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CapitalPress.com
March 13, 2015
People & Places
Dean speaks out to keep cattle industry viable
David Daley
fills dual role as
academic, officer of
state cattle group
Western Innovator
David Daley
Age: 57
Occupation: Cattle producer and
interim dean, California State Uni-
versity-Chico College of Agriculture
Capital Press
Organizations: First vice president, California Cattlemen’s Asso-
ciation
CHICO, Calif. — Where
David Daley is concerned,
the student is the teacher.
A cattle producer and in-
terim dean of the College
of Agriculture at California
State University-Chico, Da-
ley considers himself “still a
student” as he works to pre-
serve the long-term viability
of the ranching industry.
He’s learned about the
public image of animal agri-
culture from urban students
who didn’t grow up around
farms, and he’s become na-
tionally known for speaking
out on several high-profile
issues that can be touchy
subjects for ranchers, such as
animal welfare and the use of
antibiotics in livestock.
“I deal a lot with urban
students, and seeing that dis-
connect gave me the chance
to step into that kind of role”
of fostering a better under-
standing about the livestock
industry, said Daley, who is
also first vice president of
the California Cattlemen’s
Association. “I also try to
understand people who have
different viewpoints.”
A 25-year instructor and
researcher at Chico State,
Daley returned to the campus
in 1990 after having been an
undergraduate student here
in the late 1970s. He began
in the beef cattle program,
drawing on his family’s his-
tory of ranching in Butte
County since the 1850s.
Daley runs several hun-
dred mother cows in the roll-
ing hills near Oroville, Calif.,
Website: http://www.csuchico.edu/ag/
Tim Hearden/Capital Press
David Daley, a rancher and interim dean of the California State
University-Chico College of Agriculture, has been a leading voice
on many issues facing the livestock industry in recent years.
and on U.S. Forest Service
land in Plumas County. His
children are involved in the
operation as sixth-generation
ranchers, he said.
Some of Daley’s early re-
search helped lay the ground-
work for animal traceability,
as he worked with Harris
Ranch to use DNA to identify
and track animals to see how
different sires performed in
various range conditions, he
said.
“I think some of the things
we did were forerunners to
the discussions we’re having
now,” he said. “Certainly I
don’t think we solved any-
thing, but we had some good
exploration and dialogue and
increased some understand-
ing in some of these areas.”
Lately, Daley has gained
national attention for his role
in educating the public — and
the industry — about several
thorny issues. In 2012, his
vocal rebuke of animal abuse
caught on an undercover
video at a Central California
slaughterhouse raised some
eyebrows in the meatpacking
industry.
Federal regulators tempo-
rarily shuttered the Central
Valley Meat Co., in Hanford,
Calif., after a video released
by Washington, D.C.-based
Compassion Over Killing,
an animal welfare group,
showed cows that appeared
to be sick or lame being beat-
en, kicked, shot and shocked
in an attempt to get them to
walk to slaughter.
Speaking on behalf of the
National Cattlemen’s Beef
Association, Daley said most
cattlemen adhere to best-ani-
mal-care guidelines and that
industry leaders “firmly be-
lieve that those knowingly
and willingly committing any
abuse to animals should not
be in the business — period.”
What upset some in the
meatpacking industry, he
said, was that he made no
complaints about the propri-
ety of the undercover video
itself. But he said he realized
he had a short window of op-
portunity to get an industry
message across to non-agri-
cultural media and consum-
ers, and he didn’t want to say
anything that appeared to de-
fend the slaughterhouse.
Since then, farm groups
in Washington state and else-
where have given generally
cool receptions to proposed
“ag-gag” bills that would bar
undercover taping at agricul-
tural operations and criminal-
ize harming an operation’s
image. One such law that
passed in Idaho is being chal-
lenged in federal court.
On the issue of antibiotics,
Daley has said the onus is on
livestock producers to show
the public they’re concerned
about the issue and that they
know what they’re doing
when dispensing the drugs to
their animals.
“What I’m really interest-
ed in is our long-term viabil-
ity as cattle producers,” he
said.
Today Daley often meets
with consumer groups and
speaks to the public about
the livestock industry. “It’s
more about pulling together
the pieces and working with
diverse groups (to educate
them) about what we do,” he
said.
He also keeps studying
the issues. One day recent-
ly he attended a rangeland
water quality summit at the
University of California-Da-
vis, gaining more knowledge
about an issue that “has huge
impacts on our business,” he
said.
“I consider myself still a
student,” he said. “I’m still
learning how to resolve a lot
of these issues.”
Daley said he enjoys his
dual role as university dean
and CCA officer, noting that
it gives him plenty of expo-
sure to both the private sec-
tor and academia. “It’s a nice
combination,” he said.
“My problem is I’m inter-
ested in everything,” he said.
“It’s probably fair to call me
a jack of all trades and a mas-
ter of none, but as a producer
I think that’s important. …
You really need to have an
understanding of how it all
fits together.”
ties to agriculture and a related
hands-on activity that reinforc-
es the book. This year’s book is
“The Beeman.”
The kick-off event featured
Carolyn Breece, from the Or-
egon State University Honey
Bee Laboratory, who showed
students equipment and sam-
ple hives. Retired teacher Car-
ol Young read the book for the
students.
The literacy project is an an-
nual volunteer-powered event.
Members of the agricultural
community donate their time
to schools across the state.
The volunteers visit their local
schools and read to students
in kindergarten through fourth
grade. Last year’s literacy proj-
ect — the seventh year — had
nearly 600 volunteers read
to over 18,000 students from
across the state participate.
A related activity, complete-
ly prepared by AITC, follows
the reading. Volunteers share
their knowledge about local ag-
riculture and make a personal
connection to the book. Start
to finish, it takes about 45 min-
utes.
A copy of the book is do-
nated to the classroom after the
reading and each student gets
For the Capital Press
Cowboy
Logic
TOWNER, N.D. — I’ve
been planning a trip to Boston
for a couple of months. Actually,
the invitation was for a meeting
that was supposed to be held in
February, when they got their
first epic blizzard, and it was
rescheduled. I think they’ve had
an epic blizzard every week out
there this winter. It makes me
glad to live somewhere with a
reputation for nice winters —
like North Dakota.
Being gone for a couple of
days when we’re feeding cows
means maintaining good rela-
tions with my wife, who’ll be
feeding cows by herself in my
absence. It also means main-
taining good equipment to make
sure the work goes as smooth as
Ryan Taylor
possible while I’m gone.
Being thoughtful
I guess that’s one of the rea-
sons I bought a pretty modern
loader tractor several years ago.
Knowing that I would occasion-
ally be depending on others —
like my wife and friends and
neighbors who I want to remain
my wife, or friend, or friendly
neighbor after they’ve done me
a favor with chores — I broke
down and bought a tractor with
a comfortable cab, a good heat-
er, a nice radio, front wheel as-
sist to assist it out of any tight
spots, and all the little levers and
knobs and joysticks that make it
as easy to drive as car and as fun
to operate as a video game.
Really, that’s the only reason
I bought it. It wasn’t for me. It
was for them. If I get any joy or
coziness out of running the out-
fit the 95 percent of the time that
I’m in the seat, it’s just collater-
al, coincidental comfort.
When it’s 20 below zero and
the heater has it warmed up so
good in the cab that I take off my
cap and gloves while I’m feed-
ing, I just think to myself, how
nice that will be for my wife and
ranch partner when she’s in the
same air ride seat.
Technical problems
So, it’s easy to understand my
concern when just days before
my departure, the front wheel as-
sist quit assisting and the loader
Expo Center, Albany, www.equinepro-
motions.net
IDAHO
March 27 — Forestland grazing
workshop, 1 to 5 p.m., Federal Build-
ing meeting room, Seventh Avenue
and College Street, St. Maries, 208-
245-2422, http://www.uidaho.edu/ex-
tension/forestry
CALIFORNIA
March 17-18 — Fruit Ripening
& Retail Handling Workshop, Uni-
versity of California-Davis, http://
postharvest.ucdavis.edu/Educa-
tion/fruitripening/
March 22-24 — California Fresh
Fruit Association Annual Meeting, The
Grand Del Mar , San Diego, www.CA-
FreshFruit.com
APRIL
OREGON
April 18 — Oregon Women for
Agriculture Auction and Dinner, Linn
County Fair and Expo Center, Albany,
503-243-FARM (3276), http://owaon-
line.org/
April 25-26 — AgFest, 8:30 a.m.-5
p.m. Saturday, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Sunday,
Oregon State Fairgrounds, Salem, $9
for adults, under 12 are free, http://
www.oragfest.com
CALIFORNIA
April 18-21 — California State
FFA Conference, Selland Arena, Fres-
no, www.calaged.org/stateconvention
April
IDAHO
8-11 — State
FFA
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Courtesy of Oregon Agriculture in the Classroom
Carolyn Breece, faculty research assistant at the Oregon State
University Honey Bee Laboratory, shows students an example of
what a capped brood looks like.
a bookmark and a honey stick
donated by GloryBee. All ma-
terials and supplies are made
possible through the generosity
of the program sponsors: The
Ford Family Foundation, Or-
egon Women for Agriculture,
NORPAC Foundation and Ore-
gon State University College of
Agricultural Sciences.
joystick began requiring some
extra wiggling for the electric
toggle switch to make the grap-
ple fork grab a bale. I drove it to
the dealer’s shop in town pronto,
in hopes that it might get turned
around and be back in service be-
fore I abandoned ship and board-
ed the airplane.
We do have the backup load-
er tractor. I quickly installed the
new alternator that’s been sit-
ting in its cardboard box since
December to make things like
starting the motor a little more
effortless. I checked the forecast,
and if the nice weather stays like
it’s supposed to, I think my re-
placement will be able to get
by with the tractor replacement.
Not having a good heater may
be all right if the sun is shining
and wind isn’t blowing.
If we don’t get a bunch of
new snow, the two-wheel-drive
should manage to get the job
done. Somehow, cows on the
ranch got fed for 100 years with-
out a four-wheel-drive tractor.
Leadership Conference, College
of Southern Idaho, Twin Falls,
www.idffafoundation.org/
MAY
WASHINGTON
May 14-16 — Washington FFA
Convention, Washington State Univer-
sity, Pullman, www.washingtonffa.org/
convention
Pitchfork works, too
Still, I know our marriage
will be stronger, and my trip
will be more enjoyable, if I
don’t get a text message in the
middle of my meetings from my
wife that says the tractor’s stuck,
or it won’t start, or the radio
wouldn’t tune into her favorite
station without a lot of static.
If any of that happens, she
probably won’t even be able
to appreciate the new pitchfork
handle I put on the pitchfork for
the barn horses.
Let’s hope the “good tractor”
is on its way back to ranch when
I’m on my way to the airport.
Calendar
MARCH
OREGON
March 16-17 — Oregon State
University
Blueberry
School,
LaSells Stewart Center and CH2M
Hill Alumni Center, OSU campus,
Corvallis,
http://osublueberry-
school.org/
March 17 — What To Do with My
Small Farm? Oregon State Universi-
ty Extension Small Farms, Jackson
County, 541-776-7371, ext. 208 paula.
burkhalter@oregonstate.edu. Cost:
$25 Register: http://extension.oregon-
state.edu/sorec/farms
March 20-23 — Oregon FFA State
Convention, Silverton, www.oregonffa.
com
March 20-22 — Northwest Horse
Fair & Expo, Linn County Fair and
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A good loader tractor maintains domestic tranquility
By RYAN M. TAYLOR
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Ag in the Classroom spotlights bees
CORVALLIS, Ore. —
Franklin Elementary School in
Corvallis was buzzing Tuesday
as third- and fourth-grade stu-
dents participated in a kick-off
event for Oregon Agriculture
in the Classroom Foundation’s
annual statewide literacy proj-
ect.
Honey bees and beekeepers
are this year’s featured topics.
The foundation’s literacy
project is designed to engage
young readers and expand their
knowledge of agriculture, ac-
cording to a press release from
the organization. Each year the
project features a book with
Established 1928
Board of directors
Mike Forrester ..........................President
Steve Forrester
Kathryn Brown
Sid Freeman .................. Outside director
Mike Omeg .................... Outside director
Corporate officer
John Perry
Chief operating officer
Residence: Oroville, Calif.
By TIM HEARDEN
Capital Press
WASHINGTON
April 4 — Washington State
Sheep Producers Lambing and
Management School, Sprague,
$50 (member), $60 (non-mem-
ber), 509-257-2230, dvm@feustel-
farms.com
April 6-11 — Washington State
Sheep Producers Shearing School,
Moses Lake
April 16-19 — Washington
State Spring Fair, Puyallup, 2-10
p.m. Thursday, 10 a.m.-10 p.m. Fri-
day and Saturday and 10 a.m.-8
p.m. Sunday, http://www.thefair.com/
spring-fair/
CALIFORNIA
May 1-2 — Forest Landowners
of California annual meeting, Holiday
Inn, Auburn, www.forestlandowners.
org/
JUNE
CALIFORNIA
June 15-26 — Postharvest Tech-
nology Short Course, University of
California-Davis, http://postharvest.
ucdavis.edu/Education/PTShort-
Course/
1 year other countries ......... call for quote
1-year Internet only ............................$49
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Index
California ................................ 8
Dairy .................................... 14
Idaho .....................................11
Livestock ............................. 15
Markets ............................... 16
Opinion .................................. 6
Oregon .................................. 9
Washington ......................... 10
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