Spring 2007 Newsletter - The California Rangeland Trust

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Director’s Message DIRECTOR’S MESSAGE BACK AT THE RANCH BY DARRELL WOOD. CHAIRMAN Our family started in the cattle business back in 1865 in Lassen County. We are still ranching here today and when I look out at the land my ancestors worked I see the influence of their management all around me. The best part of this is now my children can look around and see the same thing. My son Ramsey and daughter Dallice are 6th generation ranchers in this part of the county. Some things have changed here at the ranch since back then but many things remain the same. We run in similar country as we did in the mid 1800’s and we fortunately still own some of the same land. The differences now are that we ship cattle to annual grass country in the Sacramento Valley and therefore do not winter cattle up north anymore. In the past, genetics were not a factor that my ancestors looked at closely. They typically looked for bulls that were nearby for ease of transportation or they would simply keep back the biggest bull calf and use him. Simply getting calves on the ground was the main objective. Our operation today is very focused on our genetic program and the careful selection of those animals that will meet our family’s and the consumer’s standards for quality. Currently we select bulls with higher than average scores in traits such as marbling, rib-eye size and early maturing cattle. With our grass-fed beef business we need to focus on the traits that will maximize our resources and the time it takes to finish cattle on a strictly grass based diet. I get a little teary eyed when I think about the first time each of my kids told me they wanted to come back to the ranch after college. Ramsey was a junior in college at Cal Poly in San Luis Obispo and he called and said he wanted to come home and be a partner in the family business. Dallice went to Chico State and during an internship with a prominent pharmaceutical company she said in no uncertain terms that she wanted to come back too! I think if our ancestors were here to see where we have come and see where my children want to take us, they would be tremendously pleased. My children look at the land and see the stewardship our forefathers gave it and they want to continue those practices. Recently, our family was fortunate enough to buy another place close by and now my son and daughter are working with my wife and I to fix it up. We hope to manage it in the same ways that have been passed down to us. Our kids have taken a keen interest in our grass-fed beef program and they want to work to take it to the next level. Having these discussions with my children, there are not words to describe how it feels to have them come home. My wife, Callie, and I look at what our kids are doing and think ‘this is a dream come true’. A mother and father always want their kids to come home but we never wanted to push them. We are proud to see our children grow up with a strong work ethic, they are able to finish a project they started. Ramsey and Dallice have helped us build this business and so they have a sense of pride and ownership in its future. I do not think that people have to own a ranch or have kids to bring back to the ranch to support what the California Rangeland Trust is doing. I was attracted to the easements and the Rangeland Trust’s concept because I have always been worried about the future of ranching and our families. It is one thing to protect a ranch for a family presently ranching, but it is another thing to protect it for the ranching families of the future. I want to preserve this opportunity for others as well. Conservation easements are a viable tool to help our industry stay strong and growing. The California Rangeland Trust has the unique opportunity to help preserve California by keeping our private land owners on the land so they maintain their stewardship responsibilities for the next generation and the general public. I am so proud to be a part of CRT in a leadership role. I look forward to watching us grow and see ranchers stay profitable down the line to see their next generation and potentially someone else’s succeed. There are many indirect benefits to our state from the conservation of private rangelands. Protecting these environments ensures clean water, the maintenance of rangeland resources, intact wildlife corridors and allows California to continue to look like the California we grew up in. Keeping ranching families in business and on the land keeps conservation management going and that helps California. As my kids prepare to take our ranching operation to the next level, I look forward to watching them grow into the stewards of the land that my ancestors taught me to be. 2 — CALIFORNIA RANGELAND TRUST
MARK NELSON ELECTED DIRECTOR AT LARGE California Rangeland Trust welcomes new board member Mark Nelson of Wilton. Mark, along with his wife and son, owns Five Star Land & Livestock, an Angus seedstock producer located in Wilton, CA. They have successfully shown Angus cattle on a national and state level. Mark’s ranching and professional background will serve the Rangeland Trust well in a diverse and growing state like California. “I have always had a strong feeling about protecting the ranching industry in California and I am committed to this endeavor. I see the Rangeland Trust as the vehicle for our next generation to succeed their parents in this business and to carry on this way of life,” states Mark. His commitment is evident as he has been the President of California Cattlemen's Association (CCA), the Western States Angus Association and has served as the Chairman of the National Cattlemen's Beef Association Membership Committee. Additionally, Mark has served in various roles with CCA. Mark has been a successful real estate developer completing major residential subdivisions, office parks, retail projects and the Elk Grove Auto Mall. Mark is also a member of the International Council of Shopping Centers. He started the Sacramento Commercial Bank and was Vice Chairman for 12 years. CRT Updates DIRECTOR’S MESSAGE CRT BOARD CHAIRMAN RECEIVES FEDERAL WETLANDS CONSERVATION AWARD Darrell Wood of Pete’s Creek Partnership, one of the founding ranches of Panorama Meats, Inc., the Angus grass-fed beef company based in Vina, Calif., has received one of three 2006 National Wetlands Conservation Awards from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Department of the Interior. Wood received the award for his management of the Pete’s Creek Wetland and Riparian Restoration Project on 1,262 acres of the partnership’s ranch, located in Lassen County just north of Susanville, Calif. This land was also certified as organic grazing land for Panorama Grass-Fed Beef® cattle in July 2006. Wood is a fifth-generation California cattle rancher whose family has been grazing cattle on this land almost continually since the late 1800s. He is President of Panorama Meats, Inc. and is one of 43 family ranchers that raise Panorama Grass-Fed Beef, which is sold at Whole Foods Markets in Northern California, Oregon and Washington, and at 188 Trader Joe’s stores in the Western U.S. More information about Panorama Meats can be found at www.panoramameats.com. CRT DONATES $2,500 TO THREE FUTURE AGRICULTURAL LEADERS The Fresno-Kings Counties Cattlewomen has awarded scholarships to local area students annually for 31 years. This year the Rangeland Trust donated $2,500 to the program which funded three scholarships to worthy students. The three recipients are Brian Fagundes and Julie Rose from Hanford High School and Matthew Dufur from Lemoore High School. The Fresno-Kings Cattlewomen’s Scholarship Chairman, Brooke Prewitt of Sanger said, “all three students have outstanding grade point averages, community involvement and the passion to promote and educate about the issues and values of agriculture. We are tremendously thankful for the Rangeland Trust’s generous donation.” Brian plans to continue his education at Humboldt State studying Natural Resources with an emphasis in Wildlife Management and Conservation Biology. Julie will attend CSU Fresno to major in Agricultural Business with a minor in Agricultural Communications. Matthew plans to become an agronomist, continuing his education at CSU Fresno. From the proceeds at the Trust’s annual fundraising event, “A Western Affair on the River”, held June 3, 2006 at the Harris River Ranch, the Trust was able to provide the funds for the scholarship program to the local Cattlewomen. “Supporting the local ranching community like they support us is the mission of our organization and we are proud to extend this support to the youth,” said Nita Vail, Executive Director of CRT. www.rangelandtrust.org — 3
Page 1: Spring 2007 1221 H STREET SACRAMENT
Page 5 and 6: Conservation News WORKING TOGETHER
Page 7 and 8: CONSERVING THE OPEN SPACE, NATURAL

Spring 2007 Newsletter - The California Rangeland Trust

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