Ranching in the Sierra Foothills

Over the last three days, we've had a stark reminder about our vulnerability to wildfire and public safety power shutoffs here in the Sierra foothills.

Like everything and everyone else in 2020, our local fairs are adapting to the changes necessitated by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Can any of us remember a summer like this?! The work of ranching continues - irrigating pasture, checking livestock, preparing for calving or breeding season. And yet the COVID-19 pandemic casts a pall over everything we're doing.

For many ranchers in the Sierra foothills and Sacramento Valley, irrigated pasture is a critical component of our annual forage calendar.

Note: A version of this article originally appeared in the July 2020 edition of my New Foothill Rancher newsletter.