Livestock and Natural Resources

Julie Finzel
Livestock and Natural Resource Advisor
Serving Kern, Tulare and Kings counties
661-868-6219
jafinzel@ucdavis.edu

At the southern end of the San Joaquin Valley sit Kern, Tulare and Kings Counties. The tri-county area encompasses a wide variety of bioregions including hot deserts, forests, mountain meadows, annual grasslands, oak savannahs and salt bush scrub. The variable geography and ecosystems of the area make it a rewarding place to live and raise livestock.
On average, 26% of the land in each of the three counties is considered rangeland. Overall, about 43% of the cattle and calves and 30% of the lamb and sheep produced in the state of California are produced in Kern, Tulare, and Kings Counties.

Current research

Evaluating fecal pathogen shedding in cattle to update risk assessments
California Ranch Stewardship Project which seeks to compile information from ranchers on the lessons they have learned after years of living and working on the land
Measuring vegetation growth and providing drought severity estimates to supplement drought insurance designations

About Julie:

Julie grew up in the L.A. area visiting and working on her family's cattle ranch near Bishop, CA where she developed her interest in ranching and natural resource management. She attended Cal Poly San Luis Obispo where she earned her bachelor's degree in Animal Science with a concentration in Range Management. After spending some time in the work force, Julie went back to school at the University of Idaho where she earned a Master's of Science degree in Rangeland Ecology and Management.

Julie Finzel

Announcements

The CBCIA 2013 "Your Future's at Stake" Tour, Monday, May 13 - Wednesday, May 15. Realize just how much you didn't know about agricultural history on California's Central Coast

Current Topics in Livestock and Range

Actvisit Who Helped Start the Movement Against GMO's Recants His Stance
Posted 2/28/2013 - Recently, I was doing some reading, trying to catch up on a stack of Western Livestock Journals, and I came across an article reporting that Mark Lynas, an early activist who opposed genetically engineered food (commonly known as GM or GMO), has not only...

Americans Believe Food Production Heading in Right Direction
Posted 1/15/2013 - At the link below you will find an article published in the Western Farm Press that summarizes the findings of a newly published survey that asked Americans about their perceptions regarding food and its production in America...

Canada Turns Away Slaughterbound American Horses
Posted 1/2/2013 - In a Western Ag Reporter from October 2012, I saw this article on a recent Canadian ban on the importation of horses bound for slaughter. According to the article, the ban is partly due to impending EU regulations that would require lifetime medication...

Genetically Engineered Organisms
Posted 10/5/2012 - Genetically Engineered (GE) organisms, commonly known as Genetically Modified Organims (GMO), are a hot topic in society today. Below I have provided two peer-reviewed, objective articles, discussing the saftey of GE foods.