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By Caleb Hampton, California Farm Bureau Federation's Ag Alert
Farmers and ranchers gathered at the state Capitol in Sacramento last week to advocate on policies impacting agriculture, from groundwater management to wildfires to technology.
As they met with lawmakers and staff during the annual Capital Ag Conference, which marks the start of the legislative year, the delegation of California Farm Bureau members focused particular energy on trying to rescue a program that provides financial compensation to ranchers whose livestock are impacted by wolves.
In 2021, the state budget allocated $3 million to the California Department of Fish and Wildlife for a Wolf-Livestock Compensation Program. But amid the historic state budget deficit, money ran out for the pilot program, which was created to soften the economic damages of wolves attacking and killing livestock or causing stress that results in weight loss and lower pregnancy rates.
“Having this funding is crucial,” Taylor Hagata, a Lassen County rancher and Farm Bureau board member, said in a meeting with Assembly Member Mike Fong, D-Alhambra. Farmers asked lawmakers to approve another $3 million to continue the compensation program through this year....
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