Ranching in the Sierra Foothills

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

I've been fortunate to have the opportunity to get a fair bit of formal education - from my undergraduate days at UC Davis studying agricultural economics to the online coursework I took while obtaining my master's degree at Colorado State University.

When we were in the targeted grazing business, I always marveled that many landowners and land managers didn't start thinking about managing their fuel loads until the grasses and other fine fuels really started growing in April.

One of the things I enjoy most about cooperative extension is the opportunity to organize hands-on learning activities.

When we started in the commercial sheep business over 15 years ago, we knew we wanted to use livestock guardian dogs (LGDs) to protect our sheep from predators.