY DAY When marketing your calves at TLAY, don’t forget how essential the 2nd round of shots is. Make sure to include a Modified-Live vaccination (MLV).

TLAY REPRESENTATIVES Max Olvera Steve Faria Brandon Baba Chuck Cozzi John Luiz Jake Bettencourt Tim Sisil John Bourdet Travis Johnson Matt Miller Bud Cozzi Eddie Nunes

209 277-2063 209 988-7180 209 480-1267 209 652-4479 209 480-5101 209 262-4019 209 631-6054 831 801-2343 209 996-8645 209 914-5116 209 652-4480 209 604-6848

Website: www.TurlockLivestock.com

WATCH & BID LIVE:

www.LMAAuctions.com

UPCOMING TLAY SPECIALS Tuesdays: May 5 & 19 – TLAY Late Spring Feeder Sales

Specials Dedicated to Showcasing Calves and Yearlings from Consignors with 50 Head or Less TUESDAY SALES BEGIN AT 9 A.M.

Tuesdays: June 9 & 23 – TLAY Summer Feeder Sales Tuesday, July 21 – TLAY Summer Feeder Sale Tuesdays: August 4 & 18 – TLAY Summer Feeder Sales Mark Your Calendar

SAT., AUGUST 1

14 California Cattle Producers Fall-Calving Female Sale th

209 634-4326 • 209 667-0811 • 10430 Lander Ave., Turlock, CA/P.O. Box 3030 • Turlock, CA 95381

...CONTINUED FROM PAGE 8

there will be a new day, and eventually a new year. And when the upcoming winter gives way to spring, rest assured it will be time for Dodger baseball.”

There may be no Dodger (or Giants) baseball right now or hope of any baseball returning in the near future, but Vin is right, there will be a new day.

Americans before us have been through tough times, and we will make it through this one together if we choose to be united and help one another.

Know that CCA is here for you and will continue to be in the days to come.

But while the list of unusual circumstances is long right now, so is the record of leaders. Doctors, nurses and first responders are continuing to bravely press on and do what needs to be done. Grocery store and fast food workers continue to show up to work to make sure people are still able to get food and meals. Daily coronavirus briefings are being held, at which the President and Vice President, members of the White House Coronavirus Taskforce, governors and health leaders all look a little more tired as each passing day is full of difficult decisions.

And still amid all this chaos, life on the UPCOMING SPECIAL FEEDER SALES ranch carries on: calves are being born, hay is being picked up by customers, fences are being built and spring chores are getting done.

LARGE RUNS The work has continued for those designated as critical infrastructure and as OF essential workers, including ranchers, farmers and others in the food and agriculture sector.

A few changes on our ranch have taken place due to the outbreak, but the major parts of our ranching livelihood have remained the same.

My guess is for many ranchers reading this, the staples of your way of life have continued as well, even if it is under tougher conditions. I know times are bad for those who have cattle ready to sell now, and I hope the markets improve soon.

While our day to day routines may not have changed much, our awareness has. It’s clear now more than ever, that our markets are influenced much more by worldwide events than they were in past generations, and our futures market has little stability.

CONSIGNMENTS ALWAYS WELCOME Still, while grocery stores have put purchase CJ Brantley......................................209-596-0139 25525 Lone Tree Rd. limits on some products facing higher demand, Michael Machado ............................209-495-9208 Post Office Box 26 we are blessed to have no food shortage in this Joe Vieira.........................................209-531-4156 Escalon, CA95320 country. This is a testament to the food and Thomas Bert ....................................209-605-3866 www.escalonlivestockmarket.com escalonlivestockmarket@yahoo.com Tony Luis .........................................209-609-6455 agriculture sector’s commitment to provide food CATTLE SALES EVERY MONDAY, WEDNESDAY & FRIDAY for the nation no matter what situation we are facing.

By the time this magazine issue hits mailboxes, it’s more than likely you will have personally faced some impacts of the , outbreak. It could be your son’s high school graduation got canceled, or your daughter’s Fortuna, California wedding had to be postponed, or your bull sale averages were down. Maybe someone you know got sick, or you had to quarantine.

Quite possibly, your operation is feeling financial impacts or fear of uncertainty in the markets.

Times are no doubt difficult right now for many people, producers and cattlemen THANK YOU FOR HELPING US CELEBRATE 50 YEARS OF included, but no matter how uncertain the SERVING CATTLEMEN ON THE NORTHCOAST AND BEYOND! future is, I know there will be better days ahead.

AUCTION EVERY WEDNESDAY • (707) 725-5188 After 64 years of being a professional LEE MORA JUSTIN MORA baseball broadcaster, Vin Scully said in his (707) 845-7188 603 S 3RD ST, FORTUNA CA 95540 (707) 845-7388 final broadcast, “But you know what —

STOCKERS d FEEDERS

Every monday in may Sales e 1 p.m.

e

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ESCALON LIVESTOCK MARKET

HUMBOLDT AUCTION YARD LLC

10 California Cattleman May 2020

Western stockman’s market has you covered we are now an nhtc approved marketing location

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Upcoming Specials Special spring and summer feeder sales every monday In may and june Featuring Large Runs Calves and Yearlings from Local and West Coast Reputable Ranches

Special Bred Cow Sales

Monday, June 15 & Monday, July 13

Featuring Large Runs of Top-Notch Fall-Calving Cows and Heifers

55th famoso female & all-breed bull sale Top Bulls & Females: Saturday, October 17

Your Southwest Livestock Market Leader Western stockman’s market 31911 Highway 46, mcfarland, california

661-399-2981 • www.westernstockmansmarket.com DWIGHT MEBANE ....... 661 979-9892 Frank Machado ..... 805 839-8166 JUSTIN MEBANE ......... 661 979-9894 Bennet mebane....... 661 201-8169 May 2020 California Cattleman 11

2020 CCA EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE President Mark Lacey

Zone Director 5 Bob Brennan

First Vice President Tony Toso

Zone Director 6 VACANT Zone Director 7 Claude Loftus

mjlacey1@icloud.com • (760) 784-1309

bsbrennan@mlode.com • (209) 661-6419

cottoncrk@aol.com • (209)988-4468

Second Vice President Steve Arnold

claudeloftus@yahoo.com • (805) 441-1231

pozovalley@aol.com • (805) 235-7840

Zone Director 8 John Hammon

Second Vice President Greg Kuck

hamdawg66@gmail.com • (559) 623-1538

gregkuck54@gmail.com • (530) 905-2076

Zone Director 9 Bud Sloan

Second Vice President John Hammon

hamdawg66@gmail.com • (559) 623-1538

Asloan5119@aol.com • (805) 340-0693

Treasurer Rob von der Lieth

Feeder Council Member Paul Cameron

Feeder Council Chairman Trevor Freitas

Feeder Council Member VACANT At Large Appointee Myron Openshaw

rvdlieth@aol.com • (916) 769-1153

paul@mesquitecattle.com •(760) 427-6908

trevor@mendescalfranch.com • (559) 805-5431

Feeder Council Vice Chair Jesse Larios lariosjess1@gmail.com • (760) 455-3888 Zone Director 1 Ramsey Wood

openshaw4@gmail.com •(530) 521-0099

At Large Appointee Mark Nelson

kmarknelson@gmail.com •(916) 849-5558

ramseywood83@gmail.com • (530) 680-8985

Zone Director 2 Hugo Klopper

At Large Appointee Rob Frost

hugoklopper@frontier.com • (707) 498-7810

rbmaf@juno.com •(805) 377-2231

Zone Director 3 Wally Roney

At Large Appointee Darrel Sweet

bjr@billieweb.com •(530) 519-3608

dsweet@cattlemen.net • (209) 601-4074

Zone Director 4 Mike Bettencourt

At Large Appointee Lawrence Dwight

mbteamroper@aol.com • (209) 499-0794

ox_bar@hotmail.com • (707) 845-4400

CCA committee leadership POLICY COMMITTEES AG & FOOD POLICY Chair: Ramsey Wood Vice Chair: Rick Roberti

CATTLE HEALTH & WELL BEING Chair: Tom Talbot, DVM Vice Chair: A.E. “Bud” Sloan, DVM

CATTLE MARKETING Chair: Holly Foster Vice Chair: Sam Avila

FEDERAL LANDS

Chair: Mike Byrne Vice Chair: Eric Hafenfeld

PROPERTY RIGHTS & ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT

1

Chair: Clayton Koopmann Vice Chair: Seth Scribner

3

2

TAX & CREDIT Chair: Jack Lavers Vice Chair: Jill Heely

For more information about CCA’s Executive Board or committees, please contact the CCA office at (916) 444-0845.

5 4

6

CCA affiliate leadership

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ALLIED INDUSTRY COUNCIL Chair: Megan Huber Vice Chair: Natalie Koopmann Secretary: Lauren Thomas

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CALIFORNIA BEEF CATTLE IMPROVEMENT ASSOCIATION Zone 1

Siskiyou Modoc Lassen Fall River-Big Valley

Zone 2

Humboldt-Del Norte Mendocino Sonoma-Marin Napa-Solano

Zone 3

Shasta-Trinity Plumas-Sierra Tehama Butte Glenn-Colusa Yuba-Sutter Tahoe (Placer-Nevada) Yolo

Zone 4

Zone 5

Zone 6

Zone 7

Zone 8

Zone 9

Contra Costa-Alameda Santa Clara

San Benito Monterey San Luis Obispo

Amador-El Dorado-Sacramento Calaveras San Joaquin-Stanislaus Tuolumne

Inyo-Mono-Alpine Tulare Kern

12 California Cattleman May 2020

Merced-Mariposa Madera Fresno-Kings

Santa Barbara Ventura Los Angeles San Diego-Imperial

President: Rita McPhee Vice President: Ryan Nelson Secretary: Celeste Settrini

CALIFORNIA CATTLEWOMEN, INC. President: Callie Martinez 1st Vice President: Debbie Hay 2nd Vice President – 1 year: Julie Barnett 2nd Vice President – 2 year: Cheryl Beckwith 2nd Vice President – 3 year: Jill Bright Secretary: Tara Porterfield Treasurer: Heidy Carver

SHASTA LIVESTOCK AUCTION YARD, INC. JOIN US IN COTTONWOOD FOR THESE UPCOMING SPECIAL EVENTS...

Friday, May 8 ’ Friday, May 29 Friday, June 12

TEHAMA COUNTY CATTLEMEN S SPECIAL LATE SPRING SPECIAL

SUMMER KICKOFF SPECIAL

FOLLOWING THE WESTERN VIDEO MARKET SALE

SHASTA LIVESTOCK IS AN NHTC CERTIFIED SALE YARD!

For Information, contact Shasta Livestock (530) 347-3793 We’ll be adding an additional breeding stock special sale.

Sale held Visit our website www.shastalivestock.com or follow us on Facebook and Instagram for updates. May 2020 California everyCattleman Friday!13

for the Long Haul

Marketing venues remain hard at work for producers as nation and livestock industry navigate unchartered waters

by Managing Editor Stevie Ipsen

The sights and smells of a livestock market and the familiar rumble of an auctioneer’s chant create such a unique atmosphere that those who have ever entered the doors of such a place gain a sense of nostalgia that sticks with them for a lifetime. For decades, auction yards in California were found in nearly every sizeable town, and some towns not so sizeable at all. The coffee shops in those facilities were not only the best source of news but also served the best breakfast and burgers in town. Today, the communities that are fortunate enough to still lay claim to such landmarks have grown further in between and as of late the atmosphere has altered, to put it mildly.

The scenes at all of California’s auction yards became ones of once unimagined circumstances literally overnight.

Once bustling businesses where locals gathered to check out the beef market and catch up with friends rapidly transformed to quiet ghost towns where livestock producers could drive in to unload stock and be on their way and buyers could sit down – albeit six feet apart – to bid on the day’s offering.

Sellers couldn’t stick around to see how their cattle looked crossing the scale and couldn’t shake the hands of the buyers that bid on their cattle as has often been customary in the past.

Payments to producers could be walked out to the parking lot or sent in the mail. No coffee would be served and no face-toface conversations would be had.

Though still deemed “essential” to the food production chain, these vital marketing businesses might have remained “open” in technical terms but quickly became pale versions of their once vibrant existence. Lively and exciting became apprehensive and somber and a harsh reminder that no part of society has been untouched by the coronavirus pandemic of 2020, no matter how essential the sector may be.

Jake Parnell, who manages Cattlemen’s Livestock Market (CLM) in Galt said if he could sum up in one word the state of his job since late March when California Gov. Gavin Newsom declared a state-wide shelter-in-place order for the public, that word would be “unreal.”

“It has been like nothing I have ever experienced, obviously, because none of the cattlemen I work with have seen anything like this, but it is also something I could never have imagined,” Parnell said.

The producers who once fled to the auction barn as their preferred social outlet no longer had the comfort of their cattle comrades to ease their concerns. The cattlemen and women who once turned to the auction barn for their information could now do it by phone or had to rely on social media or the mass media for their information, both of which

14 California Cattleman May 2020

can be overwhelming and daunting and at times can also be misleading.

For some traditional cattlemen, the idea of staying away from the auction barn was hard to take but Parnell said the majority of producers were accepting of the restrictions and have been understanding of CLM’s predicament.

“It is a hard place for me to be in because these are not just my customers, they are my friends,” Parnell said.

“Knowing this is their livelihood is something I take very personally. I hope they know how hard me and my guys are working to keep them in business.”

As illustrated by Parnell, California livestock auctions pride themselves on the work they put in to help their loyal customers fetch the best prices possible. That is the benefit of sending cattle to a public auction, afterall. Not only do cattlemen and women have the benefit of being represented by a reputable business and gaining access to a plethora of buyers, but the auction market representatives are people they know first-hand who work tirelessly to help ranchers stay in business year after year.

“Being told we had to halt so many of our regular business practices was scary,” Parnell said. “Little did we know we were about to see things get even more interesting.”

With an already turbulent grass year with early rains then no rains then late rains, cattlemen were already wondering when to send cattle to market and how long they would have feed for when the markets began slipping downward.

Despite the worry and gloom the initial shock of the pandemic inflicted and drought concerns that were plaguing many in the west, beef producers experienced a brief sense of pride as the public flocked to grocery store meat counters and ravaged them until bare. Time after time and store after store, consumers passed up the new-age artificial proteins and opted for the real, wholesome products their families had counted on for generations. The reassurance that the public wanted their honest-made, nutritious product no matter the cost couldn’t have come at a better time. But that pride was shortlived when beef producers quickly realized that the price at the meat counter was not reflected in the price they were seeing at the auction barn.

Adding insult to injury, already worried beef producers were seeing grocery shelves bare and consumers willing to pay top dollar for retail beef while cattle prices were taking a nose dive.

“Producers have always known that packers work the system to their advantage but when you see butcher cow prices go from 80 cents to 40 cents in seven days it really

brought things to light for a lot of people,” Parnell explained.

“It doesn’t help that people are home by themselves trying to make sense of the situation and watching the future’s board keep dropping. Already concerned about the likelihood of a really dry year and also realizing that the packer is making a lot of money but not willing to give a decent price for their calves.

It has been depressing for a lot of guys and it is hard to keep morale up when we have no idea how it might play out.”

Parnell, who is an active member of the Livestock Marketing Association (LMA), based in Kansas, City, Mo., says the price gap in such a time of great retail demand is what spurred LMA to petition the Presidential Administration and the U.S. Department of Agriculture to investigate the packers.

LMA is leading the charge of livestock groups committed to helping livestock growers reap the benefits of a terrific consumer market.

LMA’s actions comes on the heels of a similar request from the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) who has also asked the Trump administration and USDA Secretary Sonny Perdue to use all necessary powers – including the Department of Justice – to launch a full scale investigation into the price gap between livestock prices and retail meat prices. In fact, even prior to the coronavirus outbreak in the United States and the closure of the larger part of the U.S. economy, NCBA had set as one of their 2020 priorities to “prioritize the importance of cattle markets — specifically promoting policy that creates markets free from unfair practices and manipulation both in the fundamental markets and the cattle futures markets.”

In addition, in early February immediately following the Cattle Industry Convention in San Antonio, NCBA formed a producer working group with representatives from a variety of producer sectors to help assess why the producer-feederpacker price gaps were so tumultuous and how the groups could better work together to mitigate the ongoing issue.

CCA President Mark Lacey said that despite the COVID-19 situation in the United States wreaking havoc on the economy, this pasture-plate pricing issue was one that NCBA was already well aware of and both CCA and NCBA have been concerned by. But, in his opinion, while an investigation is completely warranted, the problem does not solely fall on the four big packers.

“Sure packer concentration is a problem but packer concentration has been there a long time. The way feeders have surrendered power to the packers is a huge part of the equation that needs to be considered,” Lacey said. “Our futures market is so far from reality and dysfunctional due to cattle sold on formula rather than a cash market.”

“If we continue to only blame the packers, we will never solve the problem. If this investigation finds there is wrong

doing, then it absolutely needs to be adjudicated. Packers most certainly need cow-calf producers but cow-calf producers also rely on feeders and packers so a solution must be reached to make sure everyone is benefitting,” Lacey said.

“Cow-calf producers look at the consumer demand perspective and it makes sense that cattle should be worth more,” Lacey said “But when feedyards are sending packers all the contracted cattle they can handle, packers have no reason to go out and pay cash for cattle. This problem has presented itself in the past and as soon as we get past it and the market rebounds we let it go without ever finding a solution. We can’t keep doing the same thing and expect different results. If feeders and packers could come to an agreement to constantly buy a decent percentage – I think 30 percent is a fair number – in the cash market, packers would have to participate in that cash market, or run the risk of having empty hooks in their plants.”

Lacey also reminds that with multiple packing plant closures due to coronavirus cases within the facilities, it is a good reminder that if packers don’t keep product moving, the problem is one that could quickly escalate and further hinder cow-calf producers and feeders who would literally have no where for cattle to go.

“We need to remember that we are in this together and that one sector isn’t successful without the other,” Lacey said.

Parnell also attributes part of the cattle buyer price problem to buyers’ heavy reliance on the Chicago Mercantile Exchange (CME) and futures boards directing prices that buyers are willing to pay for cattle.

“We have CME and hedge funds using some algorithm to decide what our futures markets should look like,” Parnell said. “Meanwhile common sense tells us that when people want beef and are willing to pay for it, the people raising it should reap the benefit.”

Shasta Livestock Auction’s Brad Peek was in agreement with Parnell and Lacey regarding the the need for an investigation into the prices packers are willing to give for calves.

“The situation we find ourselves in right now definitely wasn’t caused by the packers but they certainly hold the cards when it comes to the prices our cow-calf guys are seeing,” Peek said.

“When boxed meat prices are up and retail prices are up and cow-calf guys and feeders are both losing money, it leads to frustration and is hard to swallow for ranchers who were already getting the deck stacked against them,” Peek said.Peek, who has been in the auction market business his entire life says he doesn’t know what the answer is to ensuring that ...CONTINUED ON PAGE 16

May 2020 California Cattleman 15

...CONTINUED FROM PAGE 15 all segments of the beef chain are successful at the same time but says that increased competition in the packer sector is paramount.

Auction market operators and cattle producers aren’t the only ones taking notice of the situation. Sen. Charles Grassley of Iowa wrote on Twitter in late March that U.S. Department of Agriculture, Department of Justice and Commodity Futures Trading Commission probes may be needed to determine why ranchers weren’t benefitting from soaring meat demand.

“Beef is flying off grocery shelves but farmers are seeing prices go down,” Grassley tweeted. “If packers are illegally manipulating markets during crisis, we need USDA & DOJ & CFTC to investigate and help farmers. Four companies control 80% of market & they’re taking advantage.”

Processors’ margins went up to more than $600 per head of cattle in the third week of March, according to HedgersEdge.com. But cattle producers are operating at a net loss, four U.S. senators from South Dakota, North Dakota and Montana told the Justice Department in a letter that called for a price-fixing investigation.

Cargill and Tyson were two packers who admit they are aware of the concerns producers have. Cargill expressed in a public statement that they are committed buyers in the cash market for cattle, which was less impacted than futures.

Similarly, Tyson said it wants cattle producers to succeed and paid them a premium in the last week of March..

“This is an uncertain and unprecedented time, where food service beef demand has come to an immediate and virtual standstill, while retail demand has increased,” Tyson

said, attributing the price drop to restaurant and school closures.

Producers and auction yard managers who have seen this problem perpetuated for years say it is going to take more than words to gain producers’ trust. It will take continued action ringside for them to believe they have producers’ best interest in mind. Lacey’s proposal of a portion of mandatory cash markets could be one solution to ensure that happens.

When speaking with Peek on April 15 following the regularly scheduled Western Video Market Sale in Cottonwood, he said days like that are a reminder that things can be “normal” again.

“Today’s sale was about as good as we could have hoped for. Prices weren’t off the charts but considering the current state of things, I think we were all pretty pleased,” Peek said.

“We had a lot of buyers online and quite a few on the phones and even a few in the seats so we are all feeling optimistic that this won’t last forever.”

Parnell and Peek both emphasized that it is hard to predict what the future holds because no one has ever seen anything like this before.

“From World War I and II to the Nixon price freeze and dairy buyouts to 9/11, cattlemen in today’s world remember a lot of interesting times, but this trumps them all,” Peek said. “This issue doesn’t just impact ranchers or dairymen or bankers, though, it has impacted every segment of mankind.”

Peek said as he looks forward to auction market cafes once again being open and friends meeting at their local auction barn, if he could give cattle producers any advice, it would be to learn from the past, deal with the present and plan for the future. “It is going to get better,” Peek said. “It always does.”

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May 2020 California Cattleman 17

YOUR DUES DOLLARS AT WORK AS STATE GOVERNMENT ADJUSTS TO REALITIES OF COVID-19, SO DOES CCA

by CCA Vice President of Government Relations Kirk Wilbur AUTHOR’S NOTE: COVID-19 has fundamentally altered every aspect of our society, and agriculture is no exception. Given the rapidly changing nature of COVID-19 responses from the agricultural industry and from state and federal governments, however, we are not detailing CCA’s responses to the crisis in this column— by time this magazine hits mailboxes, that information is unlikely to remain timely. Rather, CCA encourages members to visit www. calcattlemen.org/COVID-19 for up-to-the minute news from CCA on COVID-19, and to track updates in our Legislative Bulletin e-newsletter.

As California remains under a stay-at-home order in response to the COVID-19 emergency, the crisis promises to shape California governance for the rest of this legislative session and beyond.

On March 16, shortly after the onset of the crisis, the California legislature unanimously voted to adjourn two weeks early for Spring recess, recognizing the need for legislators and staff to “socially distance” to prevent the spread of the coronavirus. At that time, legislators expected to return to the Capitol on April 13 to continue the work of the people.

As the COVID-19 crisis raged on, however, it became clear that the legislature could not responsibly reconvene on April 13, and Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon and Senate President Pro Tempore Toni Atkins announced that lawmakers would not return to Sacramento until May 4.

At press time, May 4 remains the scheduled return date for the California legislature, despite recent statements from Governor Newsom that the state is unlikely to be out of the woods even by mid-May. Prior to adjourning, the Senate passed a rule allowing senators to remotely attend and vote in committee meetings and floor sessions, providing that legislative body some discretion to continue lawmaking even as the state’s stay-at-home order remains in place. The Assembly, however, passed no similar rule, meaning that a quorum of assemblymembers would need to physically appear at the Capitol to at least adopt a similar rule. Legislators worry, though, that remote lawmaking—even when authorized by rule—may be ripe for legal challenge in the courts.

On April 6, Assembly Budget Committee Chairman Phil Ting issued a memo outlining how the remainder of the legislative session might look.

“When we reconvene, we will have less money and less time to adopt a balanced budget,” Ting wrote. “The State will see our revenues decline, even as we must increase spending to protect Californians. We will not be able to assess the full damage to our State’s economy and our revenues until August, at the earliest.”

18 California Cattleman May 2020

Echoing prior statements from Governor Newsom’s Department of Finance, Ting outlined that the “May revise” of the California budget is likely to be a “workload” budget, maintaining current service levels (in stark contrast with Newsom’s ambitious $222 billion budget proposal issued January 10). The Budget Committee is unlikely to consider any fiscal bills except for those that address the three most pressing crises facing California: COVID-19, wildfires and homelessness.

As a result, the vast majority of bills introduced in January and February are likely to be shelved this session, or to undergo “gut and amend” to address one of those pressing concerns.

A budget act will be the absolute first priority of legislators when they reconvene, as the California Constitution sets a June 15 deadline to pass the budget.

Legislators expect to take a second hard look at state spending in August, when the state will have a clearer picture of income tax receipts (the filing deadline for both state and federal taxes has been extended to July 15). The fiscal focus in August is likely to be on “new issues related to recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic,” Ting wrote, but “it is possible that the State will need to consider sizable ongoing reductions to major programs during this time,” as well.

As a lobbying organization, CCA has had to adapt to the new realities of California governance. CCA staff continues to meet regularly with other lobbyists, legislative staff and administration officials—though those meetings now occur via conference call rather than in the offices of the Capitol.

Additionally, CCA staff continues to lobby on bills that were flagged in January and February, knowing full well that the future of those bills is now in question. Should those bills continue to move once the legislature reconvenes, those lobbying efforts will pay dividends. Should any of those bills be shelved this session, CCA is well-prepared when they emerge during a future legislative session.

California’s regulatory agencies have not been spared the headaches of the new COVID-19 reality. Despite Governor Newsom’s March 12 executive order exempting regulatory agencies from certain requirements of the Brown Act and Bagley-Keene Open Meeting Act, agencies have struggled to adapt to remote hearings and other complications of the emergency.

In the days and weeks immediately following the COVID-19 emergency declaration, government agencies not yet well-equipped to facilitate public participation via teleconference and webinar—notably including the California Air Resources Board and State Water Resources Control Board—issued a flurry of cancelation and

postponement notices.

The California Coastal Commission—which similarly canceled its monthly meeting scheduled for April—was one of the hardest-hit agencies. On March 14, Coastal Commission Chair Steve Padilla, also a Chula Vista city councilman, announced that he had tested positive for COVID-19. As Padilla struggled with the virus he was hospitalized in an intensive care unit and placed on a ventilator. Fortunately, Padilla has recovered from the virus.

Once the agencies began to implement remote regulation, they were met with significant hurdles. An April 9 emergency meeting of the California Fish and Game Commission convened to discuss delaying or restricting recreational fishing in light of the COVID-19 crisis had to be hastily postponed minutes after it began. The Commission’s webinar quickly surpassed its 200-person limit, meaning Commissioners were not able to call in to the meeting to establish a quorum. What’s more, the Commission had no meaningful mechanism to mute participants and organize orderly public comment, and the brief call was marked by outraged outbursts from callers speaking over what appeared to be the voice of

Commission president Eric Sklar.

As of press time, it is unclear how agencies such as the Fish and Game Commission plan to rectify these issues while still permitting public participation in the regulatory process. Such obstacles to meaningful public engagement spurred CCA to request a delay in the Commission’s April 16 consideration of a petition to list mountain lions within Southern California and the Central Coast as a threatened species—as of press time, that issue remains on the Commission’s April agenda.

Over the past month, CCA’s first priority has been to work with the Governor’s office, the California Department of Food and Agriculture, the California Congressional delegation and our national affiliates at the Public Lands Council and National Cattlemen’s Beef Association to minimize impacts of the COVID-19 crisis on California’s cattle producers. But in the background of that effort, CCA continues to rapidly adapt to the ‘new normal’ in Sacramento; while COVID-19 is certainly the most immediate threat, CCA continues to work hard to safeguard your livelihood from the ‘everyday’ threats that pre-date this crisis.

May 2020 California Cattleman 19

USDA to Investigate Cattle Markets at Request of NCBA, LMA Supports Packer PROBE by USDA As the COVID-19 emergency deepened in March, live cattle prices fell even as retail beef prices surged. The discrepancy in the markets was enormously concerning to beef producers nationwide and CCA staff and leadership heard from numerous California producers concerned about the disparity between boxed beef prices and cattle prices in the futures and cash markets. CCA—as part of our ongoing efforts alongside our national affiliate the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) to respond to COVID-19— communicated these concerns to NCBA staff.

In early April, NCBA staff communicated these concerns to officials at the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), asking that USDA expand an existing investigation into market activity after the fire at a Tyson Foods beef processing plant in Holcomb, Kan., last August to include current market volatility.

On April 8, NCBA escalated that call for an investigation all the way to the Oval Office. In a letter to President Donald Trump, NCBA President Marty Smith asked for the President’s “immediate attention in addressing the market volatility and damages experienced in the cattle production sectors of the U.S. beef supply chain.”

Specifically, Smith asked that Trump direct USDA to expand its existing investigation into market activity after the Holcomb fire to include market volatility during the COVID-19 crisis with the aim of “identifying whether inappropriate influence occurred in the markets, and to provide our industry with recommendations on how we can update cattle markets to ensure they are equipped to function within today’s market realities.” Smith added that USDA should work closely with the Department of Justice should the investigation uncover any wrongdoing.

Additionally, NCBA requested that the President direct the Commodity Futures Trading Commission to study the influence of speculators on futures contracts “to determine whether the contracts remain a useful risk-management tool for cattle producers.”

Within hours of NCBA’s request, Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue announced via Twitter that the “USDA’s Packers and Stockyards Division will be extending our oversight to determine the cause of divergence between box and live beef prices, beginning with the Holcomb Fire in KS last summer and now with COVID-19.”

Smith was quick to praise Perdue’s announcement, issuing a press release thanking “President Donald Trump and Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue for their quick response to NCBA’s request to expand the agency’s investigation into the cattle markets.”

CCA will keep you apprised of any developments in USDA’s investigation and any results or advisories resulting from the probe. _____________________________________________ The Livestock Marketing Association (LMA) is encouraged to see Secretary Sonny Perdue’s announcement that the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) will be extending its oversight to determine the causes of divergence between boxed and live beef prices, beginning with the Holcomb, Kan., beef processing plant fire and now incorporating the COVID-19 pandemic.

20 California Cattleman May 2020

LMA calls for the investigation of beef packers to be comprehensive and expeditious. It should consider all potential anticompetitive and oligopolistic issues. This investigation should also include Department of Justice (DOJ) participation.

From the beginning, LMA has supported USDA’s investigation into beef pricing margins, which was opened in August 2019 following a beef processing plant fire. At that time, LMA wrote to USDA encouraging the agency to conduct a thorough investigation of all facets of this issue and underlying forces. LMA urged that if unfair trade practices, price manipulation, collusion, or other violations of the Packers and Stockyards Act or antitrust laws were found, rapid enforcement actions had to follow.

LMA went on to point out that the market volatility following the Holcomb plant fire was “only one illustration of long-standing concerns regarding pricing and competition.”

The LMA letter urged USDA’s investigation to analyze issues related to competition in a larger context than the fire, including looking at issues experienced due to lack of competition in the entire live cattle marketing complex.

Unfortunately, less than a year later, we still await the results of the initial investigation and the structural concerns are proving true once again. The cattle market in the wake of COVID-19 has responded similarly to how it did after the Holcomb plant fire. Once federal, state, and local authorities began instituting recommended and mandatory economic shutdowns in early March 2020, the cattle industry experienced a sharp decline in fed cattle and feeder cattle prices. At the same time, boxed beef prices skyrocketed. Consumers spoke volumes as evidenced by empty meat cases and high prices paid because they view our beef as essential for survival in this pandemic.

The combination of these factors resulted in significant packer profit margins. All the while, livestock producers continue to receive a shrinking portion of the retail beef dollar paid by the American consumer. Additionally, a dramatically depressed futures market only worsens the pain by removing opportunities to manage price risk.

LMA is the national trade organization representing more than 75 percent of the regularly selling fixed facility livestock auction markets in the U.S. LMA also represents online and video marketing entities, and professional buyers: livestock dealers and order buyers.

Our more than 800 livestock marketing business members each work with hundreds and even thousands of producers to utilize competitive markets to bring them the best prices for their animals. This adds up to hundreds of thousands of cattle producers served by markets.

Our industry needs producers, feeders, markets, and packers. It is critical that each of these sectors have a reasonable opportunity to make a profit during the business cycle, ensuring a healthy and sustainable industry. However, if anti-competitive practices are at play in one segment, it risks pushing participants in other segments out of business.

The cattle industry needs answers regarding what is behind the dramatic spread between live cattle and boxed beef prices and if there is any illegal activity involved. LMA believes that coordination between the USDA and DOJ in conducting an investigation is one step closer to market transparency and participant confidence.

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2011 e stuhr rd. • newman, ca May 2020 California Cattleman 21

THE Million Dollar Question Will COVID-19 change the way consumers purchase food?

by CCA Director of Communications Katie Roberti

Stemple Creek Ranch in Marin County.

Amid the outbreak of the coronavirus, many questions consumers adapt and change to stay in business,” Poncia said. surrounding our nation’s food supply have risen. What During the COVID-19 pandemic, Poncia says the started with consumers rushing to grocery stores and ranch’s online orders have been hard to keep up with— as hoarding essentials in the middle of March—leaving store he thinks it probably has been for anyone with the ability aisles empty and products out of stock—led to many, to sell meat in an online space right now— leading him including U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue to believe more people will continue to do their shopping having to continuously assure consumers there is no online moving forward. shortage of food in the United States and no need for “What’s happened is the reshuffling of the deck for stockpiling. the food distribution system,” Poncia said. “It is going to However, a month after the initial surge, it is not be different when we come out of this.” uncommon to see toilet paper, canned goods and other Although online sales are up for Stemple Creek Ranch essentials still out of stock at stores or purchase limits and it seems there may be opportunities for more direct to per customer on some products in high demand. While consumer sales on the horizon, Poncia cautions it has not it’s clear this is a demand problem, not a supply problem, been easy for anyone during this time of uncertainty. questions remain as to what impacts COVID-19 will have on the future of the food supply chain.

For Loren Poncia, Tomales, owner of Stemple Creek Ranch and other producers who sell meat direct to consumers, he says the million-dollar question coming out of this pandemic is “are people going to change their buying habits?”

“In my opinion, it’s a start of a new way of purchasing,” Poncia said.

Established 15 years ago, Poncia and his wife Lisa have created a direct to consumer marketing program for Stemple Creek Ranch. Their beef, lamb and pork products are sold in grocery stores, butcher shops, through restaurant orders, online shipping orders and at farmers markets.

What started as Poncia being the single employee ten years ago, the ranch now has a team of 15 employees. Their demand has also grown from selling 10-12 beef directly to consumers in 2010, to selling over 1,000 head of beef directly to consumers this past year.

Poncia says people want to put a face with the product, and Stemple Creek Ranch has been doing this for 15 years — it’s just intensified during this time.

Morris Grassfed’s dry-aged skirt steaks was shared on social media “We have to adapt and change with the market as promoting customers to get their orders in for 2020.

22 California Cattleman May 2020

Dixon, having the ability to fill online orders has also been “Basically, in one day, our restaurant orders went to important for selling lamb during this time. zero,” Poncia said.

“Our online sales have definitely picked up,” Emigh In addition to taking a hit from restaurants closing said. during this time of social distancing, Poncia says getting Emigh Lamb has been direct marketing their lamb to animals harvested and cut during this time continues to be a customers since 2011. The Emigh family also raises cattle problem for most operations. He stressed the system is not and sells a few head direct to consumers each year. prepared to harvest the number of animals it is seeing.

In addition to online sales picking up, sales to butcher Julie Morris, owner of Morris Grassfed, San Juan shops have been steady to higher for Emigh Lamb during Bautista, echoes Poncia’s concerns about processing limitations — a concern that other producers are voicing as the coronavirus crisis. This is an increase Emigh says he thinks comes as more people are going to butcher well. shops during these times to avoid the larger crowds at “I think our biggest challenge is processing,” Morris said. “I have the utmost confidence in the processors we do supermarkets and grocery stores.

As far as what Emigh Lamb has experienced deal with. The system is just not big enough for producers throughout the pandemic, Emigh says when people started trying to process their own meat.” stocking up at the beginning of the outbreak, their business Morris added that for many of the small to mid-sized saw a good surge of demand. The two weeks that followed producers who follow their livestock through processing, were slightly above average for sales, and since then sales there are concerns about capacity during the pandemic. have been back to normal for a week or two. Demand If one packing facility shuts down due to an outbreak during Easter week, a time they usually see high demand for of COVID-19 among workers, it will only intensify the lamb, was not as large as normal. bottlenecked situation producers are facing when it comes Additionally, though some of their sales have to processing their products. been up, Emigh Lamb also lost all of their restaurant In addition to concerns over processing, Morris shares customers during this time as they primarily sell to higherPoncia’s hopeful thinking that this situation will change the end restaurants who don’t have the setup for delivery or way people buy food. curbside pickup.

“I’ve talked to several people who have invested in Still, Emigh is optimistic about the future of second freezers,” Morris said. consumers buying meat differently coming out of this crisis.

A holdback for many consumers when it comes to “I think it is going to establish a new way to buy meat,” buying a quarter or half a cow is a limited amount of Emigh said.

“For a lot of people, they were kind of forced storage space for the meat. into it.”

“If people are buying second freezers, that may be an Emigh believes once consumers have tried buying indication that people are changing their buying habits,” online or directly from a producer and have a successful Morris said. experience with it, they will do it again.

While Stemple Creek Ranch’s method of taking orders “We will see if it holds steady,” Emigh said. is year-round, Morris Grassfed takes orders January through And for now, that may be the answer to the millionJune, with deliveries starting in June and going through dollar question of: Are people going to change the way they September or until they sell out. buy food?

“We are confident once we start harvesting, we will be We will see. able to fill all of those orders,” Morris said.

Until deliveries start this summer, Morris says it has been great to sell surplus inventory and get it out to customers now.

Having been direct marketing Morris Grassfed Beef in Central California for decades, Julie, and her husband Joe are still implementing new business methods to reach customers directly.

“We are shipping for the first time in 29 years,” Morris said. “We are realizing that it is another way to meet demand.”

Knowing people want less contact with others, as well as products that are convenient and delivered, shipping accomplishes all of these consumer demands. It also helps Morris Grassfed reach consumers outside of their delivery area for the first time.

“In January, I fortunately set up our shipping program.” Morris said. “We ordered a palette of boxes with lining to keep the beef frozen. Then [the coronavirus pandemic] hit. Thankfully, our order has arrived, but I think it would be hard to get boxes In 2011, Emigh Lamb started direct marketing their products now.” to customers though the family has been in the livestock business for five generations.

For Martin Emigh, owner of Emigh Lamb, May 2020 California Cattleman 23

HERD HEALTH CHECK

ADDING VALUE AT MARKETING

WHEN PRECONDITIONING WEANED CALVES PAYS OFF

by Meredith Bremer for University of Nebraska, Lincoln, Extension Service Weaning time is just around the corner and cowcalf producers are now faced with the decision of calf placement after weaning. Producers have a few options for their calves after weaning.

• Calves can be sold immediately after weaning.

• Calves can undergo a preconditioning period before sale.

• Calves can be retained as long or short yearlings and then sold.

• Calves can enter a feedlot with retained ownership.

A preconditioning program is a period of time, typically a minimum of 45 days, in which a cow-calf producer will work to build the health status of the weaned calf prior to sale. Calves are also “bunk broke” during this time and acclimated to a dry feed diet.

If calves are sold at the sale barn, sold via an internet auction, or sold to the same feedlot each year, premiums may be awarded to those producers who precondition their calves. Before a producer begins a preconditioning program the economics of the program need to be evaluated carefully.

Two potential gains associated with preconditioning are added premiums at calf sale and added calf weight.

Some costs associated with preconditioning programs include: labor, vaccinations, death loss, additional feed costs and interest expenses on borrowed money. Two additional factors to consider are, the seasonal patterns of the cattle market and the price slide on increased calf weights.

In a Drovers article, John Maday, DVM, a bovine veterinarian, described the benefits of preconditioning for all aspects of the beef industry. Maday stated that the long-term average death loss at JBS Five Rivers feedyards, the feedlot he consults for, had always been roughly 1 percent. In the last three years, that value has increased to 2 percent. Initially the increase in death loss was attributed 24 California Cattleman May 2020

to the drought and poor nutrition early in the calves’ lives.

However, even after a year of increased moisture the death loss average has not decreased.

Maday evaluated cattle that had been preconditioned for 45 days prior to feedlot entry and found that those calves experienced one-third the morbidity and one-half the mortality of those calves that were not preconditioned.

Preconditioned calves also gained 0.3 more pounds per day compared to calves that were not preconditioned in his study.

Conclusion A preconditioning program is not for every cow-calf producer. Not only should the factors stated above be considered, but producers have to determine how a 45-day retention of calves will affect their grazing program, if they have the proper facilities to feed calves and bunk break them, and if they have the extra time and labor to dedicate to the weaned calves.

As an industry, the need to better prepare calves for the feedlot in terms of stress, health and getting cattle ready to eat a concentrated diet is a must. If more calves are “feedlot ready” the beef industry will see improved cattle health and feedlot performance while potentially reducing the use of antibiotics.

GOOD COMPETITION

GOOD COMPANY

GOOD COFFEE SELLING AT AUCTION IS THE BEST WAY TO A GOOD PAY DAY. At LMA member markets, you can be sure you’ll get top dollar for every head you sell – no matter if you’re selling two or 200. You can also be sure there won’t be any compliance issues with state and federal ADT rules. As for knowing the check in your hand is a good one? It doesn’t get any better than that. OK, maybe except for the coffee.

FIND A TRUSTED MARKET NEAR YOU.

101 Livestock Market, Inc.

Fresno Livestock Commission, LLC

A&M Livestock Auction, Inc.

Humboldt Auction Yard, Inc.

Cattlemen’s Livestock Market, Inc.

Newman Stockyards, LLC

Dos Palos Y Auction Yard

Orland Livestock Commission Yard, Inc.

Escalon Livestock Market, Inc.

Overland Stockyard, Inc.

Euclid Stockyard

Petaluma Livestock Auction Yard, Inc.

Farmers Livestock Market, Inc.

lmaweb.com | 1-800-821-2048

Producers Livestock Marketing Association, Madera Branch Sam Avila - Avila Cattle Co. Shasta Livestock Auction Yard, Inc. The Stockman’s Market, Inc. Tulare County Stockyard, Inc. Tulare Sales Yard, Inc.

Turlock Livestock Auction Yard, Inc. Visalia Livestock Market Western Stockman’s Market Western Video Market Fallon Livestock, LLC Nevada Livestock Marketing, LLC

May 2020 California Cattleman 25

Governor Newsom Outlines Critical Indicators the State will Consider Before Modifying the Stay-at-Home Order and Other COVID-19 Interventions

On April 14, Gov Gavin Newsom unveiled six key indicators that will guide California’s thinking for when and how to modify the stay-at-home and other orders during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Governor noted that the progress in flattening the curve, increased preparedness of our health care delivery system and the effects of other COVID-19 interventions have yielded positive results. However, these actions have also impacted the economy, poverty and overall health care in California. Any consideration of modifying the stay-at-home order must be done using a gradual, science-based and datadriven framework.

“While Californians have stepped up in a big way to flatten the curve and buy us time to prepare to fight the virus, at some point in the future we will need to modify our stayat-home order,” said Governor Newsom. “As we contemplate reopening parts of our state, we must be guided by science and data, and we must understand that things will look different than before.”

Until we build immunity, our actions will be aligned to achieve the following: • Ensure our ability to care for the sick within our hospitals; • Prevent infection in people who are at high risk for severe disease; • Build the capacity to protect the health and well-being

26 California Cattleman May 2020

of the public; and • Reduce social, emotional and economic disruptions.

California’s six indicators for modifying the stay-at-home order are: • The ability to monitor and protect our communities through testing, contact tracing, isolating, and supporting those who are positive or exposed; • The ability to prevent infection in people who are at risk for more severe COVID-19; • The ability of the hospital and health systems to handle surges; • The ability to develop therapeutics to meet the demand; • The ability for businesses, schools, and child care facilities to support physical distancing; and • The ability to determine when to reinstitute certain measures, such as the stay-at-home orders, if necessary.

• The Governor said there is not a precise timeline for modifying the stay-at-home order, but that these six indicators will serve as the framework for making that decision.

He also noted that things will look different as California makes modifications. For example, restaurants will have fewer tables and classrooms will be reconfigured.

May 2020 California Cattleman 27

2020 California Cattleman

Auction Market Directory

FEATURING CALIFORNIA LIVESTOCK AUCTION YARDS WHO HAVE ADVERTISED THEIR SERVICES IN THIS ISSUE

OFFICE........................................ (209) 745-1515 E-MAIL..................................... info@clmgalt.com WEBSITE.................................. www.clmgalt.com CONTACTS Jake Parnell, Manager................. (916) 662-1298 CATTLE AUCTION............................ Wednesday 12495 Stockton Blvd., Galt, CA 95632

MEMBERSHIPS........ .NCBA, CCA, LMA, CLAMA OFFICE.........................................(209) 387-4113 FAX.............................................. (209) 387-4476 WEBSITE............................www.dpyauction.com

16575 S. Hwy 33, Dos Palos, CA 93620

ESCALON

CONTACTS Joel E. Cozzi................................ (209) 769-4660 Joel A. (Joey) Cozzi..................... (209) 769-4662 Jarod Cozzi.................................. (209) 587-6082 Col. Doug Gallaway..................... (209) 617-5435 Mike Vieira................................... (209) 761-6267 Bill Enos....................................... (209) 761-1322 Col. Garrett Jones........................ (209) 710-7904 OFFICE.........................................(209) 838-7011 FAX.............................................. (209) 838-1535 WEBSITE........www.escalonlivestockmarket.com E-MAIL.......escalonlivestockmarket@yahoo.com

REPRESENTATIVES Michael Machado......................... (209) 495-9208 Joe Vieira..................................... (209) 531-4156 Thomas Bert................................ (209) 605-3866 P.O. Box 26 25525 Lone Tree Rd, Escalon, CA 95320 Tony Luis...................................... (209) 609-6455 CJ Brantley................................... (209) 596-0139

Livestock Market, Inc.

FARMERS

OFFICE.........................................(209) 847-1033 FAX...............................................(209) 847-4425

6001 Albers Road, Oakdale CA 95361

CATTLE AUCTION...........Monday and Thursday

LIVESTOCK MARKET

HUMBOLDT AUCTION YARD, INC.

603 S. 3rd Street, Fortuna, CA 95540

CONTACT Steve Haglund..............................(209) 847-1033

OFFICE...........................................(707) 725-5188 FAX.................................................(707) 725-9822 E-MAIL......................humboldtauction@hotmail.com CONTACTS Col. Lee Mora.................................(707) 845-7188 Col. Justin Mora..............................(707) 845-7388 CATTLE AUCTION......................... Wednesday

28 California Cattleman May 2020

AUCTIONEERS...................... .Jake Parnell, Brian Pachaco, Mark Fischer UPCOMING EVENTS CLM will feature large runs of calves and yearlings during special feeder sales and county cattlemen’s sales May 11, May 20, June 1, June 10 June 15 and June 24. Join us July 8 for our annual Bred Cow & Pair Sale. Visit www.clmgalt.com for an up-to-date list of upcoming events and market reports.

CATTLE AUCTION..................Monday and Thursday MEMBERSHIPS............... NCBA, CCA, LMA, CLAMA AUCTIONEERS.........Doug Gallaway and Garrett Jones UPCOMING EVENTS Holding special upcoming feeder sales Friday, May 22 and June 20. See our ad on page 21 for details.

CATTLE AUCTION......................................... Monday MEMBERSHIPS............... NCBA, CCA, LMA, CLAMA AUCTIONEERS..............................................CJ Brantley UPCOMING EVENTS Big strings of yearlings and calves sell Mondays and Wednesdays with large runs of feeders every Monday in May. See our ad on page 10.

MEMBERSHIPS................NCBA, CCA, LMA, CLAMA AUCTIONEERS......................................Clint Haglund UPCOMING EVENTS Join us for auction sales every Monday and Thursday for dairy, beef and feeder cattle.

MEMBERSHIPS.......................... CCA, CLAMA AUCTIONEERS..................................Lee Mora .........................................................Justin Mora UPCOMING EVENTS The Mora family invites you to join them ringside every Wednesday in Fortuna.

Celebrating 51 years in the auction business!

MODOC AUCTION YARD Hwy 299 W, Alturas, CA 96101

OFFICE...........................................(530) 233-3442

MEMBERSHIPS.......................... CCA, CLAMA

CONTACTS Jerry Kresge....................................(530) 640-1302

UPCOMING EVENTS Call us for dates on special feeder sales. See our ad on page 27.

CATTLE AUCTION......................... February to August: first and third Saturdays; September to February every Saturday.

OFFICE...........................................(209) 862-4500 FAX.................................................(209) 862-4700 CONTACTS Col. John McGill..............................(209) 631-0845 P.O. Box 756 • 2011 E, Stuhr Rd., Newman, CA 95360

CATTLE AUCTIONS..........Tuesday and Thursday MEMBERSHIP....................... .CCA, LMA, CLAMA

ORLAND LIVESTOCK

OFFICE...........................................(530) 865-4527 FAX.................................................(559) 582-6261

P.O. Box 96 3877 Hwy. 99 West, Orland, CA 95963

CATTLE AUCTION............................. .....Thursday MEMBERSHIP....................... .CCA, LMA, CLAMA

COMMISSION YARD, INC.

PRODUCER’S LIVESTOCK MARKETING ASSOCIATION

1022 S. Pine Street, Madera, CA 93637 P.O. Box 510 Madera, CA 93639

10565 9th Ave, Hanford CA 93230

CONTACTS Col. Ed Lacque............................... (530) 865-2643 Col Wade Lacque, Manager...........(530) 570-0547

OFFICE...........................................(559) 674-4674 E-MAIL...............producersmadera@sbcglobal.net WEBSITE..................www.producerslivestock.com CONTACTS Matt Beechinor..................................559-676-0488 CATTLE AUCTION....................................... Friday MEMBERSHIPS......... NCBA, CCA, LMA, CLAMA

AUCTIONEERS........................... John McGill UPCOMING EVENTS Currently accepting cattle for Tuesday and Thursday sales plus Western Video Market sales from Cottonwood on May 8, May 29 and June 12. For details see our ad on page 27.

AUCTIONEERS.........Wade Lacque, Ed Lacque UPCOMING EVENTS Call us for details. Also see our ad on page 27.

Join us Thursdays at noon for our regular beef sales. Also check us out on Facebook!

AUCTIONEERS...........................Kullen Wooton UPCOMING EVENTS We hope to see you at our off-the-grass special sales May 8 and May 22. See our ad on page 21 for details. Also watch for big runs of calves and yearlings on our regular sale days in May and June.

OFFICE...........................................(559) 582-0404 FAX.................................................(559) 582-6261 WEBSITE................ www.overlandstockyeard.com

CATTLE AUCTION......... Monday and Thursday

CONTACTS Doug Belezzuoli..............................(559) 816-2806 Ben Renteria...................................(805) 674-1505 Jason Glenn................................... (805) 550-9893 Dustin Burkhart.............................. (661) 378-3504 Jim Sili.............................................(661) 340-6848

UPCOMING EVENTS Watch for our calf and yearling spring sales coming up in May and June! See our ad on page 17 for details!

MEMBERSHIPS......NCBA, CCA, LMA, CLAMA

May 2020 California Cattleman 29

OFFICE...........................................(530) 347-3793 FAX.................................................(530) 347-0329 WEBSITE.......................... www.shastalivestock.com

3917 N. Main Street, Cottonwood, CA 96022 P.O. Box 558, Cottonwood, CA 96022 tular e county stockyar d

CONTACTS Ellington Peek.................................(530) 347-3793 Brad Peek.......................................(916) 802-7335 Davin Lower....................................(530) 864-0673 CATTLE AUCTION....................................... Friday

OFFICE...........................................(559) 591-0884 WEBSITE...............www.tularecountystockyard.com CONTACTS Jon Dolieslager...............................(559) 358-1070 AUCTIONEER............................... Jon Dolieslager

9641 Ave. 384, Dinuba, CA 93618 OFFICE...........................................(209) 634-4326 FAX.................................................(209) 634-4396 WEBSITE.......................... www.turlocklivestock.com CONTACTS Col. Max Olvera..............................(209) 277-2063 Col. Steve Faria............................. (209) 988-7180

10430 Lander Ave., Turlock, CA P.O. Box 3030, Turlock, CA 95381

BEEF SALE DAYS....Tuesday, Wednesday & Friday

OFFICE...........................................(661) 399-2981 FAX.................................................(661) 399-0177 WEBSITE......www.westerstockmansmarket.com CONTACTS Dwight Mebane...............................(661) 979-9892 Col. Justin Mebane.........................(661) 979-9894 Frank Machado...............................(805) 839-8166 Col. Bennet Mebane.......................(661) 201-8169

31911 Hwy. 46, McFarland, CA 93250

OFFICE...........................................(559) 625-9615 FAX.................................................(559) 625-9012 WEBSITE...........................www.visalialivestock.com CONTACTS Col. Randy Baxley..........................(559) 906-9760 Blaine Ketscher...............................(559) 905-1945 James Grantham............................(705) 610-0641 CATTLE AUCTION...................... ........Wednesday

OFFICE...........................................(530) 347-3793 FAX.................................................(530) 347-0329 WEBSITE..................................www.wvmcattle.com

3917 N. Main Street, Cottonwood, CA 96022 P.O. Box 558, Cottonwood, CA 96022 30 California Cattleman May 2020

CONTACTS Ellington Peek.................................(530) 347-3793 John Rodgers..................................(559) 734-1301 Brad Peek.......................................(916) 802-7335

MEMBERSHIP...NCBA, CCA, LMA, CLAMA CATTLE AUCTION Join us for our regular Friday sales, as well as specials on May 8, 29 and June 12.

Shasta Livestock is a representative for Western Video Market. Don’t miss upcoming WVM sales on May 7, May 28 and June 12 in Cottonwood. For more information, visit us online at shastalivestock.com or follow us on Facebook and Instagram.

BEEF SALES EVERY FRIDAY AT NOON WITH COWS AT 2 P.M. Join us for Special Feeder Sales in May and June. Mark your calendars for the Angus and Brangus Bull and Female Sale on Sept.26 and the Leachman Bull and Female Sale Oct. 10.

MEMBERSHIPS....NCBA, CCA, LMA, CLAMA AUCTIONEERS..........Max Olvera, Steve Faria, Chuck Cozzi, Eddie Nunes, Jake Bettencourt UPCOMING EVENTS Join us May 2, May 16 and May 30 for our Special Showcase Feeder events. See our ad on page 9 for details.

BEEF SALE DAY.................................... Monday Butcher Cows at 10:30 a.m./Feeders at 12:30 p.m.

MEMBERSHIPS...................... NCBA, CCA, LMA UPCOMING EVENTS Special feeder sales in May and June with bred cow sales June 15 and July 13. See our ad on page 11 for details. Join us for our annual bull sale Sat., Oct. 17.

MEMBERSHIPS.......... NCBA, CCA, LMA, CLAMA AUCTIONEERS................................Randy Baxley CATTLE AUCTION Join us for weekly sales and take advantage of our transporation options from the central coast!

Join us Wednesdays in May and June for large runs of stockers and feeder calves. Our fall calving sale is June 27 and annual Cattlemen’s Select Bull & Female Sale is Sun., Sept. 27.

MEMBERSHIP...NCBA, CCA, LMA, CLAMA UPCOMING EVENTS Join us for our regular Friday sales, as well as specials on May 8, 29 and June 12.

Shasta Livestock is a representative for Western Video Market. Don’t miss upcoming WVM sales on May 7, May 2 and June 12 in Cottonwood. For more information, visit us online at shastalivestock.com or follow us on Facebook and Instagram.

RANCHING TAKES GOOD PARTNERS. PARTNER WITH WSR.

Over the past eight years, WSR Insurance Services (WSR) has helped hundreds of CCA members with their Pasture, Range, Forage insurance needs. Last year, CCA expanded its partnership with WSR. In 2020, WSR will continue to partner with CCA to assist members with all their insurance needs. WSR’s commitment to their customers and the cattle industry makes this partnership a win-win for CCA members.

Contact WSR now to see what opportunities may exist for you!

For more information on the partnership contact WSR’s:

CCA members can benefit from WSR’s competitive pricing and best in the industry customer service. Give WSR a call today and find our what insurance packages may suit your needs at the best price!

From the changing seasons to labor force to government regulations, WSR understands the unique challenges ranchers face and works to provide the best coverage for you and your business.

Available Products: Farm Property and Liability Packages; Auto; Workers Compensation; Pasture, Rangeland and Forage (PRF); Group Health/ Dental/Vision plans and more!

Kevin Hoppin, CIC kevinh@wsrins.com (530) 662-9181

May 2020 California Cattleman 31

EARLY ESTIMATES

SHORT-TERM IMPACTS OF COVID-19 FOR THE BEEF INDUSTRY

by Tina L. Saitone, Cooperative Extension Specialist in Livestock and Rangeland Economics, University of California, Davis Among the myriad of concerns surrounding the global COVID-19 pandemic is unease about the performance of the U.S. food supply chain. As grocery outlets and their suppliers and distributors struggle to keep food on the shelves, farmers and processors upstream are confronted with the challenge of pivoting away from conventional foodservice and restaurant product offerings, toward product forms that are accessible and desirable for at-home consumption.

The beef industry exemplifies these concerns. The recent pricing patterns and market dynamics observed in the industry have stimulated a lot of discussion about what the future holds. In this blog I discuss the short-term demand impacts and how these changes have influenced beef prices, as well as a variety of factors that are likely to impact the supply side of the beef market. Many researchers and analysts have been considering these topics from a variety of angles. I endeavor here to bring that information together in a comprehensive assessment and separate fact from fiction.

Changes in Consumer Buying Patterns – With the majority of states under “shelter in place” orders, there have been incredible spikes in grocery store sales across the nation. According to Winsight Grocery Business, the sales of major meat categories sold in supermarkets the week ending March 22, 2020, compared to the same week in 2019 had beef sales up 95 percent this year.

The majority of beef sold at retail (i.e., through grocery stores and super centers) is graded USDA Choice or Select; beef graded USDA Prime is primarily consumed in restaurants. The short-term increase in demand for beef at retail, in the latter half of March following many of the statewide shelter-in-place orders, is consistent with the price surge observed for Choice and Select boxed beef cutout prices (i.e., the gross value of a beef carcass based on FOB prices paid for individual beef items derived from the carcass).

Unprecedented increases in food purchases via grocery stores and supercenters were largely precipitated by the forced closures of restaurants and schools; eliminating consumers’ ability to consume food away from home. The question food industry leaders are seeking to answer is: will increases in food spending for at-home consumption compensate for the reductions in food-away-from-home spending. Just a few days ago, Rabobank released a report estimating that a 10 percent decrease in away-from-home food spending would result in an increase in retail food

32 California Cattleman May 2020

spending of 3 percent. Yet this estimated tradeoff needs to be considered in light of the fact that the costs associated with consumption away from home are likely higher due to labor and infrastructure costs associated with the provision food consumption in restaurants and food service operations. The question that everyone is waiting to have answered is: do people consume more beef when they eat at home or away from home?

Another related consideration, on the supply side, is how quickly will beef packers be able to pivot their restaurant products (e.g., cuts, packaging, etc.) to products that are attractive to consumers at retail. Many news outlets, including the New York Times, continue to remind us that there is “plenty of food in the country,” but the challenge is allocation of products and distribution.

Cattle Supplies and Beef Processing – While beef prices at the wholesale level have increased in response to short-term demand increases, cash prices for calves and feeder cattle have declined. This inverse relationship has caused some to question if beef packers are using market power to suppress prices they are paying for fed cattle (e.g., Crosby). While it is obviously in each beef packers’ self interest to procure fed cattle at the lowest possible prices, it is not viable in the long run because if cattle feeders are driven out of business, they will leave processors without adequate supply. In furtherance of preserving their relationship with the feeders that supply fed cattle, Tyson and Cargill (two of the four largest processors in the U.S. that process roughly 85 percent of beef cattle) announced they would pay a one-time premium for cattle slaughtered the week of March 20 to help ensure supplies to their operations. While Cargill’s premium wasn’t available, reports indicate that Tyson paid producers $5/cwt. live weight.

Beef processors also increased their slaughter volumes week-over-week at the end of March. This increase in production also runs counter to the argument that processors are exercising their market power to suppress prices. Under this theory of market (i.e., monopsony) power, processors would reduce their production.

A major fear among analysts and cattle producers is that one or more processing plants will “go down” due to a significant number of employees contracting COVID-19.

Many are using the fire that shuddered a Tyson beef packing plant in August 2019 as a harbinger of the impacts that would likely manifest in beef markets. In the weeks following the fire, boxed beef values increased substantially

($23.83/cwt. increase in two weeks) while fed cattle and feeder prices dropped significantly. The increase in packer margins during the early days following the fire incentivized other packers to increase the amount of cattle they slaughtered, often by adding extra shifts and moving cattle across plants. I would anticipate that this response would happen again if significant processing plant closures occur due to COVID-related closures.

A possible omen from another animal-processing industry is Sanderson Farms’ announcement that they would preemptively close their Moultrie, Georgia broiler processing plant, despite no documented COVID-related illnesses, reducing the number of chickens slaughtered by 1 – 1.3 million over the next month. Plants going offline, even temporarily, will have regional impacts and create more macro uncertainty in cattle markets. Late yesterday (April 6) Tyson announced that they would be suspending operations at two of their pork processing plants in Iowa.

Also yesterday, JBS announced that health officials in Colorado and Nebraska were investigating concerns about some employees testing positive for COVID-19.

Something we must all remember is that prices of calves and feeder cattle and beef prices are correlated but over a longer period of time. This is because calves and yearlings being raised right now, won’t hit the slaughter floor for months or maybe a year. So calf and feeder prices today will not be directly influenced by wholesale beef cutout prices today; rather those live cattle prices

are more influenced by expectations about future beef demand. These expectations about the future took a big hit when this global health crisis came to the forefront of our collective consciousness. Also, long before COVID-19, projections indicated we were headed for record meat and poultry production, with beef production slowing by only 1 percent compared to 2019. The anticipation of large supplies of meat and poultry production would, absent the current crisis, have had a moderating affect on live cattle prices.

Following the retail demand surge, the futures prices for many agricultural products declined rapidly. According to the American Farm Bureau Federation, the cumulative percentage change in the commodity futures price since the COVID-19 outbreak was confirmed in China (Jan. 14, 2020) was up substantially. The live cattle futures price declined by 25 percent during this period, which is likely more reflective of the concern and predictions that COVID-19 will push the U.S. economy into a recession. If recession does hit, beef being a higher priced animal-based protein is typically hit hard by demand reductions (i.e., it is more sensitive to changes in income than other, lower priced animal-based proteins).

In summary, I disagree with those suggesting that the beef market is “broken.” Instead I would characterize the beef supply chain as operating very efficiently and responding quickly to the black swan event that is the COVID-19 pandemic.

CALF EQUIPMENT GATES AND PANELS CATTLE GUARDS & MORE!

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• WWW.CONLINSUPPLY.COM • May 2020 California Cattleman 33

CHECKING IN ON YOUR BEEF CHECKOFF

SHIFTING OUR FOCUS IN CRISIS

by California Beef Council Director of Producer Communications Jill Scofield When writing our April update for the California Cattleman, I had no idea what was about to unfold.

I shared with you details about the California Beef Council’s pending spring integrated marketing campaign, “Tacos, Tequila y Más.” This campaign was supposed to have launched April 1 and continued through the Cinco de Mayo holiday, with multiple elements and messaging that would encourage shoppers to fill their retail baskets with the ingredients needed to create their own ultimate taco night at home.

And then the world changed, seemingly overnight.

Soon after our April update was written, we began to see the rapid and far-reaching fallout of the COVID-19 crisis. Being responsible stewards of your checkoff dollar is of utmost importance to us, and we wanted to be sensitive to public sentiment with this campaign. So, once the ramifications of the current health crisis became clear, we immediately postponed the campaign, and then worked with our board of producers to determine the most appropriate next steps.

With guidance from our board, the CBC has made the determination to cancel the Tacos, Tequila y Más campaign, and pivot our efforts and resources to a different consumer campaign, starting in early summer.

This campaign, “United We Steak,” ties into a national campaign rollout, but allows the CBC to aim to unite humanity, unite consumers with the California farmers and ranchers that kept working to keep food on our tables during a pandemic, and offer cash-back on beef during a time of pandemic recovery when many consumers will be struggling financially.

Although specifics of the campaign, including creative and details on which campaign elements will be included, are being finalized at this time, our hope is to launch a broad campaign that brings people together, and highlights beef and its importance nutritionally, as well as offers more incentives for consumers to purchase beef in the aftermath of this crisis.

We will look forward to sharing more about this campaign, as well as its impact, in a future update. You can learn more now by visiting our campaign landing page at UnitedWeSteakCalifornia.com.

34 California Cattleman May 2020

Helpful Resources For Consumers and Producers In addition to adjusting our marketing and education programs, the CBC has assembled some resources for both our consumers and stakeholders, and for you, our producers.

Even though we are living in challenging times, consumers should be assured that today, beef is still what’s for dinner. The CBC has been working to show how our state’s beef producers are committed to not only providing a great product, but helpful information that will deliver a great beef eating experience every time.

We’ve launched a series of brief social media videos sharing updates from producers in the field, showing how they are continuing to work to provide a high-quality food supply.

We have also been sharing more about how to prepare beef for families in this new era of increased at-home cooking. The CBC web page – CalBeef.org – has been updated to provide resources for consumers that include at-home educational resources, batch-cooking tips and other beef preparation and storage tips. Provided on the homepage are also links to help consumers who are also homeschooling their children, including a number of beef-focused Ag in the Classroom resources.

The CBC website also includes an updated producer resources page – CalBeef.org/resources/producerresources – that provides you with all the current information on the outbreak relative to the industry. This page also includes resources that may be helpful to you during this time, including online trainings such as Beef Quality Assurance and Masters of Beef Advocacy.

Finally, the entire CBC team would like to thank all of you for your tireless work to ensure beef continues to get from the pasture to the plate during these challenging times. The work of California beef producers to contribute to a stable and safe food supply is more important now than ever. You are appreciated.

USDA Announces Loan Maturity for Marketing Assistance Loans Now Extended to 12 Months On Friday, April 17, President Trump and U.S. Agricultue Secretary Sonny Perdue announced a $19 billion aid package designed to get funds into the hands, pockets and bank accounts of farmers and ranchers as quickly as possible.

That package will include $16 billion in direct payments for eligible producers. Eligibility is decided by whether a producer has been materially injured by the COVID-19 pandemic, making virtually all farmers and rancehrs eligible.

The remaining $3 billion is interesting: a partnership with private entities (many are nonprofits) to purchase edible food. They’ll be working with for-profit businesses like Sysco, who will package and distribute that purchased food to food banks and other organizations providing food to those who need it. The USDA’s phrasing is that this food will come in a “box,” which brings to mind the infamous Trump administration proposal of shelf-stable, nonperishable foods for food stamp and nutrition assistance recipients. Perdue said this new effort will not be similar to that proposal and will be made up of fresh produce, meat and dairy. Much of the challenge, which Perdue said, involves changing the flow of food from restaurants to retail establishments.

This $19 billion package comes on the heels of the money already marked for agriculture in the vast coronavirus stimulus bill. That bill included $14 billion to the Commodity Credit Corporation, essentially the USDA’s bank, as well as an additional $9.5 billion specifically for livestock producers. On the call, Perdue said that payments from that source wouldn’t arrive until July at the earliest, and that farmers need money sooner.

Perdue did not give a firm date as to when farmers and ranchers could expect to see direct payments or government purchases. “I’m hoping we can get checks by the end of May,” he said on the call. There will be applications for farmers and ranchers to fill out. “I don’t want to be facetious, but does anything happen in the federal government without paperwork?” he said.

Several parts of the agriculture industry were left out.

Ethanol producers, which are essentially dying because nobody is driving, will get no assistance in this package. No mention was made of the seafood industry, either, though a little money for them was included in the stimulus bill. And given the lack of a clear end in sight when it comes to the COVID-19 crisis, significantly more money may be needed to keep food producers alive.

resilience [re•sil•ience] noun

an ability to recover from or adjust easily to misfortune or change

For California and cattle ranchers, resilience is more than a word, it’s who we are. #ResilientRanches #ResilientCalifornia May 2020 California Cattleman 35

PROGRESSIVE PRODUCER

UC RESEARCH DEBUNKS BEEF MYTHS EQUIPPING RANCHERS AND VETERINARIANS WITH THE FACTS

by Marie Wiemann, student, University of California, Davis, School of Veterinary Medicine and arguments that are often based on misinformation but are nonetheless being supported and spread by the general public.

One of the main points of Werth’s research has been to assess the greenhouse gas emissions of beef cattle production, specifically how it has changed over the years and how it compares to the emissions produced by other industries. According to Werth, the methane gas produced by cattle begins as plant carbohydrates that the animal eats.

The animal then belches methane as part of the digestion process and this gas stays in the atmosphere for about 10 years before being converted to carbon dioxide which the plants then utilize once again to convert to carbohydrates.

In contrast, the carbon dioxide produced by other sectors burning fossil fuels takes about a thousand years to get back into deep soils. Moreover, carbon dioxide will accumulate over time and stay in the environment whereas methane will cycle through about every decade. Werth concluded that, “what’s produced by an animal today is replacing the methane that was produced by a cow 10 years ago.”

She further shared that the change over the years is seen when you look at the beef cattle efficiency numbers compared between 2008 and 2018. In 2008, the United States had 34.4 million head of cattle and produced 26.7 billion pounds of beef. In 2018, the U.S. had 33 million head of cattle and produced 26.9 pounds of beef. This increased production despite decreased herd numbers is a testament to the U.S. beef industry’s increased cattle efficiency which provides for the greater demand for beef that accompanies our growing population, while simultaneously requiring fewer animals and thus decreasing the amount of methane released into the atmosphere.

Werth shared that this is great news as it contributes to a net decrease in the 10year methane balance.

Another common claim against the cattle industry that Werth has researched is the use of resources that are in direct competition with humans. She showed that agricultural land occupies 37 percent of the total global land space and of that, 30 percent is arable meaning it can The UC Davis FARM Club Beef Producer Symposium was well attended be used for growing crops for humans and by educators, students and area beef producers.

The University of California, Davis, School of Veterinary Medicine’s Food Animal Reproduction and Medicine Club (FARM Club) hosted its annual Beef Producer Symposium in early February with a fantastic lineup of presenters for our audience of beef cattle producers and veterinary students. Attendees had the privilege of hearing from Samantha Werth who has her master’s degree in Animal Biology and is a doctorate candidate with the Mitloehner Lab Animal Biology Graduate Group at UC Davis.

Werth offered a very relevant and professional yet approachable look at the interface between beef cattle production and environmental sustainability. Her lecture could not have come at a better time as the food animal industry is facing increasing opposition from various sources.

Celebrities like Joaquin Phoenix urge the public to cease dairy and beef consumption and media like the New York Times inform readers about the environmental damage that beef production is reportedly causing. For years now, the beef cattle industry has been blamed for detrimental environmental impacts due to greenhouse gas emissions, land use and water use. Werth’s compelling research findings are largely debunking the many myths

36 California Cattleman May 2020

Members of the UC Davis FARM Club who helped organize and execute the annual symposium. livestock. The other 70 percent of that land is known as marginal land, which is of too poor quality to produce crops, but which livestock can upcycle by taking nutrients in grass that are inaccessible to us and converting them into useful and nutritious products like meat and leather.

Werth continued, “Cattle spend 70 percent of their life in pasture, utilizing feed sources that are not in competition with humans. An estimated 30 percent of their life is grain-finished with 55 percent of that grain ration being corn. While corn is in direct competition with humans, the cow is able to turn that carbohydrate source into a protein source for us.”

As for water use, Werth showed how grass-finished and conventional beef cattle production use 97 percent and 84 percent green water which is natural rainwater, respectively. Only about 3 to 16 percent of water used could be in competition with human use.

Moving forward, Werth shared that she will pursue research to determine the environmental impacts of a potential decrease in ground beef consumption and an accompanying increase in meat alternative consumption, with the advent of the Beyond Beef and Impossible Burgers. To that effect, one of the cattle producer attendees at the conference commented that the carbon footprint and environmental impact seen in a life cycle assessment should be used to compare the products (beef and alternative-meat) side-by-side.

She suggested that the production of soy and pea products that fill these plant-based alternatives often require a tremendous amount of electricity and water in the process.

The cattle producers, veterinary students and professors attending Werth’s lecture at the event all took away something of use moving forward. The producers just as much as the consumers need to know the environmental impacts of this industry. This knowledge can bolster rancher’s continued stewardship of land and environment as well as help continue to address misinformation surrounding their industry and livelihood.

As for us food animal vet students, FARM Club members may never see this kind of information in their

regular curriculum and, as advocates for the beef cattle industry, they should be aware of the current impacts of the industry as well as consumer and producer beliefs.

The FARM Club Beef Producer Symposium was an enjoyable and educational success thanks in part to our generous sponsors: the Napa Solano Cattlemen’s Association, the Yolo County Cattlemen and Woolgrower’s Association, the California Beef Council, the Bengard Ranch, and the California Beef Cattle Improvement Association.

REMINDER: PARTICIPATE IN THE CCA MEMBERSHIP SURVEY ON BULL PURCHASE AND MANAGEMENT Earlier this year, the survey titled “Factors influencing bull selection decisions and management in extensive rangeland production systems of the western United States” was mailed out. CCA partnered with Cal Poly, UC Cooperative Extension and Chico State to launch this survey sponsored by the California Beef Cattle Improvement Association.

All involved greatly appreciate CCA members taking 20 minutes to complete the anonymous survey and return in the prepaid envelope. Results will be shared in a future edition of the California Cattleman.

“This survey gets at the core fundamentals of beef production, sire selection and management,” states Anthony Stornetta, San Luis Obispo County Cattlemen’s President. “As a commercial cattleman, I am interested in the results of the survey that will focus on what cattlemen are doing across the West and how I can use the results to improve my operation.”

Another round of surveys will be mailed out in the coming weeks. If you have any questions or would like a copy of the survey please contact Zach McFarlane Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo at (805) 756-2685 or zmcfarla@calpoly.edu.

May 2020 California Cattleman 37

California Cattlemen’s Association Services for all your on-the-ranch needs

18

M i d Va l l e y

Thanks to all our buyers at the annual BCC Bull Sale!

We hope to see you again September 4

Join us Sept 17 in Denair for our 29th annual bull sale!

5031 Jersey Island Rd • Oakley, CA 94561

BAR BAR KD KD RANCH RANCH Elevating Angus to Greater Horizons

“PERFORMANCE, GROWTH & CARCASS GENETICS” Thank you to our 2020 Red Bluff and Modoc Sale Bull Buyers!

KENNY & DIANNE READ

CALL US FOR INFORMATION ABOUT OUR PRIVATE TREATY CATTLE OR OUR ANNUAL BULL SALE!

1485 SW King Lane • Culver, OR 97734 Ranch: (541) 546-2547 Cell: (541)480-9340

BULLS, FEMALES, EMBRYOS AND SEMEN FOR SALE AT THE RANCH IN MONTAGUE!

Lee Nobmann, owner Morgon Patrick, managing partner (530) 526-5920 • morgon@nobmanncattle.com

E-mail: barkdranch@msn.com visit us online at: www.barkdangusranch.com

Ranch-raised Angus cattle with industry-leading genetics!

VISIT US AT WWW.DONATIRANCH.COM!

PAICINES, CA DANNY CHAVES, MANAGER

RANCH: (831) 388-4791 • DANNY’S CELL: (831) 801-8809

38 California Cattleman May 2020

September 10, 2020

Angus

RAnch

Join us for our annual production sales Annual Bull Sale: Sat., September 1, 2018 in fall 2020: Inaugural Female Sale: Mon., October 15, 2018 Bull Sale • Sept 5 Female Sale • Oct 12

Offering bulls at California’s top consignment sales!

Call today about private treaty offerings!

Tim & Marilyn Callison............................... Owners Chad Davis ..................................... 559 333 0362 Travis Coy ...................................... 559 392 8772 Justin Schmidt................................ 209 585 6533 Ranch Website ................. www.ezangusranch.com

RED RIVER FARMS 13750 West 10th Avenue Blythe, CA 92225 Office: 760-922-2617 Bob Mullion: 760-861-8366 Michael Mullion: 760-464-3906

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CONTACT US FOR SEMEN ON THESE TOP ANGUS HERDSIRES! O’Connell Consensus 2705 SIRE: Connealy Consensus 7229 MGS: HARB Pendleton 765 J H

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18

M i d Va l l e y

LOOK FOR US AT LEADING SALES IN 2020.

O’NEAL RANCH Gerber, CA

— Since 1878—

Join us Wednesday, Sept. 9, 2020

for the Performance Plus Angus Bull Sale

O’NEAL RANCH BULLS OFFER THE COMPLETE PACKAGE

Registered Angus Cattle Call to see what we have to offer you!

H

Scott & Shaleen Hogan

R (530) 200-1467 • (530) 227-8882

GROWTH • PERFORMANCE ADAPTABILITY • CARCASS

Thank you to all of our 2019 bull and female buyers!

Join us for our 2020 “PARTNERS FOR PERFORMANCE” PRODUCTION SALES BULL SALE • SEPTEMBER 2 FEMALE SALE • OCTOBER 10 Contact us for information on cattle available private treaty.

Gary & Betsy Cardoza

PO Box 40 • O’Neals, CA 93645 (559) 999-9510

Celebrating Angus Tradition Ssince 1974 May 2020 California Cattleman 39

CHENEY, WA • (916) 417-4199 Contact Clinton Brightwell for assistance marketing or buying your Hereford Cattle! (417) 359-6893 THURSDAY, SEPT. 10, 2020

CARLWULFF57@GMAIL.COM WWW.WULFFBROTHERSLIVESTOCK.COM

Thank you for attending the annual TAR bull sale!

Join us again in 2020!

(530) 385-1570

E-mail................................tehamaranch@gmail.com

11500 N Ambassador Drive, Suite 410 | Kansas City, MO 64153 | (816) 842-3757 | aha@hereford.org

MCPHEE RED ANGUIS Call us today for information on private treaty bulls or females.

14298 N. Atkins Rd • Lodi, CA 95248 Nellie, Mike, Mary, Rita & Families Nellie (209) 727-3335 • Rita (209) 607-9719 website: www.mcpheeredangus.com

Chris Beck • 618-367-5397

Registered Hereford Cattle & Quarter Horses

A FAMILY TRADITION

Thank you to our spring cattle buyers!

Angus and SimAngus Cattle John Teixeira: (805) 448-3859 Allan Teixeira: (805) 310-3353 Tom Hill: (541) 990-5479 www.teixeiracattleco.com | cattle@thousandhillsranch.com

JOIN US SEPT. 3 IN LA GRANGE FOR OUR ANNUAL BULL SALE!

Annual Sale First Monday in March 42500 Salmon Creek Rd Baker City, OR 97814

Ranch: (541) 523-4401 Bob Harrell, Jr.: (541) 523-4322

CHAROLAIS Feedlot • Rice • Charolais 2015 AICA Seedstock Producer of the Year

Jerry & Sherry Maltby

OFFICE@VINTAGEANGUSRANCH.COM WWW.VINTAGEANGUSRANCH.COM

40 California Cattleman May 2020

PO Box 760 Williams, CA bbr@citlink.net

Mobile: (530) 681-5046 Office (530) 473-2830 www.brokenboxranch.com

3L

“Breeding with the Commercial Cattleman in Mind”

79337 Soto Lane Fort Rock, OR 97735 Ken 541.403.1044 | Jesse 541.810.2460 ijhufford@yahoo.com | www.huffordherefords.com

THANK YOU TO OUR BUTTE AND MODOC BULL SALE BUYERS! Oroville, CA LambertRanchHerefords.com

JoinususOct for15, our2018 annual production sale iu Modesto!

Join for our annual production sale!

REGISTERED HEREFORD CATTLE

Building Extremely High Quality Beef Since 1978

“THE BRAND YOU CAN COUNT ON”

Bulls and females available private treaty!

Call us about our upcoming consignments or private treaty cattle available off the ranch.

BARRY, CARRIE & BAILEY MORRELL

La Grange, CA • Greeley Hill, CA Stephen Dunckel • (209) 878-3167 www.tubleweedranch.net twd@tumbleweedranch.net

Barry: (530) 6825808 • Carrie: (530) 218-5507 Bailey (530) 519-5189 morrellranches@yahoo.com 560 County Road 65, Willows CA 95988

Pitchfork Cattle Co.

SPANISH RANCH Your Source for Brangus and Ultrablack Genetics in the West!

Hereford Bulls Now AvAilABle!

OFFERING HEREFORD BULLS BUILT FOR THE COMMERCIAL CATTLEMAN

Dave Goss PO Box 13 Vinton, CA 96135 530-993-4636

P.W. GILLIBRAND Cattle Co.

THE DOIRON FAMILY (707) 481-3440 • Bobby Mickelson, Herdman, (707) 396-7364

Daniel & Pamela Doiron 805-245-0434 Cell doiron@spanishranch.net www.spanishranch.net

THD ©

LITTLE SHASTA RANCH

Genetics That Get Results!

Horned and Polled Hereford Genetics

Private treaty bulls available or watch for our consignments at Cal Poly!

Dwight Joos Ranch Manager P.O. Box 1019 • Simi Valley, CA 93062 805-520-8731 x1115 • Mobile 805-428-9781 dwight.joos@pwgcoinc.com Simi Valley, CA

pwgillibrandcattle.com

offering sons of this standout herdsire

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Call anytime to see what we can offer you!

Stan Sears 5322 Freeman Rd. Montague, CA 96064 (530) 842-3950

h May 2020 California Cattleman 41

REAL ESTATE

KNIPE LAND COMPANY

Idaho - Weiser River Ranch

2,103± acre cattle/hunting ranch has 587± irrigated, 3+ miles of river frontage, plus Cove Creek frontage, hunting lodge, 3 homes, hay storage & working corrals.

Numerous upgrades to the property. Ranch can support 1,500± Animal Units per grazing season, and has 2 gravel sources for added income. Excellent hunting for waterfowl, game birds, elk and deer. $7,700,000

(208) 345-3163 knipeland.com

J-H FEED INC. ORLAND, CA

3300 Longmire Drive• College Station, TX 77845 (800) 768-4066 • (979) 693-0388 fax: (979) 693-7994 e-mail: info@bovine-elite.com

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Full Service JMM GENETICS A.I. Technician & Semen Distributor

• A.I, CIDR & heat synchronization • Extensive experience • Willing to Travel • Well-versed in dairy & beef pedigrees

JORGE MENDOZA • (530) 519-2678 jmmawss@gmail.com 15880 Sexton Road, Escalon, CA

42 California Cattleman May 2020

YOUR BUSINESS AD COULD BE LISTED HERE FOR AS LITTLE AS $400 PER YEAR! FOR DETAILS, CONTACT MATT MACFARLANE AT (916) 803-3113 OR M3CATTLEMARKETING@GMAIL.COM

2020 BULL BUYERS GUIDE Reach your direct target audience with our most anticipated issue of the year!

share your products & services in one of the most respected beef magazines in the business and the only publication that works exclusively for the California beef industry and puts your ad dollars back to work for you!

Reach readers in California plus thousands more across the west, including Nevada, Oregon, Idaho, Arizona, Utah and Washington!

RESERVE YOUR AD SPACE TODAY! CONTACT MATT MACFARLANE

M3CATTLEMARKETING@GMAIL.COM • (916) 803-3113

May 2020 California Cattleman RESERVATION DEADLINE: JUNE 10, 2020

43

IN MEMORY

DOUG MONDANI

Doug Mondani was born on November 5, 1941 with his twin brother Don in the Sutter Maternity Hospital in Sacramento. He is the son of Peter Joseph Mondani and Nellie (DuFrene) Mondani. Doug is a third generation rancher and has lived on the ranch in Ione his entire life. As a young boy, he participated in the cattle drives into the Sierra Nevada Mountains of California for the summer grazing season. Doug became partners with his brother Don when the two purchased their Aunt Florence’s herd and rented her part of the ranch in 1960. Along with his mother, they continued raising Hereford cattle until the late eighties. The one constant is the Charles DuFrene brand, CD, that has continued through the generations.

Doug’s maternal great grandfather, Charles DuFrene, arrived in San Francisco in March 1852 from Saint Malo, France and settled in the Buena Vista Area in 1857 to begin ranching. His grandfather, August DuFrene, settled along Highway 88 and established a ranch during the 1890s. Doug’s paternal grandparents immigrated to Amador County from the Po Valley of Italy separately during the 1890s. The two met and married in Jackson where he first worked as a gold miner and later purchased a ranch.

Doug attended the Old Brick Two Story Elementary

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School in Ione in first grade; later moving to the new Ione Elementary School. He graduated from Ione High School in 1960.

In the early seventies, Doug felt the desire to become involved in the trucking industry and established “Doug Mondani Trucking.” He hauled logs, livestock and heavy equipment that spanned a 45-year career.

On March 5, 1994, Doug married his wife of 26 years, Teresa Fine of Fiddletown. The two exchanged vows in the Carson Valley of Nevada, which in time would become the area of choice to graze cattle, fondly known as “home away from home.” Passionate about genetics and performance, they began introducing registered Angus and took the cowherd to a whole new level. They pastured cattle as far north as Alturas and as far south as Bridgeport.

In Doug’s very accomplished life, he always insured there would be time for the two to take their annual trip to the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo in Las Vegas, occasionally slipping away for alone time to catch up on the statistics regarding Pro Rodeo and Bull Riding throughout the year.

They participated in the Cattleman’s Day events at the Amador County Fair which included showcasing their Angus heifers and competing in various ranch rodeo events earning them trophies, buckles, ribbons and occasionally a check but most importantly “bragging rights.”

Doug was named 2018 Cattleman of the Year for the Amador-El Dorado-Sacramento County Cattlemen’s Association; he also served as a director of the organization for six years. He won the Benny Brown Memorial Award, “Top Hand of Amador County 2009” and “Cattlemen’s Award 2015 by Chuck and Kathy Simmons. He became a charter member of the Amador County Fair Foundation in 2009. He was a team partner several times for friends to win All Around Titles.

Doug would be the first to tell you he had a wonderful life. He grew up during a great time in history and the opportunities were endless. He married his best friend and soulmate that shared his passion for livestock and supported his dreams. Doug loved his animals especially his Border Collie “Alley” who misses him greatly. He had a unique ability to connect with people of all ages and backgrounds, always an optimist and an inspiration to others. His word was his honor and his handshake better than a signed contract. His motto was “We’ll Make It Work.”

Doug is survived by wife Teresa of Ione; daughter Davina (Mike) Edmonton of Sutter Creek; sister Gerri (Rick) Cassinelli of Tahoe City; nephew Dan (Amanda) Mondani of Sutter Creek; niece Dianna (Al) Noe of Roseville; niece Denise (Gary) Hawkins of Sutter Creek; three great nieces Mckayla, Allysa and Allison; grandchildren William (Alina) Edmonton; John (Hailey) Edmonson; Aaron (Bayleigh) Edmonson and great grand children Eli, Grayson and Emma.

The family is following Doug’s wishes and there will be a private interment and a Celebration of Life to be held at a later date.

Contributions can be made in honor of Doug to: Livestock Memorial Research Fund, 1221 H Street, Sacramento CA 95814; Hospice of Amador and Calaveras Counties, 209-223-5500; S. Highway 49, Jackson CA 95642, or your favorite charity providing for the welfare of pets.

NEW ARRIVALS Reya Rounds

GEORGE AMBROSE

George Ambrose, 91, a lifelong resident of Fairfield, passed away in January 2020. He graduated from Green Valley Elementary School and Armijo High School. He studied Land Title and Land Surveying at UC Berkeley. He worked for the Solano County Title Company as a Title examiner and for K B Grimm Land Surveyor for many years. He was a cattle rancher, raising Angus beef, and also had a weed abatement

business.

He enlisted in the California National Guard and was an Artillery Supply Sergeant.

George served his community in many ways. He was President of the JR Chamber of Commerce, member of the Fairfield Recreation Commission, Armijo Agricultural Advisory Committee, Suisun Valley Elementary School Trustee, President of the Fairfield-Suisun Unified School District, Chairman of the Suisun-Fairfield Cemetery District, and President of the Suisun Valley Farm Bureau.

George was a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows for 70+ years as Noble Grand, Vice Grand and other offices, Encampment of Odd Fellows 70-plus years as Chief Patriarch and other offices, member of California Cattlemen’s Association, Solano County 4-H Council, and President of Solano County School Board Association. He was a local leader in the upper Suisun Valley 4-H club, a past member of the Moose, Elks and the Native Sons of the Golden West.

He is survived by his wife of 23 years, Peggy; three children, Michael R. of Vacaville, David L. of Suisun, Ann Davis of New York; two stepchildren, Darrell Swearengin of Fairfield and Carline Rice of Sonora; 12 grandchildren; and five greatgrandchildren.

He was preceded in death by his first wife, Vivian Emmons; and youngest son, Anthony. to place your family news, obituaries, wedding or birth announcements, contact the CCA Office at (916) 444-0845 or e-mail magazine@calcattlemen.org

Casey Miller and Greg Rounds of Gerber happily welcomed their daughter Reya Rose Rounds on March 18.

Reya weighed in at 7 pounds and 4 ounces and was 20 and one-half inches long.

Grandparents are Geof and Cathy Miller of Orland and Carl and Sharon Rounds of Grass Valley.

SHOULD YOU ORDER THE ANAPLASMOSIS VACCINE?

Anaplasmosis is an infectious parasitic disease in cattle, spread primarily by ticks and blood sucking insects like mosquitoes. The killed anaplasmosis vaccine protects cows and bulls of any age from infection and requires a booster given 4 to 6 weeks after the initial vaccination. Find out below if you should order the vaccine!

Do you own cattle?

NO

You don’t need it, but should still support the California Cattlemen’s Association

YES

YES

Do they graze in areas where Anaplasmosis is a problem?

YES

NO

(Consult your local veterinarian to find out)

Do you want to prevent the effects of the disease including severe anemia, weakness, fever lack of appetite, depression, constipation, decreased milk production, jaundice, abortion and possibly death?

NO You don’t need to order it

ORDER TODAY BY CALLING (916) 444-0845!

Available in 10 or 50 dose bottles 10-40 doses: $8.50 per dose 50+ doses: $7.50 per dose *10 dose minimum and $10 flat rate shipping

SOLD ONLY TO CALIFORNIA CATTLEMEN’S ASSOCIATION MEMBERS

May 2020 California Cattleman 45

Advertisers’ Index

Amador Angus Ranch................................................................................ 38 American Hereford Assocaition ��������������������������������������������������������������� 40 Animal Health International �������������������������������������������������������������������� 42 Bar KD Ranch.............................................................................................. 38 Bar R Angus................................................................................................. 38 Bovine Elite LLC.......................................................................................... 42 Broken Box Ranch....................................................................................... 40 Buchanan Angus.......................................................................................... 38 Byrd Cattle Co.............................................................................................. 38 California Cattle Council........................................................................... 35 California Cattlemen’s Association ���������������������������������������������������������� 35 Cattlemen’s Livestock Market ��������������������������������������������������������������������� 2 Charron Ranch............................................................................................ 38 Chico State College of Ag........................................................................... 42 Conlin Supply Company, Inc. ������������������������������������������������������������������� 33 Dal Porto Livestock..................................................................................... 38 Dixie Valley Angus................................................................................38, 47 Donati Ranch............................................................................................... 38 Dos Palos Y Auction Yard.......................................................................... 21 Escalon Livestock Market........................................................................... 10 EZ Angus Ranch.......................................................................................... 39 Farmers Livestock Market.......................................................................... 27 Fiver Rivers Cattle Feeding........................................................................ 19 Freitas Rangeland Improvements ������������������������������������������������������������� 27 Fresno State Ag Foundation....................................................................... 42 Furtado Angus............................................................................................. 39 Furtado Livestock Marketing �������������������������������������������������������������������� 42 Genoa Livestock.......................................................................................... 40 Harrell Hereford Ranch.............................................................................. 40 HAVE Angus................................................................................................ 39 Hogan Ranch............................................................................................... 39 Hone Ranch.................................................................................................. 41 Hufford’s Herefords..................................................................................... 40 Humboldt Auction Yard LLC ������������������������������������������������������������������� 10 JMM Genetics.............................................................................................. 42 Kessler Angus............................................................................................... 39 Knipe Land Company................................................................................. 42 Lambert Ranch............................................................................................ 41 Little Shasta Ranch...................................................................................... 41 Livestock Marketing Association ������������������������������������������������������������� 25

46 California Cattleman May 2020

M3 Marketing.............................................................................................. 42 McPhee Red Angus..................................................................................... 40 Modoc Auction Yard................................................................................... 27 Morrell Ranches........................................................................................... 41 New Generation Supplements ������������������������������������������������������������������ 16 Newman Stockyards.................................................................................... 21 Noahs Angus Ranch.................................................................................... 39 O’Connell Ranch......................................................................................... 39 O’Neal Ranch............................................................................................... 39 Orland Livestock Commission ����������������������������������������������������������������� 27 Overland Stockyard..................................................................................... 17 P.W. Gillibrand Cattle Co........................................................................... 41 Pacific Trace Minerals................................................................................. 42 Pitchfork Cattle Co...................................................................................... 41 Producers Livestock Marketing Association, Madera 21 Red River Farms.......................................................................................... 39 Sammis Ranch............................................................................................. 39 Scales Northwest.......................................................................................... 44 Schafer Ranch.............................................................................................. 39 Schohr Herefords......................................................................................... 41 Shasta Livestock Auction Yard ������������������������������������������������������������������ 13 Sierra Ranches.............................................................................................. 41 Silveira Bros.................................................................................................. 39 Sonoma Mountain Herefords ������������������������������������������������������������������� 41 Spanish Ranch.............................................................................................. 41 Step A Side Farms........................................................................................ 40 Stokrose Angus............................................................................................ 26 Tehama Angus Ranch................................................................................. 40 Teixeira Cattle co......................................................................................... 40 Tulare County Stockyard............................................................................ 21 Tumbleweed Ranch..................................................................................... 41 Turlock Livestock Auction Yard ����������������������������������������������������������������� 9 VF Red Angus.............................................................................................. 40 Vintage Angus Ranch...........................................................................40, 48 Visalia Livestock Market............................................................................ 17 Western Stockman’s Market....................................................................... 11 Western Video Market.................................................................................. 3 Wraith, Scarlett and Randolph ����������������������������������������������������������������� 31 Wulff Brothers Livestock............................................................................ 40

“PERFORMANCE, GROWTH & CARCASS GENETICS”

Semen now available on these outstanding sires from Dixie Valley Angus!

$30/unit

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JINDRA STONEWALL Owned with Nick Jindra

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DIABLO DELUXE 110

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$W

$F

$G

$B

RE

$M

$W

$F

$G

$B

+.71

+30

+73

+161

+66

+226

+.82

+68

+99

+119

+82

+201

+.82

+68

+99

+120

+82

+202

$30/unit

STERLING ADVANTAGE 809 BALDRIDGE COLONEL C251 Owned with Judson & Denise Baldridge

$35/unit

$20/unit

Owned with Spruce Mountain Ranch & Mangell Inc

Sire: Connealy Confidence Plus • MGS:Connealy Consensus Sire: Baldridge Xpand X743 • MGS: Styles Upgrade J59

STERLING PACIFIC 904 Owned with Mark H Brookhouser

Sire: Hoover No Doubt • MGS: G A R Prophet

CED

BW

WW

YW

MILK

MARB

CED

BW

WW

YW

MILK

MARB

CED

BW

WW

YW

MILK

MARB

+10

-.5

+76

+141

+30

+.80

+4

+1.4

+63

+124

+16

+.77

+10

+1.8

+89

+154

+18

+1.19

RE

$M

$W

$F

$G

$B

RE

$M

$W

$F

$G

$B

RE

$M

$W

$F

$G

$B

+.89

+75

+90

+127

+65

+193

+.98

+46

+50

+83

+72

+155

+.76

+65

+80

+106

+81

+186

Lee Nobmann, owner Morgon Patrick, managing partner 8520 5th Ave E., Montague CA 96064

(530) 526-5920May • morgon@nobmanncattle.com 2020 California Cattleman 47

A special “Thank You” from

VINTAGE ANGUS RANCH to a committed and long-time buyer

CREE RANCH

A family owned-and-operated cow-calf ranch based in Waterford, California “Cree Ranch is a family operation that has been using VAR bulls for 15 years. Every year we’ve produced a consistent calf crop that the buyers are seeking. Steers have been known to bring top dollar at the sale. We calve our heifers as 2 year olds with almost no calving issues. VAR will stand behind their guarantee100% and they are always willing to provide advice and/or assistance as needed. Staff is top notch!”

— Bob, Pat and Steve Cree

Bob and Pat Cree and Steve Cree

27 th Annual

“Carcass Maker” Bull Sale Thursday, Sept. 3, 2020 LaGrange , CA

48 California Cattleman May 2020

JIM COLEMAN, OWNER DOUG WORTHINGTON, MANAGER BRAD WORTHINGTON, OPERATIONS MIKE HALL, BULL SERVICES • (805)748-4717 2702 SCENIC BEND, MODESTO, CA 95355

(209) 521-0537

WWW.VINTAGEANGUSRANCH.COM OFFICE@VINTAGEANGUSRANCH.COM