From the Fields: Loren Poncia, Marin County rancher

By Loren Poncia
Marin County rancher

Prices are extraordinarily high—record book prices—for cattle and for sheep, so that’s a good thing. In March, it looked like it was going to be a dry year and we were going to have an end to the season. But we got 4 inches of rain in April, which is going to extend the season out to June. We were thinking that it was going to be really bad, but the timing was right, and we got some nice rain. 

It’s going to be a good grass season. Basically, the first rain is the most important, and the last rain is the most important. So, we want rain in October, and we want rain in May or close to May. And we’ve had a wet April, so we are probably going to have green grass up until the end of June. 

The cattle market has never been this high, so that’s good for ranchers. I’m a rancher, but I’m also a meat company, so we buy a lot of cattle, and it’s hard for consumers and meat companies. But we’re double-dipping. We have high-priced cattle and high-priced meat right now. Traditionally, it’s a good thing when we raise the cattle and we market the cattle because most ranchers are price takers, and we can build in our margin on the meat. But it’s hard when the price of cattle is so high to sell meat at a good margin, so we’re struggling on the meat side, and we’re doing good on the cattle side. 

Capital is high. The interest rates on operating loans are high compared to five years ago. The cost of doing business in California is extremely high. It’s affecting our bottom line. We have about 20 employees between the meat company and the ranching company. We’re trying to be as efficient as possible with labor and trying to do everything with the people that we have.

In this edition…

• View full issue
• Groundwater law begins reshaping valley
• Warm, dry start of spring sparks fire season concerns
• Cultivate the future through agricultural education
• Recognize signs of distress and when help is needed
• From the Fields: Jeff Colombini, San Joaquin County cherry and apple grower
• From the Fields: Stuart Mast, Calaveras County vintner
• From the Fields: Loren Poncia, Marin County rancher
• From the Fields: Ron Macedo, Stanislaus County agritourism operator
• Hot temps, new varieties boost strawberry volumes
• Young farmers talk policies during Capitol advocacy visit
• Drought, water restrictions drive innovation in tech
• USDA announces $9 million for cling peach tree removal
• Advocacy in Action: Farm Bureau tracks labor bills, applauds Farm Bill House passage