On Becoming a Past President

Photo: K. Schiller

Seventy-seven years ago, in the midst of the Second World War, the U.S. Navy took over the Palace Hotel in San Francisco. In the 160-year history of the California Wool Growers Association, 1943 was the only year we were unable to hold our annual membership meeting – a remarkable record! The President at the time, J. Kenneth Sexton of Oakdale, served an extra year.

Over the last two days, our members and board of directors came together virtually to conduct the business of the organization. Video conferencing, obviously, wasn't around in 1943. And while we all decided that we much preferred meeting in person, we also agreed that meeting virtually was much better than not meeting at all.

Yesterday, I completed my two-year term as President, joining the ranks of past leaders. And while I've mostly enjoyed my time as an officer, these last six months have been a struggle. I'm looking forward to taking a step back, knowing that our organization is in good hands.

This morning, I looked back at the first President's Message I wrote for the CWGA newsletter. I ended with this paragraph:

“Shepherd” is a word that I particularly like. The primary definition is probably obvious to all of us, I’m sure! The second definition on www.dictionary.com is equally pertinent – “a person who protects, guides, or watches over a person or group of people.” For the leadership of the California Wool Growers Association, we add this second meaning to our primary responsibilities. While we face many challenges in 21^st Century California, I’m confident in our tenacity, unity and enthusiasm as an organization.  We’ll need the foresight and energy of our founders – and the effectiveness and communication tools of our youngest members! I’m tremendously excited about these next two years. I’m humbled that my colleagues have confidence in my abilities to help “shepherd” our organization.

Little did I know that the challenges we'd face as an industry - and as a society - would be unprecedented!

And so I thought I would share my last President's Message - delivered to our membership during yesterday's meeting.

Over the last several weeks, as I’ve been working on my last report to you as President, I’ve struggled to strike a positive tone. I think all of us who raise livestock are optimists by nature – turning the rams in with the ewes each year requires a faith in the future – but at least for me, these last 6 months have been really difficult, on many levels.

For me at least, many of the reasons that I find it difficult to be optimistic are beyond my personal control – the pandemic, the lamb market, the wool market – each of these challenges has been overwhelming at times. Like it doesn’t really matter what I do, or what we as an organization do.

But when I think about the things I can control in my own business and within my own family, I find my natural optimism returns. When I see my daughters carrying the experiences that they had growing up around a sheep business (even a small one like mine), I’m reassured about our future. My oldest worked as a range tech at the US Sheep Experiment Station in Dubois this summer; my youngest, a senior in high school, will be showing her last fair lamb (virtually, at least) in a couple of weeks.

And when I think about things we as the members and leaders of the California Wool Growers Association can control, my outlook brightens further. I start with the mission statement we adopted several years ago in Minden:

Our mission is to deliver lasting value to support all segments of the California sheep industry.

I want to break this down a bit further – because I find both cause for optimism and a challenge for our organization moving forward.

First, we talk about lasting value. To me, that means that we’re in this for the long haul. I joke with my cattle ranching friends that the California Wool Growers Association predates the establishment of the California Cattlemen’s Association by more than 50 years! This is our 160^th annual convention – think about that! Our organization has spanned the Civil War, two world wars, the Great Depression – and several pandemics, including two major ones!

How have we lasted this long? We’ve adapted. That’s the thing about sheep – and sheep producers – I think. We’re adaptable. When I see multi-generational operations make the shift from a conventional production model to getting paid to graze, I’m amazed. When I see producers using new technology to make labor more efficient, I’m encouraged. When I see our Ram Sale Committee put an online sale together in less than four weeks – and see our ram consignors and buyers step up and support this new format – AND our organization, I’m incredibly grateful. Our ability to adapt makes me hopeful about our future.

But our mission statement also suggests that we need to support ALL segments of the industry. I’m humbled that while this organization has largely represented the interests of large scale producers, you elected someone who operates a small-scale, part-time sheep business to serve as President. And while I firmly believe that our focus on the issues critical to our larger scale members benefits all of us, I also believe we must acknowledge the value of smaller scale – and in many cases, new – producers.

As some of you know, over the last 8-10 years, Roger Ingram and I have taught a variety of hands-on workshops for new and aspiring sheep producers here in the Sierra foothills. In that time, we’ve worked with literally hundreds of people who are enthusiastic about our industry. Now most of these folks still have very small operations, but a handful have grown viable businesses. We need to do a better job of welcoming all of these folks into our industry and our organization. If we take these folks seriously, they can help our industry move forward. If we blow them off as hobbyists or “backyard folks” who don’t understand the challenges faced by full-time operations, we’re losing a huge opportunity to expand our base and increase our effectiveness. We small producers need viable, large scale commercial production in California, absolutely; we also need enthusiastic newcomers, most of whom will start small. We can’t afford to turn these newcomers away.

Finally, I believe that the entire industry benefits when ALL segments are healthy and profitable. This includes not only the large scale and small operations I’ve just discussed; it includes seedstock producers here and in other states. It includes fiber flocks and sheep shearers and large animal veterinarians. And it includes our partners further down the production chain – processors, distributors, and retailers. These challenging times, at least for me, have emphasized that we are all interconnected.

So why is now a good time to be in the sheep business in California? Why should we be optimistic as business owners?! Here’s what comes to mind for me:

• The targeted grazing business is exploding in California – and we have urban folks who can’t get enough of what we do! Ten years ago, did any of us think we’d have allies in Oakland and Berkeley, in Simi Valley and San Rafael!?

• California is home to the largest lamb packer in the nation – and Superior has been able to ramp up production during the pandemic, when other processors were closing down. I know our relationship with Superior is complicated, but we are so fortunate to have them as a partner here in our own state.

• Our market potential is tremendous – between the wealth of places like Silicon Valley and a growing West Coast population that loves lamb, we’re in a perfect location!

• We produce more wool in CA than in any other state in the country – and wool is cool, again! All you have to do is check out the REI catalog or join the Fibershed Facebook page!

• Finally, California is home to some of the top agricultural universities in the world – and there’s renewed interest in doing sheep research! I am excited about this both as a scientist and as a producer.

 How can we NOT be optimistic?!

 Don’t get me wrong – we have hard work ahead of us. Change is never easy. Some of us will need to change our business models to meet these new opportunities. When I look at the faces on my screen today (my own included), I know that many of us need to start thinking about generational transfer – who comes after us in our businesses? In this organization? How can we encourage new producers to take the chances that many of us have taken to build our businesses? How can we support these new folks? How can we get them engaged in our organization? To me, these are the pressing challenges – and greatest opportunities before our industry and our association.

I want to thank our sponsors and auction donors for making this year’s convention possible – you’ve seen their names in my background all weekend! I also want to thank both of the executive directors I’ve had the privilege to work with. I know we all appreciate Erica Sanko’s work on our behalf. Thank you, Jay, for stepping up during these challenging times.

Thank you to my family and to my ranching partner Roger Ingram for covering things at home while I focused on California Wool Growers business. You made it possible for me to spend time away!

Thank you to our committee members and committee chairs who have put in so much volunteer time over the last two years.

I most want to thank the members of the Executive Board – Ryan Indart, Andree Soares, and Ed Anchordoguy. These last two years have definitely been a team effort – thank you for always stepping up, and always taking my call! And finally, I want to thank you, the members of the California Wool Growers Association, for giving this first-generation sheep producer an opportunity to serve as President. Thank you.

Best of luck to our new officers, too - Ed Anchordoguy, President; Andree Soares, Vice President; and Phil Esnos, Treasurer. I know you all to be outstanding leaders! Now I think I'll go take a nap!

The Cost of Coexistence

If you've read my blog previously, you probably know that we try to use nonlethal livestock protection tools in our sheep operation. You probably also know that I'm studying the interactions between livestock guardian dogs and wildlife in our foothill environment. Using game cameras set up around the perimeter of our sheep paddocks, I'm trying to document the kinds of wildlife (especially predators) that our dogs might encounter. Using self-built GPS collars, I'm also tracking the positions of the dogs in relationship to the animals captured in the cameras. In the coming weeks, I'm hoping to add a digital, voice-activated audio recorder to this set up - I know the dogs are barking in response to predators, but I'd like to know if they differentiate between threatening and non-threatening wildlife.

All of this is a long-winded introduction to an idea that's been percolating in my sheepherder/researcher brain. Some time ago I posted on social media several of the more interesting trail camera photos (we "caught" coyotes, raccoons, skunks and a red tail hawk). A friend asked me if the coyote was still living. I had to admit that I'm not a very good shot - beyond that, I described my research project, as well as the fact that the sheep are currently in a location that makes lethal control difficult. His response (as much tongue-in-cheek as mine had been) was, "Lucky coyote."

But as I thought more about our humorous exchange, I began to realize that maybe this particular coyote was lucky. Our livestock guardian dogs protect our sheep, certainly; they also protect the predators in our environment. Based on my observations (and the photos I'm getting with the trail cameras), we have predators like coyotes and foxes (I have yet to get a photo of a mountain lion or black bear, but I suspect we have these, too) in close proximity to our sheep. And yet because of the dogs and electric fences, these carnivores are not eating lamb or mutton. Because of our dogs and electric fences, we're avoiding conflicts with wildlife.

Obviously, our society values wildlife. Californians have voted to protect mountain lions from hunting. Gray wolves, who appear to be expanding their range in the Sierra, are protected by the state and federal endangered species acts. Few of us, however, must live directly with the consequences of this protection. While I'll absolutely admit that I get a thrill whenever I see wildlife (including predators), I'll also admit to feeling a deep sense of responsibility to the sheep I raise. My sheep depend upon me for protection. To a certain extent, these predators do as well.

I'm not unique among my sheep-raising colleagues in the foothills (or indeed, throughout the West). Many of us use livestock guardian dogs or other guardian animals. Most of us (myself included) use guardian animals to avoid the economic impacts of predation - after all, every lamb killed by a coyote represents a financial loss. Even ranchers who use lethal control often use nonlethal methods as well. Like most ranchers, I raise sheep both as a business and as an avocation - I love working outdoors with livestock. I love grazing my sheep on foothill rangeland. For me to be able to continue to do what I love (even on a part-time basis), the sheep business has to turn a profit.

Consequently, my decisions about how to protect my sheep from predators are based largely on economics. One of the challenges in analyzing livestock protection tools from an economic perspective is to compare the costs with the benefits. The cost side of this equation is easy. I know that each livestock guardian dog costs me $600-800 per year in dog food and veterinary care. I know that about half of the puppies we start won't end up working in our system. I know that I'll spend about $1,500 on purchasing and raising a puppy to working age (around two years old). And I know that I'll hopefully get 6-8 years of service from a puppy that makes the transition to working adult.

What I don't know - what I can't possibly know - is how many lambs a particular dog saves from predation each year. I can't measure something that doesn't happen. I sleep better at night knowing my sheep are protected by a vigilant dog; I haven't been able to attach a specific dollar figure to my peace of mind.

As I think about the wildlife we're protecting by using dogs, the economic analysis is similarly challenging. What is a coyote or mountain lion worth to someone who values these animals in the environment?

In academic terms, I suppose we are providing an ecosystem service by using livestock guardian dogs. Our use of dogs, by reducing conflict between sheep and predators, protects both. The "lucky" coyote I caught with my game camera gets to live on the ranch we lease because our dogs and our fences keep him from killing sheep. Despite this service, we don't get any more money for our lambs. There is no premium paid for our efforts to coexist. If coexistence is truly important to us all, perhaps there should be.

The Glamorous Life of the Sheep Farmer

What a day! After stopping on our way to the ranch to buy goat's milk and lamb milk replacer for the bottle lambs, we proceeded to get the truck stuck in the mud at the Lincoln ranch. We processed the 12 new lambs (which means we put ear tags on them, docked their tails, gave them a selenium supplement and dipped their umbilical cords in betadine) and gave the flock some fresh feed. The first tow truck that showed up to pull our pick-up out was too heavy, so we walked a mile in the rain to move another set of sheep on the north side of the ranch. By the time the truck was out and we were done, we were all soaked. Thankfully, our intern Courtney and our daughters Lara and Emma were all good humored about the entire ordeal.

As I mentioned yesterday, lambing in weather like this always makes me nervous. As usual, my nervousness proved to be unfounded, for the most part. We've tried to select ewes who take good care of their babies, and all of yesterday's lambs made it through the storm just fine.

The glamorous part of this job is the muck and mud associated with being outside in this kind of weather. Even with the best rain gear, it's tough not to get soaked. I enjoy being outside in all kinds of weather, partly because it feels so good to get warm again once I'm back inside.

We hope you're all enjoying the wet weather - we sure need it! However, I wouldn't mind a little sunshine now and then over the next several days!