Oregon

Legislation to Delist the Mexican Wolf Advances

Fri, 23 Jan 2026 22:11:58 GMT

The House Natural Resources Committee advanced the Enhancing Safety for Animals Act of 2025 (H.R. 4255) with bipartisan support. The bill would remove federal ESA protections for the Mexican wolf, restoring commonsense wildlife management authority and providing much-needed relief to cattle producers and rural communities across the Southwest. The next step for the bill is to be presented to the full House for a vote.

The National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) and Public Lands Council (PLC) strongly support H.R. 4255, which would reduce regulatory barriers that have prevented effective management to safeguard livestock and rural communities from this abundant apex predator.

“For decades, cattle producers have borne the cost of federal policies that prioritize paperwork over practical wildlife management. The Mexican wolf population has grown well beyond recovery goals, yet producers are left without the tools needed to protect their livestock, their families and their livelihoods,” says Oregon rancher and NCBA Policy Division Chair Skye Krebs. “This isn’t just a producer issue — it’s a rural community issue. When predators cannot be responsibly managed, it puts people at risk and undermines the stewardship efforts of those who live and work on the land every day. Delisting the Mexican wolf would allow wildlife professionals to use proven, science-based management tools to reduce conflict and restore balance.”

Because of its ESA status, Mexican wolf management remains heavily restricted, even in areas where wolf populations have expanded significantly. Producers face ongoing livestock depredation, disrupted grazing operations, and delayed or denied responses to problem animals — often with little to no compensation for losses.

“Whether it is Mexican wolves, grey wolves or grizzly bears, ranchers across the West face daily challenges with recovered species protected by the Endangered Species Act. This bill is a step toward alleviating the challenges southwestern producers face and would recognize the realities on the ground,” says Colorado rancher and PLC President Tim Canterbury. “This legislation is grounded in established science and restores commonsense in the listing determination. The Mexican wolf has recovered, now is the time for Congress to finish the job and pass this legislation.”

NCBA and PLC commend the House Natural Resources Committee for advancing this legislation and thank Rep. Paul Gosar for introducing a bill that recognizes conservation success while standing up for the men and women who help feed Americans.

Read More about Wolves:
House Approves Gray Wolf Protection Removal in a Victory for Cattlemen
Nightly Battles and Big Losses: Ranchers Demand Reform as Wolves Continue to Wreak Havoc
Wolves Are Not Going Away: Ranchers Push for Practical Management Tools
The Cost of Coexistence With Wolves

Wolves Are Not Going Away: Ranchers Push for Practical Management Tools

Thu, 04 Dec 2025 11:41:36 GMT

Ranchers repeatedly stress they are not advocating extermination of the wolves, but workable management solutions.

“We’re trying to be conservationists,” says Luke Morgan, Lightning Bolt Cattle Co. general manager. “Wolves are here to stay. We’ve got to have some tools to make it more holistic for people, wolves and the rest of the animals.”

Morgan manages 2,500 mother cows on multiple locations in Oregon and Washington utilizing both public and private lands. He says the split listing of wolves in Oregon is frustrating: “A line down the middle … federally listed on one side and not on the other … makes zero sense.”

Read more about the challenges rancher are facing with wolves:
Nightly Battles and Big Losses: Ranchers Demand Reform as Wolves Continue to Wreak Havoc

Rick Roberti, California Cattlemen’s Association president and a cattle rancher in Sierra Valley, adds: “We don’t want to get rid of all the wolves. We just want them managed in a way we don’t suffer so many losses — for them to return to their natural habitat.”

Cattle producer Amy Anderson Fitzpatrick says her family has been dealing with wolves since 2011. Her family raises cattle in southern Oregon during the grazing season (May to December), then move the herd to winter in Northern California. The base ranch, called Rancheria Ranch, is in the mountains of Oregon and is a mix of owned land and permitted grazing.

Fitzpatrick explains state and federal laws severely limit ranchers’ ability to defend their livestock; only nonlethal hazing is allowed, and requests to remove or euthanize problematic wolves have been denied.

Here are two requests from the producers dealing with wolves:

1. Coexistence management tools.

This would allow flexible, rapid deployment of nonlethal and, when needed, targeted lethal tools to address habituated wolves near people and livestock.

“They have zero fear of humans,” Morgan says. “If we could instill a little fear, push them back into wilderness areas and keep them more of a wild animal.”

He suggests seasonal, expedited permits and field-response teams during calving; prioritize high-risk allotments and pastures.

Fitzpatrick adds: “Our wolves are not scared of us, because why should they be?”

2. Notification and data transparency for risk management.

Roberti requests for more notification and data sharing regarding wolves. He says with collared wolves, agencies can tell ranchers when wolves enter their property, but he says: “We’ve been getting the reports after the kill.”

He would also like to know how many wolves there are and would like to see a deer survey done.

“If there’s not enough prey, you’re pretty much saying they’re going to eat cattle,” Roberti says.

Fitzpatrick expresses frustration with public perception and how the pro-wolf sentiment on social media downplays or ignores ranchers’ struggles with the predators.

Despite the ongoing hardships, Fitzpatrick says her family remains committed to ranching while calling for a level playing field that would allow effective protection of their livelihood.

Paul Roen, a Sierra County rancher, adds unified, more flexible regulations and continued collaboration between local, state and federal agencies is needed. He advocates for policy reform, increased documentation and knowledge-sharing to better equip rural communities to manage the realities of coexisting with wolves.

Roberti summarizes that sensible management policies will allow both wolves and ranchers to coexist, but he stresses that unless balance is restored and ranchers’ voices are heard, both the rural way of life and broader ecosystem could face severe consequences.

Your Next Read: Nightly Battles and Big Losses: Ranchers Demand Reform as Wolves Continue to Wreak Havoc

Nightly Battles and Big Losses: Ranchers Demand Reform as Wolves Continue to Wreak Havoc

Wed, 03 Dec 2025 18:42:51 GMT

It’s hard to fathom: 92 confirmed or probable kills of cattle by three wolves during one season (April to October 2025) in the Sierra Valley. For ranchers, it’s more than economical loss — the emotional toll of dealing with wolves targeting their livestock and livelihoods is real.

Reintroduction and management of wolves in Sierra County, Calif., has led to significant challenges. The community, led by officials such as Paul Roen, has been actively pushing for updated management protocols, enhanced deterrence measures and better support from state and federal agencies to address the escalating wolf-livestock conflict.

Roen, a Sierra County supervisor (similar to a county commissioner) and rancher, explains it’s more than a livestock issue; it is a human safety issue.

“These wolves were not bothered by humans whatsoever. I mean, they were not acting like wild animals at all,” he says in reference to the wolves killing cattle earlier this year.

Rick Roberti, California Cattlemen’s Association president and a cattle rancher in Sierra Valley, adds: “For every confirmed kill you find, there’s probably four to six others. The wolves had gotten so used to eating cattle they didn’t hardly even look at a deer if they could find one.”

Roen and Roberti both stress the wolves have no fear of humans, with frequent sightings near homes and barns.

The severity of the attacks led Roen and other local officials to declare a state of emergency, drawing statewide and media attention. Despite the efforts of ranchers and local authorities — including constant night patrols, protective measures and deployment of technology like drones — wolf predation persisted. The community also engaged with state and federal resources, including a Strike Force sent by California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) to document the losses and explore possible intervention .

The program, designed to prevent livestock attacks on ranching properties in the heavily impacted Sierra Valley, deployed more than 18,000 staff hours across 114 days, engaging in 95 hazing events that helped to prevent an even greater loss in cattle deaths.

Eighteen Sierra Valley ranches enrolled in the program. CDFW staff also assisted ranches in evaluating the use of wolf-deterring fladry and ensuring livestock carcasses are correctly disposed to avoid attracting scavenging wolves. Additionally, the program helped facilitate depredation investigations, enabling ranchers to access compensation through CDFW’s Wolf-Livestock Compensation Program .

Following the unprecedented level of livestock attacks across the Sierra Valley, CDFW, in coordination with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), took the step of lethally removing four gray wolves from the Beyem Seyo pack.

“This action follows months of intensive non-lethal management efforts to reduce livestock loss and is grounded in the best available science and understanding of wolf biology,” according to the press release.

Roen says progress dealing with the wolf issue came with federal involvement and local law enforcement support. He says when the sheriff got involved , people woke up in Sacramento.

Read more about how sheriff departments from seven California counties united to oppose environmental polices they believe threaten ranchers and farmers.

Not Just California

The gray wolf is on the federal endangered species list except in the Northern Rocky Mountain region of Idaho, Montana and Wyoming, the eastern one-third of Oregon, Washington and north-central Utah. In Minnesota, the gray wolf is considered threatened. Because of these protections, killing a wolf in the states where it’s protected is illegal, even if it’s seen killing livestock.

Luke Morgan, Lightning Bolt Cattle Company general manager, has been dealing with wolves since 2011 when they first came to Oregon. Morgan manages 2,500 mother cows on multiple locations in Oregon and Washington using both public and private lands.

A pack of wolves that live on one of the Lightning Bolt ranches in western Oregon have been causing havoc the past couple years. According to Morgan, the wolves killed more than 25 head of livestock from mid-October to mid-November.

He says the wolves prey the weak-minded: “Whatever can’t take the pressure … the ones that will break and run.”

(CDFW)

Cattle producer Amy Anderson Fitzpatrick says her family has also been dealing with wolves since 2011. They raise cattle in southern Oregon during the grazing season (May to December), then move the herd to winter in Northern California. The base ranch, called Rancheria Ranch, is in the mountains of Oregon and is a mix of owned land and permitted grazing. The operation includes commercial cow herd plus some yearlings.

Since 2019, Fitzpatrick says at least 24 cattle deaths have been attributed to wolves, though actual losses are likely higher due to unconfirmed cases in the rugged terrain.

“I have learned far more about wolves and their behavior than I could ever imagine. Wolves kill for food, yes, but they also kill to hone their skills, teach their young and for fun. We have witnessed wolves literally bumping livestock bedded down to get them up and running to chase them,” Fitzpatrick says. “We’ve been dealing with it for about 14 years. … The earlier pack, the Rogue Pack, would hit Fort Klamath hard in the summer months when there was an abundance of yearling cattle, then in the fall they’d come over the hill to Rancheria and hit us. Now we deal with what is known as this Grouse Ridge Pack, which seems to just like to hang out at the ranch and hit our permit country in the summertime.”

Fitzpatrick says they previously anticipated up to five losses per year from cattle turned out on the range as a cost of doing business. With the increase in wolf population, the ranch tallied between 35 and 40 mostly weaned calves during the 2024 season.

The Rogue Pack would kill livestock as sport and not consume the animals. However, the current, larger pack tends to consume more carcasses, further complicating verification.

In Wisconsin over the past 12 months, wolf attacks on livestock have increased. According to the state’s Department of Natural Resources (DNR), there have been 62 livestock depredation incidents in 2025 — 45 killed and 17 confirmed harassments — all of which are either livestock or pets. That’s nearly double the number of incidents reported just three years ago.

According to the Wisconsin Farm Bureau : “Wisconsin’s wolf population has rebounded from extinction to an undeniable conservation success. But lately, it feels more like a horror story than a success story.”

Read more about how ranchers say they are willing to deal with wolves if they will return to their natural habitat:
Wolves Are Not Going Away: Ranchers Push for Practical Management Tools

(Paul Roen)

Financial Loss is Real

Herd-level effects beyond death loss include lower conception rates, 50 lb. to 75 lb. weaning weight declines and cow herd fear. Wolves have changed cattle behavior significantly.

Fitzpatrick says the presence of wolves has caused observable stress and aggression in the cattle, leading to behavioral changes, abortions and decreased weaning weights.

“Wolves actively harass resting cattle, preventing them from relaxing or thriving,” she says.

Morgan says herd experience more vulnerability during calving season. He points out calves and protective dams are high-risk with wolf attacks leading to increasing accidental calf deaths and stress-related herd disruptions.

Research by Tina Saitone, a University of California-Davis professor and cooperative Extension specialist in livestock and rangeland economics, found one wolf can cause up to $162,000 in annual financial loss .

Compensation is Available But Falls Short

Compensation frameworks exist but often lack speed and scope and require confirmations that are often unfeasible. Morgan says there’s not even close to enough funds in the pool to cover all the losses.

“There is money appropriated in California, but we’re just having a hard time getting it,” Roberti adds. “Most have been waiting since April.”

All four producers say depredations are significantly undercounted compared with real losses due to terrain, investigation lags and evidence requirements. A shared frustration is the fact if an animal is nearly completely consumed, the investigators can’t find the evidence it was a wolf attack and thus, it does not count as a wolf depredation.

Emotional Toll is Substantial

For cattle producers impacted by wolves, it’s more than the financial toll; it’s the human factor, the stress incurred.

“Financial-wise, it’s huge. It’s astronomical, if you really dig into it, but the mental capacity it takes from us and the people who work for us is huge,” Morgan says. “The emotional toll we have to go through just watching and observing cattle, and we spend every day we possibly can trying to keep these animals alive.

“There’s nothing pretty about the way [wolves] kill animals,” he continues. “For us to go out and find them or have to deal with that, it’s huge emotionally.”

Fitzpatrick explains the losses due to wolves have deeply affected her dad.

“My dad is 81 years old, and I have never seen him so depressed,” she explains. “He’s not the same; he’s lost the fight. It’s like we’ve lost. How do you put a price tag on that?”

Dealing with wolves it is a safety issue as well, Roberti adds. As producers stay up all night checking on and protecting their cattle. Fitzpatrick agrees, summarizing the stressful steps she takes to check cattle, noting she now avoids certain tasks due to the increased risks to herself and her dogs.

Documenting the events in Sierra County, Roen says he hopes their experiences can be used as a road map for others. He plans to share plans, forms and training materials with ranchers facing similar threats.

“We created different plans and trainings we will allow everybody to plagiarize,” he says.

Your Next Read:
Wolves Are Not Going Away: Ranchers Push for Practical Management Tools

The Cost of Coexistence With Wolves

How This Oregon Ranch is Using Their Cattle as Firefighters

Mon, 01 Dec 2025 16:30:59 GMT

Ranching in the Pacific Northwest means you get comfortable with extremes.

High elevations, severe winters, large allotments and mountainous, rocky surfaces intermixed with timber forests – all of it adds up to an ecosystem that can put up a fight to infrastructure-building for effective grazing management.

And that’s before you add in the wildfires.

In 2024, 1.9 million acres burned in the state of Oregon alone – the state where Dean Defrees manages his generational ranch.

Each fire season, Defrees watches the wildfires around him inch closer and closer, remembering the one year where they destroyed nearly everything.

“In the ‘80s, we were logging our timberland — about 1,100 acres,” he recalls. “In 1986, the part we had not harvested yet was burned in a forest fire and it wiped us out timber-wise. That really got us interested in fireproofing the rest of the property a bit more.”

Firefighting Cattle

Defrees put his cattle to work, factoring in his 1,500-acre timberland forest allotments into his whole-ranch rotational grazing plan.

Now he works to ensure that brush, which can act as kindling in a wildfire, is managed.

“I graze the timberland in June and have it pretty well grazed down by July, which gets rid of a lot of the fine material on the ground where the fire won’t spread nearly as bad if it comes,” he says. “In fires, you see a big difference in ground that has been grazed compared to ground that hasn’t been grazed.

“Sometimes, no matter what you do, you can’t stop it. But it certainly does help to get as much fuel off the ground as you can early in the season.”

Along with pastureland, Defrees Ranch uses their timberland as additional grazing land for their 300 heifer cattle and 300 yearlings. Predominately Angus, black Angus and Hereford breeds, the cattle help to keep brush down, decreasing the risk of wildfire damage to the ranch.

(Defrees Ranch)

Without a sawmill left in the region to market his timber, Defrees is using financial and technical incentives from USDA-NRCS to further manage his forests, keeping them suitable for grazing and manageable for fire prevention.

“With EQIP , I’m going through and removing pretty much everything under 9" in diameter, which allows the bigger trees to keep growing, but it also opens up the understory for grazing and makes it much more fire resistant,” he says.

The federally funded program is largely offsetting the costs for the work.

“I probably wouldn’t be able to do it without their help, at least to the scale I’m doing it. I’m not making any money off of it, but I am paying my expenses,” he explains.

Restoration Cattle

Defrees knows he won’t be able to keep the fires at bay forever from his 100-plus year family land. He’s seen his neighbors lose their land, their cattle and their livelihoods because of them. In 2024, the Durkee Fire nipped at his heels and became the largest active blaze in the country, devastating more than 268,500 acres of land in its path.

His daughter, Dallas Hall Defrees, now works with a non-profit organization, Sustainable Northwest , to help ranchers prepare for and battle back after these devastating wildfires.

She says the key to the ecosystem restoration needed in the wake of a fire is deploying cattle with effective grazing management practices.

“This is invasive annual grass country, so that’s one of our biggest threats out here, especially after these ranchland fires,” Hall Defrees says. “Studies have shown that through targeted grazing you can actually reduce the prevalence of those grasses. If you target those and then get off of that area when the perennial grasses are coming in and recovering, it can be really beneficial.”

But, letting cattle graze in areas burned by fires is tricky. In most instances, the fire has not only decimated the grassland, but it has stripped the allotment of reliable infrastructure as well. When wildfires spread, it can take with it miles of hardwire fencing, making grazing difficult.

Organizations like Sustainable Northwest are touting virtual fencing as a tool that ranchers in wildfire-prone areas can use to remove the need for fencing infrastructure and build back grasslands in the wake of disasters.

(Vence)

That’s where virtual fencing has become a game-changer, according to Hall Defrees.

“What you don’t want after a fire is for cattle to come into a heavily burned area or a stream or riparian area that needs a little bit more recovery,” she says. “Before, with hard wire fencing, you’re either on the allotment or you’re off of it. You can’t really cut the allotment into a whole bunch of different pieces. But now with virtual fencing, we can hit those areas that would actually benefit from the targeted grazing and exclude those areas that might need a little bit more rest.”

Vence , a virtual fence management system from Merck Animal Health , has seen their technology play an integral role for many ranchers both during and in the aftermath of disasters.

“We’ve had ranchers use Vence to protect their herds from hurricanes to wildfires to blizzards,” says Allison Burenheide, Vence marketing lead. “One of our Florida ranchers was able to move cows inland and away from highways as they saw a hurricane approaching, and we had a rancher in Washington last year experience a devastating wildfire, and we were able find all their cattle with the Vence GPS collars and move them down to where they could gather them and move them to safety. Without Vence, they would’ve had to ride through the fire to find cows, drop a fence and hope for the best.”

Sustainable Northwest is working with ranchers to remove cost barriers to virtual fencing technology and enhance technological awareness of the innovation’s benefits. She believes that, though fires may forge the need, many ranchers are reaping the full reward of adoption and then sharing it with their peers.

“There’s a snowball effect that’s certainly there,” she says.

A Marketable Advantage

At Defrees Ranch, the intensive land management is about more than just fire protection – it’s a holistic stewardship mindset that amounts to a marketable advantage for its cattle.

Defrees became part of the Country Natural Beef Cooperative early in its growth trajectory and has never regretted the decision.

“Through the cooperative, the tenants arose that we want to differentiate ourselves as good stewards who take care of the land, who take care of families, who take care of community, and take care of our cattle,” Defrees says. “The great thing about the group was everybody was so excited about those. The exciting thing is now we’re into the regenerative program, which really gives us a lot of tools to measure what we’re doing and make sure we’re doing the right things while giving us some latitude to experiment.”

The land that makes up Defrees Ranch in Oregon has been in the family for 100+ years. Dean Defrees is the fourth generation on the land and his sons and daughter are now part of the overall management of the ranch.

(Maddie Jo Neuschwander/Defrees Ranch )

At Country Natural Beef, their Grazewell program leans on regenerative ranching practices to help ranchers be better stewards of their people, land and animals.

“Good grazing practices and land stewardship are not just about managing cattle. They are about enhancing the health of the ecosystem itself,” says DelRae Ferguson, ranch program manager, Country Natural Beef. “This proactive approach sets our ranchers up to successfully navigate the certain challenges that are now the norm in the arid West — namely drought and wildfire— and our commitment to superior land stewardship moves all cooperative members beyond simply being reactive to environmental threats and establishes ecological and economic resiliency.”

Country Natural Beef uses the program to gain marketable advantage through their branded beef products.

“Increasingly, people are viewing their purchases, whether food, clothing or vehicles, not as status symbols but instead as a reflection of their core values,” says Valerie Rasmussen, Country Natural Beef vice president of marketing and communications. “For us, that movement started 40 years ago when we began our co-op and started selling all natural, no antibiotics/no added hormones and animal-welfare certified beef. Beef raised in a regenerative system is the next frontier for us as a beef company. We have plans to make regeneratively raised beef available to our shoppers so that consumers can be part of a food system that works to improve the planet we all share.”

Trust In Beef™ works to secure the future of American ranching by providing the information ranchers need to make the decisions that impact the resiliency, profitability and resource management of their working lands. Learn more about Trust In Beef and their Sustainable Ranchers Tour by visiting www.trustinbeef.com

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Beyond Barbed Wire: A Look At Virtual Fencing

Beef's Future Depends on Demand

Tue, 30 Sep 2025 14:46:53 GMT

In the beef business, demand means everything, and I see why that’s true, firsthand, every day.

My husband and I started selling beef directly to consumers after a surprising conversation at a class on how to grow our business. A neighbor said he’d lived in our valley for nearly 60 years and had never been able to buy a half a beef from any ranchers he knew. I told him I’d sell him one that very day.

Since 2019, we’ve built Bingham Beef into a business that sells everything from shares to individual cuts. We serve a loyal local base here in North Powder, Ore., and reach more distant customers through our online store. What makes our operation unique isn’t just the beef — it’s the relationships. I enjoy talking with customers, answering their questions and even sharing recipes.

I also represent Oregon as a producer on the Cattlemen’s Beef Board and serve on the Beef Checkoff’s Domestic Marketing Committee, which oversees checkoff–funded programs that promote beef here in the U.S. Serving on this committee has reinforced what I already know from my own experience: Strong demand doesn’t just happen. It’s built through effort, investment and consistency. And, contrary to what some producers might believe, demand and consumption aren’t the same thing.

Consumption is simply how much beef people eat. Demand reflects how much they want to buy — even if prices climb. For example, U.S. per-person beef disappearance was estimated at about 59 lb. in 2024, and it’s holding steady in 2025. That’s remarkable when prices are at record highs — ground beef alone topped $6.12 per pound in the summer of 2025.

As ranchers, we’re great at producing top-quality beef, but producing it isn’t enough. If consumers don’t know why they should choose beef, or trust it, we could be left with freezers full of great meat no one wants.

That’s where the Beef Checkoff can be so important. The checkoff’s mission is simple: to drive demand for beef through promotion, research, education and innovation — all funded by producers and importers. Many producers prefer to focus on genetics and herd health rather than marketing, so checkoff contractors are on the front lines creating demand for the nutrient-rich product we raise.

The Beef. It’s What’s for Dinner. brand reminds consumers why they love beef and makes it top of mind. But promotional campaigns can’t do it all. Programs like Beef Quality Assurance (BQA) help producers improve practices, like injection-site technique, that boost per-head value while demonstrating how much ranchers truly care about quality and safety. That builds consumer trust, which also drives demand.

At Bingham Beef, our customers are increasingly aware of different cuts of beef thanks to the checkoff’s efforts. Even when food prices rise, I see customers staying loyal to beef. That’s demand in action, and it’s exactly what the checkoff strives to sustain.

That’s also how the checkoff’s work connects directly to my business. When customers ask about beef’s role in a healthy diet, I can point to checkoff‑funded research. When they wonder about sustainability, I can share the educational materials developed thanks to the checkoff. The more consumers see beef positioned positively and confidently, the more likely they are to choose it, whether from me, their grocery store or a restaurant.

Some producers say they don’t see returns from their checkoff investments in their bank accounts. I understand it can be difficult to see the connection between a national ad campaign or a nutritional research study to the check you get for your calves. But those investments are helping keep beef in the spotlight, earning trust and loyalty from consumers.

Even with tight cattle supplies and rising costs, U.S. consumers aren’t backing off beef. Per capita consumption is still high, even as prices continue to climb. That kind of stability signals just how much consumers value and enjoy beef, and it doesn’t happen by accident. It’s the result of steady checkoff efforts to keep demand strong across the board. If you’re curious about the Beef Checkoff’s value, I challenge you to learn more about what the checkoff is doing to keep beef at the center of the plate.

— Wendy Bingham, from North Powder, Ore., is the co-owner of Bingham Beef and a member of the Cattlemen’s Beef Board.

One Wolf Can Cause Up To $162,000 in Losses Due To Reduced Growth and Pregnancies

Fri, 25 Apr 2025 19:33:23 GMT

Long believed extinct in California, a lone gray wolf was seen entering the Golden State from Oregon in 2011, and a pack was spotted in Siskiyou County in 2015. By the end of 2024, seven wolf packs were documented with evidence of the animals in four other locations. As wolves proliferated, ranchers in those areas feared they would prey on cattle.

Tina Saitone, a University of California, Davis professor and cooperative Extension specialist in livestock and rangeland economics, sought to quantify the direct and indirect costs after the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) launched a pilot program to compensate ranchers for wolf-related losses.

“There’s not really any research in the state on the economic consequences of an apex predator interacting with livestock,” Saitone says in a release from UC Davis about the project .

Results from the study include:

One wolf can cause between $69,000 and $162,000 in direct and indirect losses from lower pregnancy rates in cows and decreased weight gain in calves
Total indirect losses are estimated to range from $1.4 million to $3.4 million depending on moderate or severe impacts from wolves across the three packs
72% of wolf scat samples tested during the 2022 and 2023 summer seasons contained cattle DNA
Hair cortisol levels were elevated in cattle that ranged in areas with wolves, indicating an increase in stress

According to the Public Lands Council , “The recovery of the gray wolf is a success story for the Endangered Species Act, and the time is now to recognize that success. Delist wolves now.”

They encourage producers to contact their members of Congress and ask them to support H.R. 845, The Pet and Livestock Protection Act of 2025 .

In the press

The “Los Angeles Times” published an article on April 21 “ Beautiful, deadly: Wolves stalk rural California. ” Cattleman Joel Torres was interviewed for the article and shared how wolves are tearing into baby calves and yearlings.

In the article, Torres explained what the apex predators do to the cattle in his care at Prather Ranch, an organic farm in Siskiyou County dedicated to raising beef in a natural, stress-free environment.

Wolves often attack from behind and rip victims apart while they’re trying to flee. Once they bring a cow or calf to the ground, the pack will pick around, eat the good stuff, particularly the rectum and udders, and then leave them and go to the next one, Torres says.

There’s no saving the calves that have been attacked by the wolves. He explains he’d like to shoot the wolves, at least a few, to teach the pack that there are “consequences to coming around here and tearing into our cattle.”

But the predators remain on the state’s endangered species list, and aggressive measures to control their behavior are strictly forbidden.

Not just California
Wolf attacks are not confined in California. Since wolves were reintroduced in Colorado in December 2023, ranchers have also been dealing with depredation of calves.

As reported by Drovers, the wolves released in Colorado were from packs in Oregon that were known to have killed livestock in 2022 and 2023.

Your Next Read: Ranchers Concerned Over Six Confirmed Wolf Kills in Colorado

Judge Limits Hammond’s Grazing As Case Proceeds

Fri, 20 Nov 2020 05:50:03 GMT

A U.S. District Judge on Tuesday limited Hammond Ranches from fully utilizing its grazing permits. In a 58-page ruling, Judge Michael H. Simon granted a partial preliminary injunction, approving an alternative grazing plan for the Hammond’s cattle that the Bureau of Land Management had proposed in June.

Three environmental advocacy groups – Western Watersheds Project, the Center for Biological Diversity and Wildearth Guardians – sued the Interior secretary and the U.S. Bureau of Land Management after the government in January renewed a 10-year grazing permit for Hammond Ranches. The groups argued that Zinke violated federal regulations because the government failed to consider the Hammonds’ unsatisfactory record or do proper environmental reviews.

The renewal of the Hammonds’ 2014 grazing permit followed President Donald Trump’s pardon of the Hammonds last summer. Dwight Hammond Jr. and his youngest son, Steven Hammond, convicted of arson, were serving out five-year mandatory minimum sentences for setting fire to public land where they had grazing rights.

In Tuesday’s ruling, Simon ordered no grazing on one parcel called Mud Creek, but allowed for cattle to “quickly and methodically trail through” the allotment to access the federal Hardie Summer allotment. Further, Simon reduced grazing on the Hardie parcel to 30% of the normal standard in the ranches permit. No further grazing was allowed beyond those restrictions.

In his ruling, Judge Simon wrote such restrictions will reduce harm to sage grouse by eliminating nearly all grazing on the Mud Creek allotment and significantly reducing grazing on the Hardie Summer allotment, and will lessen the harms to redband trout by eliminating grazing on a portion of what’s called Little Fir Creek. He said the environmental groups had shown a likelihood of succeeding in proving that former Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke’s order for the government to reissue a 10-year grazing permit to the Hammonds this year “was arbitrary and capricious’’ and unlawful.

Activists Sue BLM To Block Hammond’s Grazing Permits

Fri, 20 Nov 2020 05:25:11 GMT

Three environmental activist groups have filed suit to block the renewal of a 10-year grazing permit for Hammond Ranches Inc., operated by Dwight Hammond Jr., and his son Steven Hammond.

The complaint, filed May 13, 2019, in U.S. District Court in Pendleton, OR, was filed by Western Watersheds Project, the Center for Biological Diversity and Wildearth Guardians. Defendants were named as the U.S. interior secretary, the U.S. Bureau of Land Management (BLM), and the BLM’s district manager in Burns, OR. The complaint argues that then-Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke’s renewal of the grazing permit after the Hammonds were issued pardons violated federal administrative regulations because it failed to consider the Hammond’s unsatisfactory record.

According to a report in Oregonlive , the groups contend the Hammond’s grazing record violated regulations set by the Federal Land Policy and Management Act and the Department of Interior and that the new permit didn’t undergo proper environmental assessments.

The complaint also suggests the renewed grazing will harm sage-grouse habitats in the region and increase invasive weeds and the likelihood of destructive fires.

Ironically, reducing the threat of wildfires was one reason cited by the BLM in renewing the Hammond’s grazing permits, to last through 2024.

Renewal of the Hammond’s grazing permits were rejected in 2014, and the BLM cited their criminal convictions for setting fire to public land. They were convicted of arson in 2012 and Dwight Hammond served three months in prison and his son Steven Hammond to a year and one day. However, because they were convicted under the Antiterrorism and Effective Death Penalty Act of 1996 which called for mandatory five-year prison sentences, prosecutors returned the two to court where a judge ordered them back to prison in January, 2016.

That was the spark that set in motion the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge occupation in Oregon, led by Ammon and Ryan Bundy, the sons of Cliven Bundy who was at the center of his own standoff with the BLM in Nevada in 2014. The Hammonds were pardoned by President Trump on July 10, 2018.

“It’s appalling to watch the Trump administration make up the rules as they go along,” Kierán Suckling, executive director of the Center for Biological Diversity told OregonLive. “We’ve seen this type of lawlessness infect all aspects of public lands management under Trump, and we’re going to fight it. The public lands at stake are important sage-grouse habitat, highly vulnerable to invasive species, and are just beginning to recover.”

Related stories:

Learning From The Hammonds’ Federal Land Saga

BLM Now Hopes Hammond’s Cattle Can Reduce Fire Risk

Fri, 20 Nov 2020 05:24:19 GMT

In a most ironic twist in a western saga that has featured more than a few twists, the Bureau of Land Management hopes cattle from Dwight and Steven Hammond – ranchers the U.S. government prosecuted for starting range fires – can reduce a fire risk on the high desert of eastern Oregon.

The Hammond’s long-running dispute with the federal government ended with prison sentences for arson — and later inspired the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge occupation . President Trump pardoned the Hammonds in July of last year.

On January 2, 2019, former Interior Secretary Ryan K. Zinke ordered the renewal of a 10-year grazing permit for Hammond Ranches Inc., run by the elder Hammond and his son Steve.

Earlier this month, part of the Hammond’s grazing allotment was deemed a fire hazard by the BLM – due to the fact the land has not been grazed for five years. The absence of grazing was due, of course, to the fact the Hammonds were in jail and their grazing permits had been revoked.

On April 9, the BLM released a new environmental assessment for grazing on the Hammond Allotment, one of the largest of several the family uses in the high desert of eastern Oregon, where rolling hills are broken by rocky outcroppings. The BLM notes cattle have not grazed the land for five years because the ranchers’ permits weren’t renewed in 2014.

The wildfire risk has neighbors concerned, many of whom have sent letters to the BLM. Since the 5,800-acre Hammond Allotment has been vacant, the BLM said in its proposal that crested wheatgrass is now a “standing biomass that has reduced the health and vigor of the stand. The standing biomass has also created additional risk of wildfire spread because of the amount and distribution of cured fine fuel.”

The Hammonds were convicted of arson for two fires, one in 2001 and the other in 2006, which together burned a few hundred acres. Prosecutors, however, used the Antiterrorism and Effective Death Penalty Act of 1996 in calling for the two to serve mandatory five-year sentences for the convictions.

Originally, however, U.S. District Judge Michael R. Hogan said such a lengthy sentence “would not meet any idea I have of justice, proportionality ... it would be a sentence which would shock the conscience to me.”

Hogan instead sentenced Dwight Hammond to three months in prison and his son Steven Hammond to a year and one day. The two served their time and went back to their ranch, but in October 2015, federal prosecutors asked that they be resentenced to the full five years. A federal appeals court ordered them back to prison.

That was the spark that set in motion the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge occupation in Oregon, led by Ammon and Ryan Bundy, the sons of Cliven Bundy who was at the center of his own standoff with the BLM in Nevada in 2014.

The Bundy brothers were acquitted in October, 2016, of federal conspiracy and weapons charges stemming from the Malheur takeover. Charges against Cliven Bundy were dismissed in January, 2018.

Related stories:

Learning From The Hammond’s Federal Land Saga

Coyote-Hunting, Strip Clubs Are Free Speech In Oregon

Fri, 20 Nov 2020 05:23:37 GMT

A proposed ban on coyote-hunting contests in Oregon pits ranchers against environmentalists, but the language in the bill makes it unconstitutional thanks to a court ruling that protects strip clubs and adult video stores. At least, that’s how opponents to the proposed hunting ban plan to fight the law.

The controversy was initiated earlier this year when an undercover video from the Humane Society for the United States showed hunters at a competition in Burns, Ore., collecting the carcasses of dozens of dead coyotes. That encouraged Sens. Michael Dembrow (D-Portland) and Jeff Golden (D-Ashland) to sponsor Senate Bill 723, which would outlaw “organizing, sponsoring, promoting, conducting or participating in contest, competition, tournament or derby that has objective of taking wildlife for prizes or other inducement or for entertainment.”

The last clause in the description is key – entertainment. The Oregon Hunters Association argues that SB 723 violates its members’ First Amendment rights.

“Just because someone doesn’t like something doesn’t mean it can be prohibited,” association legislative chairman Paul Donheffner told Willamette Week news.

The legal argument is that the bill doesn’t ban coyote hunting, or limit it. The proposal merely outlaws contests for entertainment. And Oregon’s free speech laws offer broad protection for entertainment—thanks to a court ruling that protects strip clubs and adult video stores.

In 1987, Oregon’s Supreme Court ruled, in State v. Henry, that under the state’s constitution state law could not criminalize forms of entertainment deemed socially unacceptable. That ruling enshrined legal protections for nudity at strip clubs in Oregon.

A Portland lawyer told Willamette Week, “Oregon’s constitution limits what the government can regulate. The broad language has been interpreted to mean things people find unsavory. That’s why you can have a porn shop across the street from an elementary school.”

Related stories:

Bill to Ban Coyote-Killing Contests In N.M.

Firefighters, Police Help Care for Cattle Across the Country

Sun, 15 Nov 2020 20:58:55 GMT

First responders are a lot like farmers and ranchers, they work long hours in stressful jobs. Sometimes the jobs of firefighters and police cross into the agriculture realm when on-duty officers respond to calls involving cattle. There have been a few cases that have popped up recently on social media that found police officers and firefighters helping care for cattle that caught our attention.

A team of firefighters from Tualatin Valley Fire and Rescue in Tigard, Oregon, was driving back from a recent dill when the crews noticed a cow in distress. A farmer was attending to the cow as she was struggling to deliver a calf before the team jumped the fence and offered a hand.

The crews from Stations 68 and 55 were able to help the farmer pull the calf safely in about 15-20 minutes before heading back to their stations. The cow and calf were reportedly in good condition while waiting for a veterinarian to stop in for a checkup.

Firefighters in Clyde, Texas, were also busy helping rescue a calf on April 24 that got stuck in a well that was 15 feet deep.

In Sebastopol, California, the local police department helped put a couple of cattle back to their home pasture on May 1 after the heifers were found early in the morning near a Safeway grocery store.

The Sebastopol Police Services left a pun filled response in a Facebook video to help describe the situation.

“Imagine the udder surprise of our officers when they were dispatched to a report of rogue bovine on Healdsburg Avenue near Safeway this morning. Officers arrived to find the two cows had completed their shopping and were mooooving back in the direction of home. Our officers escorted the wandering herd safely back to their field. It was quite the cattle-yst for an eventful morning,” the post says.

These stories also are a reminder of a kindness of a Nebraska State Patrol trooper who rescued a calf that was stuck in a snow bank following a blizzard in March:

These aren’t the only cases where first responders helped come to the rescue of cattle. Here are few other stories where firefighters and police lent a helping hand to cattle:

Oregon Cattle Mutilations Remain A Mystery

Fri, 13 Nov 2020 15:35:38 GMT

Oregon officials are investigating another mysterious mutilation of a cow near Ukiah in Umatilla County. Rancher Fee Stubblefield found the carcass on Sept. 12, reporting the skin around the cow’s mouth was sliced away, and it’s tongue, glands and sex organs had been cleanly removed. A piece of the cow’s ear was cut off and placed on its neck.

“It’s a very unusual cut,” Stubblefield told the Blue Mountain Eagle newspaper. “There was no blood.”

He found no footprints or tracks as evidence of someone traveling through the area. He called the Oregon State Police and the incidence was confirmed a mutilation kill.

“We got lucky because we found the cow within a couple days of when it had been killed, so it really yielded some good photos and hopefully some good evidence,” he said.

The September mutilation is similar to other incidences in Oregon over the past year. At least two others have occurred in Stubblefield’s area, with one of the mutilated cows found in a very remote location.

Officials say the mutilations are usually found with their tongues and genitals removed without signs of a struggle. During the summer of 2019, five bulls were found mutilated on the Silvies Valley Ranch in Harney County. Another mutilation was found near the border of Lake and Deschutes County in September.

Colby Marshall, vice president of Silvies Valley Ranch, told The Capital Press last year the bulls died with no outward signs of a struggle — no rope burns on trees, no scattered hoof prints, no strangulation marks. The bulls, he said, look like they simply fell over and died.

Another mutilated cow was found near Fossil in Wheeler County on July 23. The carcass was found upright with its legs tucked underneath it, and authorities located a partial boot print about 100 yards away from the scene.

Stubblefield told the Blue Mountain Eagle that predators and scavengers are avoiding and refusing to eat the carcass. Coyotes have approached the area but keep their distance, he said, and birds will land on the body briefly before flying away.

Stubblefield says ranchers and residents should be on the lookout for suspicious activity. He encourages people to call the nonemergency line for the Pendleton office of the Oregon State Police at 541-278-4090.

“If anybody finds one of these unusual ones, they need to stay away from it — don’t even come close to it — and call Oregon State Police immediately,” he said. “Any evidence that can be preserved is going to help solve this seemingly unsolvable case.”

Related stories:

Bulls Killed, Mutilated On Oregon Ranch

Oregon Rancher Can Kill 2 Wolves Following Attack on Cow Herd

Fri, 13 Nov 2020 02:24:18 GMT

A rancher in northeast Oregon has been granted the right to kill two wolves by state officials following an attack on calves in his cow herd.

The rancher from Baker County lost three calves to a newly formed wolf packed called the Pine Creek Pack. Four other calves were injured in a two-day period of wolf attacks, according to the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife.

The pack has eight wolves and roams along the Idaho-Oregon border. A female in the pack is believed to be pregnant which has caused outrage from local activists.

“We should not be killing wolves, especially a pregnant female, in the midst of a poaching epidemic, and using a wolf management plan that expired three years ago,” says Oregon Wild executive director Sean Stevens.

Quinn Read, Northwest director for Defenders of Wildlife, believes the lethal removal of wolves is unwarranted after just two attacks.

“The required update of the Oregon Wolf Conservation and Management Plan is already years overdue – we need better protections for wolves now so this doesn’t become the new normal,” Read says.

The rancher requested that the entire pack be killed but the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife will only allow two animals to be removed. The wolves can be killed by the rancher or Oregon wildlife officials up until May 4.

To kill a wolf ranchers in Oregon must prove they have attempted to scare the pack away from their livestock and have documented livestock losses before getting approval to kill a wolf. Carcasses need to be removed in areas where wolves are present as well.

The Backer County Sherriff’s Office released a statement via Facebook following the attacks with a picture of a wolf with a cow and calf:

Press Release On Friday, April 5th, Sheriff Ash and Deputy Robb responded to the area of Highway 86 near Four Mile... Posted by Baker County Sheriff’s Office on Monday, April 9, 2018

Trump Considers Pardon for Oregon Ranchers

Fri, 13 Nov 2020 02:24:11 GMT

Oregon ranchers Dwight Hammond Jr., and his son Steven, are among those President Trump is considering for presidential pardons.

The Washington Post reported Friday that the ranchers are on the President’s list, but Susie Hammond, Dwight’s wife, told the Oregonian/OregonLive, “I don’t know anything.” But, she said, “I have a sense that things are moving forward and I have faith in our president. If anyone is going to help them, he’d be the one.”

The Hammonds’ case spurred the 41-day occupation of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge on Jan 2, 2016, when armed militants seized the headquarters in Harney County, Ore. The leader of the occupation was Ammon Bundy, who also participated in the 2014 standoff at the Bundy Ranch in Nevada.

The Hammonds have been incarcerated since Jan. 4, 2016, after they were re-sentenced following their 2012 conviction for arson on public lands. Their case spurred outrage from many in the ranching community as it was believed the government was overly aggressive in pursuing the case.

The convictions stem from 2012, when both were found guilty of setting fires on federal land in 2001 where they had grazing rights, and Steven also was convicted of setting a second fire in 2006. The Hammonds argued in their defense the fires were set on their own property to destroy invasive species. The fire inadvertently burned onto public lands, destroying about 100 acres. Steven Hammond reported the fire to the BLM office in Burns, Ore.

Federal prosecutors said Steven started the 2006 fire to cover evidence of a deer he poached on BLM land. In both instances, prosecutors said it cost thousands of dollars to put out the fires, and also put federal employees at risk. In a plea deal, the two men agreed they would not appeal their sentence of the 2012 conviction, and they would pay $400,000 in restitution.

While the Hammonds were prosecuted under the Antiterrorism and Effective Death Penalty Act of 1996, a Department of Justice news release said arson on federal land carries a five-year mandatory minimum sentence. However, Judge Michael Hogan said it would be “grossly disproportionate” to send the two to prison for five years.

Instead, Hogan sentenced Dwight Hammond to three months’ imprisonment and Steven Hammond to a year and a day’s imprisonment, which both men served.

The DOJ, however, appealed for a full sentence. The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals agreed to a review of the case and District Chief Judge Ann Aiken went ahead with a full sentence – five years in federal prison for both men, minus time already served.

The Hammonds reported to Federal Correctional Institution, Terminal Island in California on January 4, as ordered. A few days earlier, the Hammonds also paid the federal government the remaining balance on the $400,000 court order for restitution related to the fires.

The request for a presidential pardon for the Hammonds is supported by the Oregon Farm Bureau, and the Oregon Cattlemen’s Association. Media outlets such as the Oregonian, the Bend Bulleting, the Baker City Herald and the Capital Press, have also urged President Trump to grant clemency.

Oregon Approves Kill Permit for Wolf Following Cattle Deaths

Fri, 13 Nov 2020 02:23:59 GMT

Wildlife officials in Oregon have approved a kill permit to a livestock producer who has lost calves to a wolf pack in the northeast part of the state.

On Aug. 24, the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife (ODFW) issued a permit to a rancher who lost a 300 lb. calf on a U.S. Forrest Service grazing allotment in Wallowa County. The five month old calf was found by a range rider on Aug. 20 in the morning. By the time the calf was discovered its internal organs, the right eye, the majority of muscle tissue on the left front leg and left rear leg, and some muscle tissue from the right rear leg had been consumed.

ODFW officials estimate the calf had been killed on Aug. 19 during the night. They confirmed it was a wolf after finding five tooth puncture wounds through the hide on the back of the hind legs.

The wolves responsible for the death came from the Chesnimnus pack , which had killed three calves owned by the same rancher in June. After those first livestock depredations a kill permit was issued to the rancher on June 21. However, no wolves were killed with the original permit before it expired on July 10.

The Chesnimnus pack also attacked a 350 lb., 4 month old calf in late July and the calf was found on Aug. 1. The calf was able to be removed from the pasture and was expected to heal.

Following the latest case of livestock depredation a new permit was issued allowing the rancher or an ODFW agent to shoot one wolf on the public land his cattle graze. The permit expires on Sept. 24, 30 days after it was issued. The ODFW permit requires the producer to continue using non-lethal measures to prevent conflict and not to use attractants for the wolves.

Non-lethal practices have been used by the rancher since June. The practices have included an increase of human presence with people camping out at night near the cow-calf herd, removing injured animals from the pasture, and placing cameras to monitor wolf movements and changing the location of cattle based on information acquired.

ODFW has monitored the presence of the Chesnimnus pack since June and have found the wolves in the area throughout July and August. There is a plan to place a radio collar on a member of the wolf pack when the opportunity presents itself, helping better monitor the pack’s movement.

At the end of 2017, ODFW reported that there were at least 124 wolves in Oregon . This is the highest total reported by ODFW with the population rising year-over-year since 2009 when there were just 14 wolves in the state.

A map showing the locations of Oregon’s wolf packs can be seen below:

Multiple Wolf Packs Attack and Kill Cattle in Oregon

Fri, 13 Nov 2020 02:23:43 GMT

A number of livestock depredations cases have occurred in Oregon by several wolf packs cross the state that resulted in cattle injuries and deaths.

The Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife (ODFW) has confirmed several cases where wolves attacked livestock during the end of October.

On Oct. 22, a wolf attack was confirmed in Grant County, near Logan Valley , after a four month old, 300 lb. calf was found by a rancher in a private irrigated pasture with injuries. The rancher discovered the calf on Oct. 11 with an open wound on its back right leg. Multiple tooth scrapes and lacerations were also observed. ODFW says that there are no known wolf packs in the area, but there have been reports of a lone wolf roaming.

A day later on Oct. 23, ODFW reported that hunters had found a dead, nine month old calf weighing 700 lb. in Wallowa County, near Howard Butte. The hunters found the calf on a private pasture and observed a pack of five or six wolves within 100 yards of the carcass. After a necropsy it appears that wolves were not responsible for the death because all of the bite marks were after the calf died. No bite marks were consistent with a predator attack. The death was listed as “other” by ODFW.

The next day on Oct. 24 it was confirmed by ODFW that three calves were killed by wolves in Klamath County, near Wood River Valley . In the describing ODFW classified the calves as Calf A, B and C.

Calf A was found dead on Oct. 24 in a private pasture. The calf was 600 lb. in weight with a carcass that was intact. However, the abdomen was open and the right flank was being fed on. ODFW estimates the calf died during the night. The discovery of this calf led the producer to unbury two other calves, Calf B and C, which had been removed from the same pasture the day before.
Calf B was estimated to have died on Oct. 22 and had similar feeding from the flank.
Calf C was mostly consumed and was estimated to have died on Oct. 21.

Necropsies and evidence from the kill sites of all three calves showed evidence of a predator attack by wolves. Trail cameras in the area have showed the Rogue Pack of wolves to be 2.5 miles from the pasture on Oct. 23 and the pack has previously preyed on cattle at the same property. All three calves are considered to be separate attack incidents.

The Rogue Pack would kill again , this time a 675 lb. calf during the evening on Oct. 26. ODFW confirmed the kill the next day saying “extensive feeding was observed on the muscle tissue of the hindquarters and pelvic area but remainder of carcass was largely intact.” The impacted producer reports that a ranch hand had seen five wolves on Oct. 25 in a nearby pasture and the calf is estimated to have been killed on that date. ODFW is attributing the depredation to the Rogue Pack.

Semi-trailer Rolls Killing Cattle Hauler and Five Cows in Oregon

Fri, 13 Nov 2020 02:23:31 GMT

A semi-tractor trailer hauling 28 head of cattle crashed along Interstate 84 in northeastern Oregon, killing the driver and five cows.

The wreck happened on Oct. 16 in the afternoon when according to Oregon State Police , a 2012 Peterbilt semi-truck heading westbound on the highway left the road for unknown reasons and struck a guardrail before overturning.

The driver, Shannon Dwinell, 46, of Great Bend, Kan., sustained fatal injuries and was pronounced dead at the scene of the crash.

The trailer appears to have been loaded with 28 dairy cows and five head died as a result of the crash. No other vehicles were involved in the crash. A cause for the crash has not been made available by authorities.

Interstate 84 was temporarily shut down by the Oregon Department of Transportation in both directions following the crash. Eastbound between Pendleton and Baker City and westbound from Baker City to La Grande were eventually reopened later in the evening on Tuesday.

According to Capital Press , Dwinell was driving the truck for Vernon Livestock Market out of Vernon, Texas.

Semi Truck loaded with cattle crashes on I-84 in Union County. OSP & Emergency personnel are on scene of crash 2 miles west of North Powder https://t.co/oKdZE3mtDt https://t.co/8nwsNJjLbg for update on lane closures pic.twitter.com/q3o1IXvqtU
— Oregon State Police (@ORStatePolice) October 16, 2018

Rogue Pack of Wolves Takes Down Seventh Cow in Oregon

Fri, 13 Nov 2020 02:23:16 GMT

Authorities say gray wolf OR-7′s Rogue Pack has killed another cow at ranch southwest of Crater Lake, Oregon, marking the seventh confirmed livestock kill attributed to the pack since late October.

The Mail Tribune reports that the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife reports that the dead and partially consumed cow was found Sunday on a ranch in the Boundary Butte area where the Rogue Pack has killed before. The report did not identify the ranch.

The Boundary Butte area is in the vicinity of rancher Ted Birdseye, who has lost at least four cows and a guard dog that were confirmed as wolf kills in the Rogue Pack’s home range so far in 2018.

In Sunday’s case, a livestock producer discovered one of his 8-month-old, 550-pound calves dead in private-land grass pasture that morning. An ODFW biologist estimated it had been dead anywhere from 12 to 48 hours, according to an ODFW report.

Extensive feeding was discovered on the hindquarters and internal organs, but the carcass and hide were largely intact, the report states.

Tooth scrapes and bite marks were found on the hind legs and multiple deep bites on the neck, the report states.

Along with other evidence, the biologist concluded the wounds and muscle trauma “are clear signs of predator attack, and the size, number and location of the bite injuries are similar to injuries observed in calves attacked by wolves,” the report states.

OR-7 and his pack will not be subject to lethal removal by ODFW because they are in Western Oregon, where gray wolves are federally protected under the Endangered Species Act.

One other cow was killed on the ranch in November, and one of Birdseye’s guard dogs was killed in a wolf attack in mid-November, according to the ODFW. Four head of cattle killed in October in Klamath County were also attributed to the Rogue Park.

The Rogue Pack’s home range is in eastern Jackson and western Klamath counties, according to the agency.

Other livestock attacks this fall in the Rogue Pack’s home range have been classified as “Possible/Unknown” by the ODFW.

Wolves in Western Oregon are managed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

In past cases, the owner of confirmed livestock losses to the Rogue Pack in Jackson County has been paid $1,000 in compensation through the Jackson County Wolf Compensation Committee.

Oregon Cattlemen Opposed To Gun Control Bill

Fri, 13 Nov 2020 02:22:50 GMT

The Oregon Cattlemen’s Association urges its members to submit testimony in opposition to Oregon Senate Bill 978, an omnibus gun control package, which would require firearms be kept unavailable for self-defense and would expand bun free zones.

In a message sent to members, OCA said SB 978 would:

Allow age discrimination for firearms dealers by allowing them to refuse service to young adults, for no other reason than being under the age of 21 years old.
Place liability on gun owners if a gun is stolen, but not reported, and used t injure a person or property.
Impose a one-size-fits-all for firearm storage and require firearms be made unavailable for self-defense by requiring storage in a locked container or under a trigger lock device and the bill clearly states locked storage does not include a building, room or vehicle.
Make hospitals provide firearm injury data to the state.
Grant local authorities the power to regulate firearm access in public buildings.
End home manufacturing of firearms for lawful, personal use.
Increase the Concealed Handgun license fee.
Make owning a classic hunting rifle or family heirloom without a serial number a felony.

OCA asked its members to write or call Senator Lee Beyer, Senator Arnie Roblan and Senator Peter Courtney opposing SB 978.

Related stories:

Oregon Wolf Management Resolutions Protested by Activist Stakeholders

40,000 Acre Oregon Cattle and Timberland Ranch Listed for $30 Million

Fri, 13 Nov 2020 02:22:43 GMT

An Oregon ranch that includes thousands of acres of pine trees and has the ability to graze up to 700 cows in the summer has been put on the market for $30 million.

The Kinzua Ranch located in Wheeler County near Fossil the property is approximately 40,000 acres of contiguous, deeded land. The ranch is known for its timberland, grazing resources, abundance of water and various wildlife populations. At the current price tag the land would average $750 per acre.

“Kinzua provides exceptional timberland investment opportunities, unprecedented hunting and fishing, and is a low-overhead, well-managed, and highly productive grazing operation offering significant management flexibility because of its overall size and configuration,” says Robb Van Pelt, associate broker for Mason Morse Ranch Company.

The ranch has traditionally been able to handle 600-700 cows with 30 bulls grazing from May 15 to Nov. 1. Strategic logging on the property over the years has helped improve grazing areas. There are several ponds scattered throughout the ranch to support grazing throughout the season, while seasonal streams supply additional water during the early grazing season.

The land on the Kinzua Ranch was formally established in 1909 when lumberman E.D. Wetmore bought the property through land grants signed by President Theodore Roosevelt. Wetmore would later create a logging town called Kinzua in the middle of the property in 1928 where the Kinzua Pine Mills Company was located. The town featured about 125 homes and had a peak population of about 700 residents. Today, the town of Kinzua of is gone after the Eastern Oregon Logging Company purchased the land in 1978 and more than 400,000 Ponderosa Pine were planted on the town site in 1984.

The current timber holdings on the ranch include Ponderosa Pine as the principal species, with lesser stands of Douglas Fir, White Fir, Tamarack, Lodge Pole Pine and Aspen making up the balance.

Improvements on the ranch are fairly limited in terms of buildings. There is one newer hunting cabin and two older cabins located on the ranch, but no other large out buildings for storage. There are three sets of corrals on the ranch and an extensive road network.

The Kinzua Ranch sits at approximately 3,100 to 5,100 feet above sea level with rainfall varying from about 15 inches to 35 inches, depending on elevation. It sits on the Umatilla Columbia Platuea in the lower John Day Basin in the Blue Mountains about 11 miles east of Fossil.

The frost-free days on the ranch average 60 to 80 days annually, depending on elevation. In the summer months, the average temperatures are 77-87°F degrees and in the winter months, the average temperatures are 42-56°F degrees. Wildlife on the ranch includes elk, deer, bear, blue and ruffed grouse, waterfowl, quail and turkeys.

The ranch was previously for sale in 2017 and had been listed for $28 million at that time . The similarly sized Antone Ranch in Wheeler County, Oregon recently sold after being listed for $55 million by Mason Morse Ranch Company .

Coyote-Hunting, Strip Clubs Are Free Speech In Oregon

Fri, 13 Nov 2020 02:22:43 GMT

BLM Now Hopes Hammond’s Cattle Can Reduce Fire Risk

Fri, 13 Nov 2020 02:22:32 GMT

Learning From The Hammond’s Federal Land Saga

Algae Outbreak Kills 32 Cattle in Oregon

Fri, 13 Nov 2020 02:20:43 GMT

A blue-green algae outbreak in an Oregon reservoir has killed 32 cattle.

The outbreak began about a month ago on KV Bar Ranch, the Capital Press reported . Concern rose when ranchers started seeing cattle with blue legs, ranch owner John Shine said.

“We had a reservoir that cattle have been drinking out of for 60 years, and never had a problem. Then this breeze comes from the north and carried this layer of scum 3 to 4 feet from the edge and that’s what they were drinking,” he said. “We thought it was poison at first. We didn’t know what it was.”

Theo Dreher, a microbiology professor at Oregon State University, said it’s rather unusual to lose 32 cattle in “one hit.”

“It’s probably not infrequent in cases of ranch land cattle where a few stock die, but this is pretty exceptional, and points out the danger that does exist when you get one of these blooms,” Dreher said.

Blue-green algae are bacteria that occur naturally in many fresh and still waters. The toxin can affect both animals and people.

Officials suspect the bloom formed because of Oregon’s increased rainwater this winter and spring after several years of drought.

Losing 32 cattle “is relatively devastating” for producers, said Pete Schreder, an OSU Extension livestock agent. Death can come up to 72 hours after initial exposure.

“There is no treatment available,” said Rod Ferry, a veterinarian at Lakeview Animal Hospital.

This is the first reported case of blue-green algae in Lake County, according to Schreder and Ferry.

USDA Suspends Rural Oregon Slaughterhouse

Fri, 13 Nov 2020 02:19:02 GMT

The U.S. Department of Agriculture announced that it has temporarily shut down a slaughterhouse in rural Oregon for inhumane slaughtering practices.

Bartels Packing suspended operations effective Oct. 27 and will remain closed while the agency investigates, USDA Food and Safety Inspection Service spokeswoman Maria Machuca told The Register-Guard .

According to a federal investigation, the Lane County slaughterhouse failed to properly stun cattle, a procedure meant to immediately render the animals unconscious before slaughtering them. Workers routinely failed to knock out livestock with the first shot from a hand-held bolt gun and were having to shoot cows with a second blow, according to a letter sent to the business by the Food Safety and Inspection Service in September.

The Federal Meat Inspection Act gives the agency the authority to temporarily suspend operations at slaughtering businesses if it fails to follow humane slaughtering rules.

Machuca said she is not sure how long the investigation will take.

Chris Bartels, the company’s president, said Wednesday that his business is making changes to its slaughtering methods and hopes to reopen by Nov. 14.

Bartels said the company is implementing designs recommended by animal sciences professor Dr. Temple Grandin to keep cows calm during the slaughtering process. He said the company has contracted with a company to building the systems, including curved cattle chutes that encourage the natural behavior of cattle.

Bartels said his business has notified customers that it will shut down while modifying its system. The packing plant employs 50 people.

Oregon Cattlemen's: A Much Needed Conversation

Fri, 13 Nov 2020 02:15:28 GMT

After months of stress, confusion and heartache, the refuge takeover appears to have ended. The Oregon Cattlemen’s Association has repeatedly made clear that it does not endorse illegal activity against the government. That being said, Oregon Cattlemen’s Association does believe it is important that a proper conversation is started between ranchers and government stakeholders to address some of the problems that have been brought to light.

The association is thankful that the occupation has ended without further loss of life. “We are glad that the standoff was concluded without further bloodshed,” John O’Keeffe, president of the association, said. “We are hopeful the community of Burns will be able to start to heal.”

Jerome Rosa, executive director of the association, said he feels the situation in Burns has brought exposure to the issue of government overreach. “OCA has continued discussions on a legislative level and is working with legal counsel regarding the unjust sentencing recently handed out to Dwight and Steven Hammond.”

He believes that now is the time for a discussion to take place between all involved stakeholders. “Sincere and constructive conversations between government agencies and Oregon Cattlemen’s Association will continue.”

O’Keeffe emphasized the association wants issues to be approached in “a productive and peaceful way.” He believes that is the best way to help mend the urban-rural divide.

The association is confident that positive change can occur. Rosa pointed out that the Oregon Cattlemen’s Association has “a positive history working with government agencies on both a state and federal level. These trusted relationships are what will allow positive and productive change to occur.”

The Oregon Cattlemen’s Association was founded in 1913 and works to promote environmentally and socially sound industry practices, improve and strengthen the economics of the industry, and protect its industry communities and private property rights.

Source: Oregon Cattlemen’s Association

Bill Gives Rancher's Hope for Wolf Compensation

Fri, 13 Nov 2020 02:08:24 GMT

Over the past few years, ranchers have had little hope of being fully compensated for the impact of reintroducing wolves into Oregon. HB3514, a bill that is currently awaiting a hearing from the revenue committee, could help change that.

HB3514 is a bill that, “expands credit to include cost of nonlethal actions undertaken by tax payer to minimize conflict between wolves and livestock or working dogs and compensation for above-normal loss to livestock attributed to wolf depredation.”

Rancher George Rollins from Halfway, Oregon said the impact of wolves on his cattle is twofold. He said there is an economic impact from losing calves and seeing cows unable to reproduce due to stress, but that is not all. “There is an emotional impact when we turn out cattle and have to wonder which animals will return,” Rollins said.

While the passing of HB3514 won’t help prevent wolf attacks on livestock, it would help ranchers with their financial loss. Rollins said the passing of HB3514 “would show that the legislature appreciates our situation and the effort we have made to adhere to the rules.”

Rancher Sharon Beck from Union County said the bill would not fix the problem, but could be of help. “The bill would provide a Band-Aid for some, but will be like trying to put a tourniquet on a sucking chest wound to others. Non-lethal actions prove to be mostly ineffective in most cases, but if and when they are effective, there certainly should be a tax credit for those who choose to apply them,” said Beck.

It may be that some see rancher’s problems with wolves killing livestock as a minor issue because they do not fully understand the situation. Rollins said he wishes Oregonians could see just how much ranchers care about the environment. “We are in the environment every day, not just on weekends or holidays,” he said. “We are good stewards of the land and our livestock.”

Beck agrees that ranchers dispute with wolves killing their livestock is not properly understood. “People want wolves saved, but they don’t realize what that means. The burden we suffer from livestock lost to wolves should not be endured alone,” said Beck.

As Oregon ranchers continue to abide by the Oregon Wolf Plan and all that it has laid out for the future, HB3514 could help ease the impact of losses they are experiencing. For Rollins, passing this bill would provide a glimmer of hope for the future. “We just want fair and just treatment under the law.”

Source: Oregon Cattlemen’s Association

The Oregon Cattlemen’s Association was founded in 1913 and works to promote environmentally and socially sound industry practices, improve and strengthen the economics of the industry, and protect its industry communities and private property rights.