Issue link: https://www.epageflip.net/i/224151
6A Daily News – Saturday, December 7, 2013 Agriculture farm & ranch Rodeo bulls and African elephants The lucky people are in Las Vegas for the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo, while the rest of us watch GAC on either Dish 186 or Direct TV 326 starting on Thursday, the 5th to the 14th at 7 p.m. Growney Brothers Rodeo has Beaver Fever, Raggidy Ann, Wild Blue and Sourdough in Bareback, Cow Camp in Saddle Bronc and 8 bulls, Wish This, Canadian Tuxedo, Glory Days, Wildly Legit, Crystal Gun, What a Ball, Snugly and CrysJean tal Deal in bull riding. Four Star Rodeo, Cottonwood has 3 bulls, Glass Tiger, Capone and Stinkeye at the National Finals. ***** Friday after Thanksgiving was sunny and 71'F warm. We joined many others strolling across the Sun Dial Bridge and visiting Turtle Bay Museum. ***** At our recent Tehama Co. Cattlemen's meeting there was a mention of Ndovo, the elephant preserve they would like to locate on Diamond Ranch in north-west Tehama County. NW of Bowman Road, 1,394 feet north of State Route 36W. At the Tehama Co. Planning Commission meeting we heard about the Oakland Zoo & Ndovo Foundation Project, on a 4,900 acre site currently being used for cattle grazing. African elephants are at risk. They feel that 25,000 head a year are lost to poaching in the wild for their ivory tusks. Lack of space in captivity since they figure 100 acres to an elephant, and a zoo doesn't have that land. Ndovo seeks to re-invent an elephant preserve, mimicking life in the wild. It would tie in with the Branding Project since they propose it will be one of the few places to see African elephants in this country. Acceptable conditions for elephants are 30 - 100'F. They graze on grass and the humans supply vitamins, treat foods, supplements, hay and farmed browse. There would be automated water troughs for drinking, and man-made pools/ponds for bathing, cooling, mudding. They drink 50 gallons of water per day. In Africa there is flat grassland with ample trees for food and shade, while the Diamond Ranch has gentle rolling hills with limited steep slopes and rocky terrain. Ndovo feels the 4,900 acre Diamond Ranch meets all their requirements, and hope to complete the purchase in January 2014. The first phase of construction will take three years on 540 acres, with an 8-foot elephant proof steel fence before the first three elephants arrive. They will need a large barn, housing quarters for research/security personnel, several out buildings, feed storage areas, and a visitor building. To provide quarantine facilities there will be separate yards and barns. For dynamic separation needs (e.g. for musth bulls, fighting individuals, births) there will be different habitats, yards and barns. The shelters are "open" unless need exists to isolate an elephant or contain the herd. They plan to safeguard the ele- Barton Courtesy photo Linda Borror and Marilyn Avrit were walking across the Sun Dial Bridge the day after Thanksgiving. phants from stress of climate extremes, with heated barns in winter. The barns and shelters will be capable of keeping herds together or in close contact. As they develop each phase there will be ponds, mud pits, misters, shelters and food throughout the facility, and protected contact points throughout to encourage the use of entire preserve for experience of environmental complexity. They plan to "migrate" the elephants through habitats to allow vegetation recovery, which we call rotational grazing. It is hoped to engage teachers and students in topics surrounding African elephants, in a natural setting to provide an opportunity for awareness, education and research. This will not be a traditional zoo, because visiting will be limited to ensure tranquility and integrity of the preserve. However education focused tours for school groups, college classes in small groups will be available. Roger and Dr. Ann McNamee are the founding members and have endowed the project through the first two phases. Dr. Joel Parrott, CEO, Oakland Zoo is an advisor and expert on elephant care, plus founding member of Ndovo. The 4th founding member is Colleen Kinzley, Director of Animal Care, Conservation and Research, Oakland Zoo, plus elephant researcher. Project manager is Patricia Wexler. For further information, patty@elevation.com, 310-4864120. ***** Don't forget to buy your tickets for $25 presale for the Vic Woolery prime rib dinner at the 62nd TCCA/TCCW annual Winter Dinner & 11th Ag-Scholarship fundraiser, on January 4th, 6 p.m. at the Tehama District Fairgrounds. Tickets will be sold in Red Bluff at Hawes Ranch & Farm Supply, The Loft, Animal Health (Walco), Red Bluff Bull and Gelding Sale, Northern California Farm Credit, Crossroads Feed & Ranch Supply. In Corning and Red Bluff, Rabobank and Premier West Bank. Cottonwood - Shasta Farm and Equipment. In the silent and live auctions for the scholarships Bill Borror is making a hand crafted black walnut chair, Patty Kelly is making her famous peanut brittle, and new this year will also be chocolate fudge. Jeanne Stroing has donated a gift certificate for "Let's Talk About Hair" salon. Jackie Baker has made a crocheted lap robe, and Burnsini Vineyards has donated a case of Tehama Red wine. Tom & Linda McCay donated a Chohlidakis Pottery Casserole. A gift basket from Jessica Macdonald of NorCal Hero Ride for Life. Steve McCarthy of Red Bank Farm donated a hand gun safe. Golden State Farm Credit (previously Northern CA Farm Credit) has a large commodity basket. California citrus growers fight off cold spell SANTA ANA (AP) — After the orange harvesting ends and the sun sets, the toughest part of John S. Gless' day is just beginning: a desperate fight to stave off a cold spell threatening to destroy his citrus crop. The vice president and manager of Gless Ranch, which grows oranges, lemons and grapefruit on 5,000 acres 100 miles north of Los Angeles, spends his nights shuttling from field to field where costly wind machines are warming up the groves by a few critical degrees that can make all the difference once temperatures dip dangerously low. "You get frost calls, and you go out and kind of control to make sure it doesn't do any damage — and then you get a full blown freeze where you're fighting to save crops," Gless said on Thursday. "Last night, we beat it." Growers across California have toiled this week to protect the state's prized $2 billion a year citrus industry and other key crops such as lettuce and avocados from the cold snap that engulfed the state, dropping temperatures to levels that can dam- age fruit and delay the harvest of greens. Some damage is expected to the mandarin and navel orange crops in the Central Valley but the extent is still unknown. Any losses likely won't be known for several weeks, though the industry does not expect a dramatic impact on supply or price, according to California Citrus Mutual, an association of growers. Citrus farmers are no stranger to cold and use irrigation and wind machines to propel warm air through the fields and raise the temperature by several degrees after nightfall. Farmers are on the lookout once temperatures drop to 28 degrees and anything in the low-20s is critical, said Bob Blakely, the association's director of industry relations. Temperatures fell to near record lows early Thursday and Friday in Fresno at 28 degrees. A storm system was expected to increase those temperatures to around freezing early Saturday and could bring snowflakes to the valley floor, said Modesto Vasquez, a meteorologist at the National Weather Ser- EVICTIONS vice. Another cold spell is forecast for later in the weekend. Citrus farmers have spent $12.4 million since the cold snap began to try to warm up the fields, the growers' association said. Of key concern is the mandarin crop, because the tiny fruit is thinner-skinned than other oranges, making it more susceptible to cold. Ben Yosako, an inspector for the Tulare County Agricultural Commissioner's office, said fruit samples have been collected and will be stored at room temperature, then cut open Monday to evaluate the damage. "It's still too early to tell how much damage there is going to be," Yosako said. Avocado growers in California are also bracing for icy temperatures that threaten to freeze the quarter-ofan-inch stems that dangle fruit from the tree, which could drop avocados to the ground. Farmers are planning to increase irrigation and use wind machines if necessary on the state's 55,000 acres planted with avocados, but it's early in the growing sea- RUNNINGS ROOFING $300 Attorney Fee + Costs FIXED COSTS: $240 Court Filing Fee $25 Writ Of Execution Fee $125 Sheriff Fee $25 Service Process Per Person CALL 530.529.9999 Sheet Metal Roofing Residential Commercial • Composition • Shingle • Single Ply Membrane "No Job Too Steep" " No Job Too Flat" Serving Tehama County No Money 530-527-5789 530-209-5367 CA. LIC#829089 Down! FREE ESTIMATES Owner is on site on every job AP photo Frozen oranges are shown with misters running to avoid as much damage as possible during a cold snap that is affecting the San Joaquin Valley citrus crop Friday, Dec. 6, 2013 in Traver. Growers across California have toiled this week to protect the state's prized $2 billion a year citrus industry and other key crops such as lettuce and avocados from the cold snap that engulfed the state, dropping temperatures to levels that can damage fruit and delay the harvest of greens. son so any dropped fruit "would be a total loss at this point and time," said Tim Spann, research project manager at the California Avocado Commission. Jack Vessey, who farms 10,000 acres of lettuce, spinach and other vegetables in Imperial County, Dr. Art All makes and models. We perform dealer recommened Members Welcome 30K, 60K, 90K SERVICES AT LOWER PRICES Smog Check $ starting at + 25958 $ 25 certificate (MOST CARS & PICK-UPS) 527-9841 • 195 S. Main St. Sutfin Large Animal Mobile Veterinary Practice (Serving the North State) Cell: 530 227-1459 Office: 530 934-3801 said he's watering more, and later in the day to try to keep crops moist through the night. His main concern, he said, is that he can't harvest greens until they thaw out in the morning. "We only have so much time in a day to cut things," he said. "I am more con- cerned with making my orders and trying to get the crops out of the field." California is the country's biggest supplier of fresh-market oranges, and its 285,000 acre-citrus industry is second only to Florida, according to California Citrus Mutual.