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CapitalPress.com
Friday, March 5, 2021
People & Places
Raising cows and telling ag’s story
By JULIA HOLLISTER
For the Capital Press
WARNER
SPRINGS,
Calif. — Katie Ostrander
recalls the first time she
“dipped her toe” in the cattle
industry her senior year of
high school by raising and
showing a steer at an FFA
event.
“I was absolutely awful
at showmanship and my
steer knew it!” the Escon-
dido native said.
Today, it’s a different
story, she said. “My hus-
band Elmo and I live on
a sixth-generation ranch
where we raise kids and
cows.”
Their 160-acre ranch is in
a small, picturesque moun-
tain town in San Diego
County, a little over an
hour’s drive from the beach.
This is a tight-knit ranch-
ing community where many
families have known one
another for over 100 years.
“Our brand was first reg-
istered in 1922,” she said.
“We still follow a lot of tra-
ditional ranching methods
that my husband’s great-
and great-great-grandfather
used.”
The family traditions will
carry on, she said.
“Our two girls are very
involved in all of the ranch
happenings. If you ask them
today what they want to be
when they grow up you’ll
hear ‘barrel racer’ from one
and ‘cattlewoman’ from
the other,” Ostrander said.
“How cool is that?”
Hannah Gbeh, executive
director of the San Diego
County Farm Bureau, says
Ostrander is an example of
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Capital Press Managers
Joe Beach ..................... Editor & Publisher
Anne Long ................Advertising Manager
Western
Innovator
KATIE
OSTRANDER
Home: Warner Springs,
Calif.
Age: 36
Activities: San Diego
Cowbelles, California
Women for Agriculture,
member of the San Diego
Farm Bureau board of
directors
what the future of agricul-
ture should look like.
“She is an active and
vocal advocate for agricul-
ture in the county and has
dedicated countless hours
of volunteer time organiz-
ing events, creating fund-
raisers and as a fundamental
leader and mentor for many
young farmers and ranchers
interested in livestock pro-
duction,” Gbeh said.
In addition to Angus
cross cattle, Ostrander
raises heritage pigs, broiler
chickens, a few laying hens
and heritage and broad-
breasted turkeys.
Raising livestock in San
Diego County is unique
because
it’s
primarily
known for its beaches and
palm trees, but it’s really
an agricultural powerhouse
known for its nursery crops,
avocados and citrus groves.
It is also one of the
“greenest” counties in the
U.S. There are 5,732 farms
in the county that pro-
duce crops and livestock
worth $1.7 billion each
year, according to the Farm
Bureau.
“The county is full of
innovators trying to find
new ways to reduce our
carbon footprint and be
good stewards of the land
and sea,” she said. “We try
to offset the waste stream
and recycle what we can
into animal feed. In addi-
tion to traditional grain-
based diets we also feed our
animals waste food from
local sources: spent brew-
ers’ grains from local craft
breweries, apple peels and
cores from bakeries and dis-
carded food from distribu-
tion centers.”
They market directly
through word-of-mouth and
social media for “on the
hoof” beef and pork for cus-
tomers’ freezers and whole
chickens and turkeys.
Ostrander says she tries
to tell those customers about
what goes into raising mar-
ket-ready animals.
“We’re on a mission to
remind folks that for every
steak on their plate, there’s
an entire ranching operation
behind it,” Ostrander said.
There is another issue
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Samantha McLaren ....Circulation Manager
Entire contents copyright © 2021
EO Media Group
dba Capital Press
An independent newspaper
published every Friday.
Occupation: “Momboss,”
“Gategetter,” rancher
Katie Ostrander, a rancher in San Diego County, Calif., says the mountainous area is home
to many farm and ranch families who have lived there for five generations or more.
Carl Sampson .................. Managing Editor
Family: Husband Elmo
and two daughters
Personal quote: “Home
is where the herd is.”
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To Reach Us
the county Farm Bureau’s
Livestock Committee is cur-
rently taking by the horns.
“Our biggest challenge is
the lack of USDA slaughter
facilities,” Ostrander said.
“California doesn’t have a
state meat inspection pro-
gram so we must rely on the
very few available USDA
facilities. We are invested
in our animals’ well-being
from the day they were born
and all the way to the end.
We’re not going to haul the
animals five or six hours to
the nearest facility.
“The animals are here,
we just need a facility.”
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Oregon wolf tracked near Yosemite park
San Francisco Chronicle
and Capital Press
BRIDGEPORT, Calif. (AP) — A
young male wolf has been spotted
near Yosemite National Park, the far-
thest south a wolf has been tracked
in California in more than a century,
officials said.
Researchers have been moni-
toring the wolf dubbed OR-93 via
his tracking collar and said the ani-
mal departed Oregon earlier this
year, likely in search of a new ter-
ritory, the San Francisco Chronicle
reported.
The wolf dispersed from the
White River Pack southeast of Mount
Hood. He was collared last June by
the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
and the Confederated Tribes of Warm
Springs in Oregon, according to the
California Department of Fish and
Wildlife.
OR-93 was tracked through
Modoc County, Calif., and crossing
state highways 4 and 208. It recently
moved into Mono County, just east of
Yosemite, the newspaper said.
“Given the time of year, we
assume OR-93 has traveled such a
long way in search of a mate,” Center
for Biological Diversity wolf advo-
cate Amaroq Weiss said in a state-
ment. “I hope he can find one.”
This is the 16th gray wolf to have
shown up in California, according to
the department. Most have been from
Oregon.
Previously, the farthest south
a gray wolf was spotted in recent
decades was the Lake Tahoe Basin.
That wolf, OR-54, eventually headed
back north.
Earlier this month, another male
wolf, OR-85, was tracked to Califor-
nia’s Siskiyou County, just south of
the Oregon state line.
Gray wolves were eradicated in
California early in the last century
because of their threat to livestock.
Their reappearance in the state has
riled ranchers, who say wolves have
preyed on their livestock on public or
private land.
Wolves are protected under Cal-
ifornia’s Endangered Species Act.
Trump administration officials in
November stripped Endangered Spe-
cies Act protections for gray wolves
in most of the U.S., ending long-
standing federal safeguards and put-
ting states and tribes in charge of
overseeing the predators.
“We’re thrilled to learn this wolf
is exploring deep into the Sierra
Nevada, since scientists have said
all along this is great wolf habitat,”
Weiss said of OR-93. “He’s another
beacon of hope, showing that wolves
can return here and flourish as long as
they remain legally protected.”
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Thief steals livestock guard dog pups from Idaho ranch
By BRAD CARLSON
Capital Press
Three pups being trained as guard
dogs were stolen from the Sou-
len Livestock Co. sheep ranch near
Letha, Idaho, last December, and a
felony warrant has been issued for a
Washington state man in the case.
A man drove by the ranch on Dec.
16 and picked up the three livestock
guardian pups, according to the Idaho
Rangeland Resources Commission.
Rancher Harry Soulen’s three
young dogs were penned with about
50 sheep to protect and bond with
them.
A neighbor talked to the suspect
and got his business card.
Soulen later talked to the man by
phone and requested he return the
TO CONTACT SHERIFF
Gem County Sheriff’s Office: 208-
365-3521
dogs immediately. The dogs were
not returned.
The Gem County Sheriff’s Office
website shows a warrant has been
issued for a Ridgefield, Wash., man.
The Feb. 9 warrant sets the bond at
$25,000.
A call to the sheriff’s office
spokesman was not returned
immediately.
“There’s nothing new, and
unfortunately we’ve just kind of
got to wait until the process plays
out,” Soulen told the Capital Press
Feb. 25. “It’s wait-and-see.”
He said if the dogs spend too
much time around people, they can
become less effective at guarding
sheep.
“I was readying them to go with
bands in the spring,” Soulen said.
Now, “even if I got the dogs back,
they may not work out as sheep
guard dogs.”
Each of the three dogs is valued
at around $1,800.
“We put a lot of effort into train-
ing and caring for these dogs,”
Soulen said. “They’re the best
non-lethal tool we have to protect
our sheep from predators.”
The commission also said it has
been getting more reports of peo-
ple picking up livestock guard-
ian dogs on Idaho range and forest
land, thinking they are abandoned
or lost.
To get information published
Mailing address:
Capital Press
P.O. Box 2048
Salem, OR 97308-2048
News: Contact the main office
or news staff member closest to you,
send the information to
newsroom@capitalpress.com
or mail it to “Newsroom,” c/o Capital Press.
Include a contact telephone number.
Letters to the Editor: Send your
comments on agriculture-related public
issues to opinions@capitalpress.com, or
Soulen Livestock Co.
One of the pups stolen from the Sou-
len Livestock Co. near Letha, Idaho.
CALENDAR
Submit upcoming ag-related events on www.
capitalpress.com or by email to newsroom@capi-
talpress.com.
TUESDAY, MARCH 9
Sierra Dawn McClain/Capital Press
Customers order lunch in a coastal Oregon restaurant last summer.
Did a restaurant close in your
rural community? Tell us.
By SIERRA DAWN McCLAIN
Capital Press
The Capital Press is working on a
story about rural restaurant closures
across California, Oregon, Washing-
ton and Idaho during the pandemic.
In rural areas, where a single
restaurant or cafe is often the central
meeting place of a small community,
its loss can mean a lot to residents’
social lives and the local economy.
Can you name a restaurant in a
small or rural community that per-
manently closed during COVID-19?
If so, please contact Capital Press
reporter Sierra McClain at 509-699-
9099 or smcclain@capitalpress.com.
Visa and Mastercard accepted
Intentional Adulteration-Food Defense
(online): 8 a.m.-noon. This Food Defense Course
will help you mitigate the risks and hazards of inten-
tional contamination in food operations by protect-
ing vulnerable elements in the agrifood chain and
food production operations. We will explore Food
Defense Plans to help you build barriers around vul-
nerable points to prohibit intentional adulteration.
The course fee is $495/each individual. Janna Ham-
lett, 208-731-9363, jannahamlett@techhelp.org
THURSDAY, MARCH 11
Idaho Wheat Commission Direct Seed Work-
shop: 10 a.m. – 2 p.m. Hilton Garden Inn, Idaho
Falls. In-person event to cover direct-seeding chal-
lenges, opportunities, economics and research. Lim-
ited seating. Advance registration encouraged. Cost:
$15 in advance, $25 at door Website: https://bit.
ly/2MsCDBC
TUESDAY-THURSDAY,
MARCH 16-18
Oregon FFA State Convention (virtual): Con-
vention 2021 will be virtual due to current COVID
restrictions. Website: https://oregonffa.com/
mail your letter to “Opinion,” c/o Capital
Press. Letters should be limited to
300 words. Deadline: Noon Monday.
Capital Press ag media
state-convention/
TUESDAY-THURSDAY,
MARCH 23-25
Public Lands Council 2021 Legislative Con-
ference (virtual): The conference will focus on legis-
lative strategies to advocate for the livestock indus-
try in the nation’s capital. Website: http://www.
publiclandscouncil.org
CapitalPress.com
FarmSeller.com
MarketPlace.capitalpress.com
facebook.com/CapitalPress
facebook.com/FarmSeller
twitter.com/CapitalPress
youtube.com/CapitalPressvideo
TUESDAY, MARCH 30
Practical Sensory Programs for Factories and
Quality Managers (online): 8:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m.
The Practical Sensory Program course is designed
around a learn-and-apply model. Each participant
will get a kit to have hands-on activities to reinforce
the concepts learned. He or she will walk away with
practical skills that can be applied immediately. The
course fee is $285/each individual. Contact: Cather-
ine Cantley, 208-426-2181, catherinecantley@tech-
help.org
FRIDAY, APRIL 16
AgForestry Leadership Class 41 Graduation:
5 p.m. Red Lion Hotel, Wenatchee, Wash. Celebrate
the graduation of AgForestry Leadership Class 41.
This celebration was rescheduled from its origina-
tion April 10 date. Table sponsorships are available.
Cost: $60/adults, $20/child. Website: http://agfor-
estry.org/graduation-class-41/
Index
Opinion ...................................................8
Snake River Dams ..................................10
Correction policy
Accuracy is important to Capital Press
staff and to our readers.
If you see a misstatement, omission or
factual error in a headline, story or photo
caption, please call the Capital Press news
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