Ranching in the Sierra Foothills

Note: This article first appeared in the October 2018 issue of The New Foothill Rancher and The New Ranch Update newsletters.

My friend Ryan Mahoney, who manages Emigh Livestock near Dixon, California, has embraced a variety of new ranching technologies.

Introduction Electronic identification (EID) systems for livestock provide a number of potential advantages for producers, and new technology is making these systems more affordable.

As a (relatively) new livestock and natural resources farm advisor, I'm fortunate to have known and worked with my predecessors (Roger Ingram in Placer-Nevada and Glenn Nader in Sutter-Yuba). I'm also fortunate to be working in a region where I've lived for most of my life.

Earlier this week, we started to see some signs that some of our feeder and replacement ewe lambs where infected by barber pole worms, a parasitic stomach worm fairly common in sheep that are grazing on irrigated pasture during the summer months.