Ranching in the Sierra Foothills

As a commercial sheep producer who is also the father of two daughters who have shown lambs at our local fair since they were nine years old, I'm sometimes conflicted about the value of showing livestock.

As some readers may know, I put out a quarterly newsletter (The New Foothill Rancher in Placer and Nevada Counties; The New Ranch Update in Sutter and Yuba Counties).

Note: This article first appeared in the October 2018 issue of The New Foothill Rancher and The New Ranch Update newsletters.

My friend Ryan Mahoney, who manages Emigh Livestock near Dixon, California, has embraced a variety of new ranching technologies.

Introduction Electronic identification (EID) systems for livestock provide a number of potential advantages for producers, and new technology is making these systems more affordable.