2017 Crop and Livestock Report

Tuolumne County Crop and Livestock Report 2017 Release point of cattle, where timber operations are ongoing in our multi-use forest Cattle drive down a logging road to release point. In the holding pen, cows and calves mothering up. Description of Cover Photos All photos courtesy of Terri Arington. Unloading Gaiser cattle at the OK coral. Leaving Gaiser Ranch loaded for the journey Belling to the summer grazing Gaiser cows allotment. Cattle “ Loadin up” , Cattle being gathered belled and for summer range. ready to go. 2017 Annual Crop and Livestock Report Feature Story High Sierra Summer Cattle Range: Cultural Heritage and Economic Necessity Cattle grazing has a long and important history in California, particularly in the Sierra’s. Beginning in the late eighteenth century grazing was the predominant agricultural and economic activity in the Spanish and later Mexican periods of the State’s history. The Spaniards and Mexicans, however, remained in the coastal lowlands and valleys and did not populate the Sierra Nevada. With the discovery of gold, the ced- ing of California to the United States and statehood, American immigrants rapidly populated the gold- bearing foothills of the Sierras. Within a short time they were penetrating the higher elevations of the range in search of wood, water and other resources to supply the mines. Forage for the herds that provided meat for the mining towns among these resources. In the 1860s, cattlemen and shepherds established summer ranges for themselves on most of the useable meadowland for the high Sierra. On the western slope of the Sierra, livestock required winter feed, spring range, summer range and fall pasture. The high Sierra meadowlands are ideally suited for summer range, while the mild winter climate in the lower foothills is best for winter-feeding. A seasonal herding strategy developed – cattlemen and shepherds moved their animals uphill, following the melting snow and the coming spring, and then down- hill in the fall, ahead of the returning snow. Much of this grazing use, especially by sheepherders, was unregulated and many thought more destructive than productive. Tuolumne County tried to step in and brief- ly banned sheep from grazing on public lands within the county in 1896, but attempts to enforce the law failed. Unregulated grazing was a major impetus behind establishing the West’s Forest Reserves. Congress want- ed grazing regulated and the main job of early Forest Reserve rangers was to actively seek compliance with the 1891 General Land Law Revision Act. The Stanislaus Forest Preserve was created on February 22, 1897. Later in 1897, the General Land Office outlawed sheep and goats except in specified areas but allowed cattle grazing on forest reserves. Grazing regulation transitioned to the Stanislaus National Forest under the Forest Service in 1905. However, cattle use continued as open-range until 1916 when Stanislaus created grazing allotments and issued permits to those authorized to graze. It was not until 1934 that the Taylor Grazing Act ended open-range herding on all national forests. Cattle grazing operations have changed somewhat over the years. In the early days, the cattle were herded over public roads from the lowlands to the high meadows. Today, this annual pattern (transhumance) re- mains as they are transported the major portion of the distance in trucks. But beyond the end of the road their operations are much the same as they were before the turn of the 20th century. Base camps are established as cattle are brought to the high country each season, moved from meadow to meadow throughout the summer and driven out in the fall. Today, cattle and calve production is the bedrock of Tuolumne County agriculture, sustaining ranching families, feeding the local economy, and preserving open spaces for grass, trees, and wildlife. High country management practices have changed over the years and continue to evolve to assure that stocking levels do not impact water quality, soil stability, and environmentally sensitive areas. Currently, 28 grazing allotments encompassing over 809,000 acres exist on the Stanislaus National Forest and are permitted to 18 cattle ranching families. Approximately, 85,000 of those acres are considered “capable and suitable” for grazing purposes with those grazing areas being capable of producing 400 pounds of forage per acre, within one mile of water, and on less than 35% slope. The bulk of these allotments are situated within Tuolumne County and total over 607,000 acres of which 70,000 acres are “capable and suitable” for grazing. Each allotment’s permit is individually managed for the dates grazed, number of cattle allowed, and movement within the allotment to prevent negative impacts on natural resources. Grazing periods generally begin in May and end by September 30th but are totally dependent on snow levels at the beginning of the period and the onset of winter at the end. The number of permitted cow calf pairs for Tuolumne County is just under 4,000 but actual stocking levels vary from year to year dependent on weather and rotational resting of allotments. Of particular note within Tuolumne County are the Cooper Cabins and Cooper Meadow Cow Camp, which has served as a base camp for cattlemen and been in continuous use since 1865. The two Cooper Cabins, built in 1865 and 1875 by WF Cooper, are listed in the Department of Interior’s National Register of Historic Places. From 1900-1909, Agricultural Commissioner Gary Stockel’s Great Great Uncles Hen- ry and Clemence Stockel used these cabins while they ran cattle on the Cooper Meadow range. Since 1913, the Sanguinetti cattle ranching family, currently managed by Lynn Sanguinetti, has operated the Cooper Meadow grazing allotment. Lynn occupies the 1875 cabin during the summer grazing period. Throughout this year’s annual report you’ll be treated to many photographs depicting our cattle ranching industry and its utilization of Tuolumne County’s high Sierra summer range. Unless otherwise noted, these photos are courtesy of Terri Arington and were taken while helping the Gaiser Cattle Company, a long- time grazing allotment permit holder, and others run cattle from their foothill ranches into the High Sier- ras. This article is largely sourced from the Cooper Cabin National Register of Historic Places Registration Form and dedicated to Tuolumne County cattleman Bill Gaiser (1946-2017). (Photos left to right: Gary Stockel and Lynn Sanguinetti at Cooper Cabin (Stockel photo), the Cooper Cabins (Stockel photo), Dick and Bill Gaiser branding cattle prior to movement to the high country) County of Tuolumne Gary W Stockel Agricultural Commissioner • Weights & Measures Agricultural Commissioner Animal Control • Air Pollution Control Director of Weights & Measures 2 South Green Street, Sonora, CA 95370 Director of Animal Control Phone: 209-533-5691 Fax: 209-533-5520 Air Pollution Control Officer To: Karen Ross, Secretary California Department of Food and Agriculture The Honorable Board of Supervisors, County of Tuolumne John L. Gray, Chairperson, Fourth District Sherri Brennan, First District Randy Hanvelt, Second District Evan Royce, Third District Karl Rodefer, Fifth District Craig L. Pedro, County Administrative Officer I am pleased to submit, in accordance with Section 2279 of the California Food and Agriculture Code, Tuolumne County’s Annual Crop and Livestock Report for 2017. This report provides a statistical description of Tuolumne County’s agricultural production. The figures contained in this report represent gross values of agricultural commodities and do not reflect production costs or net returns to growers. The 2017 value of agricultural commodities produced in Tuolumne County is estimated at $37,610,000. This is a 6.1% increase from last year’s production value of $35,440,000. Overall timber production significantly increased 37.0 % primarily due to a tripling dollar value in tree mortality biomass going to our local co-generation plants. Excluding Timber Harvested, agricultural production valued at $27,012,000 decreased by 2.5% from 2016 values. Price increases in Hay, Irrigated Pasture, and Rangeland all contributed to an overall Field Crops 10.1% value increase. Miscellaneous Fruit and Vegetables increased in value by 34.0%. At $21,528,000, the County’s leading production category Livestock and Poultry decreased by 4.9% from 2016 values. I wish to express my appreciation to the agricultural producers, organizations, and public agencies that have cooperated in providing data for this report. I would also like to express my sincere thanks to the Agricultural Commissioner staff, especially Senior Agricultural Biologist Drew Raymond, who compiled the report. Respectfully submitted, Gary W Stockel Agricultural Commissioner TUOLUMNE COUNTY DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 2017 ANNUAL CROP REPORT TUOLUMNE COUNTY BOARD OF SUPERVISORS JOHN L. GRAY; CHAIRPERSON FOURTH DISTRICT SHERRI BRENNAN FIRST DISTRICT RANDY HANVELT SECOND DISTRICT EVAN ROYCE THIRD DISTRICT KARL RODEFER FIFTH DISTRICT COUNTY ADMINISTRATIVE OFFICER CRAIG PEDRO AGRICULTURAL STAFF GARY W. STOCKEL AGRICULTURAL COMMISSIONER GRETA SHUTLER DEPUTY AGRICULTURAL COMMISSIONER PAUL V. RAINEY SENIOR AGRICULTURAL BIOLOGIST DREW RAYMOND SENIOR AGRICULTURAL BIOLOGIST ROBERTA SHIELDS ADMINISTRATIVE TECHNICIAN RON ANDERSON USDA WILDLIFE SERVICES SPECIALIST FRUIT AND VEGETABLES YEAR ACRES TOTAL TREE AND VINE CROPS 2017 254 $397,000 2016 254 $322,000 VEGETABLE CROPS 2017 15 $320,000 2016 15 $214,000 TOTAL 2017 269 $717,000

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