A leader in California’s cattle industry recently told Congress it should use the 2023 Farm Bill to strengthen tools like grazing, prescribed fire and timber thinning to reduce the threat of wildfire in forests.

Dave Daley, a leader in the California Cattlemen’s Association, Public Lands Council and National Cattlemen’s Beef Association, made the remarks during a House Natural Resources Committee field hearing.

“In the wake of historic wildfire seasons in recent years, even this state has taken note of the value livestock bring to wildfire resilience,” Daley told lawmakers. “Wildfire resilience practices such as livestock grazing work, and confronted with the very real threat of worsening wildfire conditions, there ought to be bipartisan consensus endorsing these effective tools.”

Daley urged the federal government to look holistically at land management and recognize that livestock grazing is an important tool for reducing the risk of catastrophic wildfires.

At least 19 fires were burning in Northern California’s Klamath National Forest as of late last week.

Source: California Cattlemen’s Association