Ranching in the Sierra Foothills

IntroductionI grew up in Tuolumne County in the 1970s and 1980s - my family moved to Jamestown when I was just 4 months old. My Little League baseball career began in 1974 or 1975 for a team in Standard (where I attended Curtis Creek Elementary). Our home field was provided by the Pickering Lumber Company -…

 If you've followed Ranching in the Sierra Foothills for very long, you'll know that I've written about livestock guardian dogs (LGDs) frequently. I've owned LGDs for 20 years; I've researched their effectiveness and behavior for nearly 9. As a sheep (and recently, goat) producer in the Sierra foothills…

A Rancher’s Guide to Understanding the Economics of Direct MarketingWhen the live cattle market isn’t at record high levels (as it is currently), direct marketing beef from your ranch seems like an attractive (and profitable!) option. Even during these record prices, most of us remember the difficult years…

My Four-Legged Fuel Reduction Strategy When I took this job as the UC Cooperative Extension Livestock and Natural Resources Advisor for the Central Sierra Multi-County Partnership, I purchased a home on six acres between the Calaveras County communities of Mountain Ranch and Railroad Flat. My home sits…

Since the millennial drought of 2012-2016, I've developed a habit of periodically checking the U.S. Drought Monitor, especially during our normal rainy season.