Stories from California Cattle Country

A year ago, if you were to ask me about dairy operations I would say well… the cows eat grass and then they make milk.  I was ignorant to the complexity of their formulated diets, the incredible regimented pace of operations and the fact that the dairy cows don’t moo. It’s not that they can’t moo, they just don’t.  The silence is indicative of their contentment. One of the most fascinating parts of my tour of Rib Arrow is that operations are tuned first to cow comfort.  Tyler Riberio employs some impressive technologies to insure cow health and comfort and is about to introduce some more. 

In this episode we first speak with the ranch's current Patriarch, Carver Bowen. Carver was on hand for the round up though he’s a bit too long in the tooth to ride horseback anymore. Sheila coaxed him over to the cattle scale, where we recorded our interviews. Carver is modest and, let’s say, taciturn. A pilot in his younger days, he was an early adopter of using airpower for the purposes of moving cattle more efficiently. 

 We then speak with helicopter Pilot Brian Barret by phone about his unique profession, then 5th generation rancher Cindy Bowen about the history of the Carver Bowen ranch, her brother Jeff about the purpose of this shipping day and close it out with Sheila on the larger meaning of all of this. 

On our recent visit to Rib Arrow Dairy in Tulare, we met up with father and son hoof trimmers Marty and Art DeHaan. The DeHaan's visit Rib Arrow Dairy weekly and attend to about 50 cows per visit providing trims and occasional treatments for other maladies. Dairy cows are quite accustomed to their daily routines but being that trimmings happen only once or twice a year they can be reluctant to willfully participate. This requires the DeHaans to make the process as stress free as possible. 

It's hard to convey the complexity and skillset required in hoof trimming through explanation. It's truly fascinating. So much so that there are multiple YouTube cow trimmer accounts with millions of followers to see trimmers at work. In this episode we speak with Marty and Art DeHaan about their craft and it's evolution.

Every year millions of waterfowl go on a commute of thousands of miles and require respite in natural areas with water and sustenance. California ranches often fulfill such needs and have preserved enough pit stops throughout the Pacific Flyway. In fact, many of the ranchers I’ve met are birders who revel in the return of the waterfowl seasonally, know when to expect their arrival and provide habitat to preserve their travels for years to come. In this visit we visit Roberti Ranch in the Sierra Valley, one of these critical pit-stops for waterfowl and talk to rancher Rick Roberti about his infatuation with his annual wing-ed visitors and with Jill Slocum from the Plumas Audubon Society. 

Here is a link to the checklist of species of birds Kelby Gardiner of the Plumas Audubon Society spotted during our birding tour at Robert Ranch the day we recorded this episode: https://ebird.org/checklist/S106429469.

If you want a glimpse into our travels, we've started an Instagram account @calcattlecountry. 

Today we speak with Dave Daley, a 5th generation cattle rancher in Butte County, professor at CSU Chico and past president of the California Cattlemen’s Association. For more than 30 years, through his involvement with the College of Agriculture at California State University, Chico, Daley has also been influential in the lives of other current and up-and-coming young cattlemen throughout the state. He recently served as the Associate Dean of the College of Agriculture at California State University and was an animal science professor at the University for many years. Today, Daley is still involved with the University through his role as farm administrator for the Paul L. Byrne University Farm. Anyone who knows Dave knows his knack for communicating in an area where communication isn’t necessarily a strong suit. In this episode we address the perception of the cattle industry, common misconceptions and how to get through all the noise.  

Our second episode from Humboldt County at Foggy Bottoms Farm. We spoke with  the "retired" grandpa Larry to learn a little history about the farm. After Larry, we spoke with his grandson, and current owner, Cody about farm operations, the perpetual hustle known as other farm income, the farm's vibrant social media presence and what it's like to be two fabulously gay Jewish farmers.

Stories from California California Cattle Country is produced by California Cattlemen's Foundation and receives support from the California Cattle Council. We've created this podcast to communicate stories of the people and practices from far flung ranches and dairies throughout the state to better connect them with the customers they serve.

On this episode we speak with Lawrence Dwight, a 5th generation rancher from Ferndale, about the benefits and difficulties associated with operating in this unique and remote landscape. Dwight descended from Joseph Russ who came to California from Maine in 1850.  He was among the first of the pioneers to reach the area, establishing prosperous ranching, butchering, shipping, banking and general merchandise enterprises in Humboldt County.

Stories from Cattle Country is as a customer facing podcast telling stories from ranches and dairies and wherever their products land... whether it's a stick of butter, gallon of milk, New York steak or a cheeseburger. In 2008, I ventured from the suburbs of Sacramento into the heart of the city to try a cheeseburger at Formoli's Bistro. In this episode I speak to restaurant owner and chef Aimal Formoli about his iconic whiskey burger, it's impact on their operations and why a simple sandwich, one he never intended to put on the menu, became the menu item he became best known for.

We visited the Red Bluff Bull and Gelding sale at the Tehama County Fairgrounds to learnabout the stock dog trials and auction. In this auction 17 dogs, all border collies, exhibited their cattle herding abilities and went on to auction... with one of the dogs fetching 45 thousand dollars.

We traveled to Auburn CA to talk with Dan Macon, a Livestock and Natural Resources Advisor with the University of California Cooperative Extension about his own livestock operation and his utilization of Livestock Guardian Dogs. We sat down with Dan to learn about the need for these dogs, their training and their viability in livestock operations. We were also fortunate to visit Dan's flock of sheep and meet the two dogs, Elko and Dillon, who spend their lives as an integral part of the heard preventing predation from coyotes, mountain lions, feral dogs and even bears. Livestock Guardian Dogs live with their herd day and night. In fact they often prefer the company of their herd to the company of humans.