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TheCaliforniaCattle- men's Association Centen- nial Celebration coffee ta- ble book included the Lazy Spade Ranch among the 106 ranch and business histories. The seventh genera- tion, 14 year old Cole, Mi- ley 12 years old and Hank Bunting 10, have their cat- tle grazing on the fam- ily lands their great-great- grandfather Chester Wil- lard used over 100 years ago in Tehama County. Their parents Nathan and Mattie Bunting graze their cattle and Mattie's small band of sheep on the valley lands, and Gre- cian Bend on the Lyons- ville Road during the win- ter and spring. Mattie's great-grandfather Ches- ter Willard originally owned the Grecian Bend land that was Railroad land, and has been repur- chased by the Buntings. In the summer the cattle are on land owned near Fort Bidwell, Modoc County. Nathan and Mattie buy Angus bulls for their Lazy Spade ranch, while their children buy Her- eford bulls. Cole's brand is an old Leininger fam- ily brand, the bar cross bar; Hank has the Flying H; and Miley has the bar cross. The family history ties in with the Abner Nanney, Issac McKenzie, Charles Willard and Obidiah Le- ininger families in settling the Sacramento Valley in the 1800s. Obidiah Leininger came with his family by oxen team with the Bartel- son Party in 1859 to Butte County. He bought land north of Deer Creek in the early 1880s, raising wheat and cattle near Vina. Mar- ried Anne Grobe in 1884, and three children were born at the home place. Eph was born in 1889, and his father Obe died of ma- laria at 49 years in 1896, while he was a Tehama Co. Supervisor. The young children helped their mother run the ranch. Leon and Rena married while Eph stayed and went into the sheep business. For many years the sheep summered at Butte Meadows on the Lassen Trail. Eph married Minnie Brown in 1918, and three sons were born; Clarence, Norman and Wesley. Eph purchased more land, and had cat- tle as well as sheep. He and his sons took the cat- tle to Battle Creek Mead- ows at Mineral for sum- mer range. Eph's grandson Tod and great-grandson Grant Leininger's cattle still graze at Battle Creek Meadows each summer. In 1949 Wesley mar- ried Jacqueline McKen- zie and they ranched on rented lands for the first 15 years until inheriting the Leininger and Willard lands. Jacqueline recalls they had a two day cat- tle drive to and from the Long Ranch near Manton to Mineral and the Bat- tle Creek Meadows each spring and fall for ten years. Wesley and Jacque- line Leininger had two children, Tod and Janet. Wesley was a member of Tehama County Cattlemen Association. Wesley and Jacque- line's Hereford and Short- horn cattle with the Lazy E J brand grazed on the Leininger lands at Vina and Chester Willard lands near Red Bluff in the win- ter, and summered at the Home Ranch near West- wood, Lassen County; and Battle Creek Meadows un- til he became blind after being bucked off a horse and suffered head injuries. At that time they gave their children Tod Leini- nger and Janet Lancaster, grandchildren Grant Le- ininger, Amber Leininger, Luke Lancaster and Mat- tie Lancaster Bunting equal shares of the Leini- nger and Willard lands. Jacqueline is the daugh- ter of Jack and Evelyn Wil- lard McKenzie Steffan, grand-daughter of Ches- ter and Edna Conard Wil- lard, Bert and Lulu Nan- ney McKenzie; great-grand- daughter of Charles & Julia Augusta Willard, Issac and Lucy Turner McKenzie. Evelyn McKenzie Stef- fan was the only child of Chester and Edna Willard and when she died her daughter Jacqueline in- herited the Willard lands, and now Jacqueline's grand children and great- grand children's cattle are on the range lands east of Red Bluff. Tod has five children that are involved in the cattle business. Daughter Janet married Jerry Lan- caster, and lives on the Grass Valley Ranch, Aus- tin, Nevada. They had two children, Luke and Mattie who married Na- than Bunting. The Bun- tings have remodeled the Chester Willard house and barn that was built in 1900, and are involved in Jr. High California High School Rodeos with their children. Thus the circle has con- tinued, one generation to the next, each picking up where the other left off, each make improvements for the generations to fol- low. JeanBartonhasbeen writing her column in the Daily News since the early 1990s. She can be reached by e-mail at jbarton2013@ gmail.com. JEANBARTON The history of the Lazy Spade Ranch The Almond Board of California announced this week innovative research that looks into new poten- tial applications for almond coproducts. The almond community has always taken responsi- bility for its coproducts — almond hulls, shells, and other woody material — en- suring that they're put to beneficial use rather than sent to a landfill. However, changing markets for these products has led the ABC to focus research invest- ment on new uses which address manufacturing needs across several in- dustries, among them food, automotive, pharma- ceutical and plastics. This brings value to the Califor- nia almond community, the economy, the local envi- ronment, and supports al- monds on their journey to zero waste. At The Almond Con- ference, Glenda Humis- ton, PhD., Vice President, UC Division of Agriculture and Natural Resources, pre- sented on the topic of co- products. "We have shifted our mindset to view agricul- ture coproducts as an op- portunity, not a problem," Humiston said. "In fact, as research continues to find new and innovative tech- nologies to commercialize coproducts into bioprod- ucts, almond coproducts might someday be as prof- itable as the almonds them- selves. It's a win-win for the almond industry." Researchers are looking at creating materials from almond hulls and shells that can be incorporated into cosmetics, foods, pharma- ceuticals and plastics. Al- mond shells can be heated to high temperatures, pro- ducing a charcoal-like prod- uct, which has the potential to be used to create stron- ger, biodegradable plastics such as garbage bags, flower pots and rubber tires. Existing research has al- ready shown how sugar can be extracted from almond hulls, which has potential applications as a food in- gredient or a fuel. Once the sugar is extracted spent hulls remain and Almond Board research is focused on exploring the ways to use this material. One ex- ample is using fermenta- tion by which they can be converted to make fibrous materials that can be added to diapers as a natural ab- sorbent or as additives for foods, moisturizers and pharmaceuticals. "This research supports California in creating a gen- uine bioeconomy — where every byproduct is an in- put to another valuable product," said Karen Laps- ley, D.Sc., chief scientific officer at the board. "How- ever, we are also exploring opportunities to take these coproducts and incorporate them back into the orchard, which can contribute to re- ducing the carbon footprint of almonds." Ongoing research is ex- amining the potential ben- efits of whole orchard re- cycling, the process of grinding up entire almond orchards at the end of their mature life and incorporat- ing the trees' material into the soil. Potential benefits of this practice include re- turning nutrients to the soil; improving soil qual- ity, air quality, water infil- tration and water-holding capacity; and slowing the rate at which carbon diox- ide is released into the at- mosphere, prolonging the carbon sequestration ben- efits that trees bring to the planet. Additionally, research- ers are examining the ben- efits of reincorporating al- mond hulls into the soil. Just as almonds are high in important nutrients, almond hulls are as well which can make them a valuable soil amendment and source of organic mat- ter. Furthermore, the spent almond hulls left over from sugar extraction can also be heated to high temper- atures to produce a product similar to charcoal, known as biochar. Biochar can be spread on all farms (not just almond farms) which could lead to improve- ments in soil quality and water-holding capacity. Fu- ture research is needed to understand and quantify the impacts of biochar on almond orchards. It's important to note that while new research is looking at alternative uses, for decades the California Almond community has utilized almond coproducts, which include the hulls and shells that protect the nut during its development as well as the woody biomass of the tree itself, in a re- sponsible, sustainable fash- ion, often yielding second- ary benefits. Currently, the hulls are sold as nutritious livestock feed, the shells are used as livestock bedding and the tree woody mate- rial can be used to create alternative energy. In 2015, the California al- mond industry grew 1.9 bil- lion pounds of almond ker- nels as well as 3.8 billion pounds of hulls and 1.3 bil- lion pounds of shells. ALMOND BOARD Br ig ht f ut ur e fo r al mo nd c op ro du ct s Associate Dean Dave Daley of the CSU, Chico College of Agriculture was named president of the California Cattlemen's As- sociation at the organiza- tion's Centennial Celebra- tion, Dec. 1-3 in Sparks, Nevada. Daley also received hon- ors at the 2016 Western Nugget National Hereford Show held concurrently. Meanwhile, CSU, Chico senior animal science ma- jor Rebecca Swanson was elected chairwoman of the California Young Cat- tlemen's Committee, and animal science profes- sor Kasey DeAtley was recognized as the Butte County CattleWoman of the Year during the Cali- fornia CattleWomen's As- sociation's annual pro- ceedings. Thirty-five stu- dents and six faculty and staff attended the annual convention at the Nugget Casino Resort. Daley will serve two years as president of CCA, which is a nonprofit trade association formed in 1917 that represents California's ranchers and beef producers in legis- lative and regulatory af- fairs. Daley earned his bachelor's degree in ani- mal science at CSU, Chico, and went on to complete his graduate work at Col- orado State University. He has served as Col- lege of Agriculture fac- ulty for 26 years, includ- ing two years at the col- lege's interim dean. Daley coadvises the CSU, Chico Young Cattlemen's Asso- ciation and manages the University Farm beef unit. Together with his family, Daley ranches in Oroville. The Western Nugget National Hereford Show selected Daley as its 2016 honoree in recognition of his work in education, pol- icy development and advo- cacy on behalf of the beef industry, and specifically acknowledged his ap- plied research into heter- osis and the value of Here- ford genetics in a planned cross-breeding program. Swanson, who is the current president of the Chico State Young Cat- tlemen's Association, was elected chair of the YCC, which is a committee within the California Cat- tlemen's Association that integrates the next gener- ation of leaders into the grassroots organization. Swanson will represent YCC members at meetings and events throughout the state in 2017. DeAtley received her Butte County Cattle- Woman of the Year award at a luncheon honoring active and inspiring CCW members from through- out the state. Kasey DeAt- ley is a sixth-generation Northern Californian who earned her bachelor's de- gree in animal science from CSU, Chico in 2005. She did her graduate work at New Mexico State Uni- versity in reproductive physiology and beef cat- tle genetics, then returned to CSU, Chico and joined the agriculture faculty in 2014. DeAtley coadvises the Young Cattlemen's Association; teaches a va- riety of beef production, rangeland management and agricultural research classes; and ranches with her family in northeastern California. The 35 Chico State Young Cattlemen's Asso- ciation members who at- tended the CCA and CCW convention were able to network with other Young Cattlemen from through- out the state, attend var- ious CCA and CCW com- mittee meetings, visit the tradeshow, and learn about issues affecting beef cattle producers. CSU CHICO Ag dean takes reins of California Cattlemen DaveDaley Daley will serve two years as president of CCA, which is a nonprofit trade association formed in 1917 that represents California's ranchers and beef producers in legislative and regulatory affairs. PLEASERECYCLE THIS NEWSPAPER. RUNNINGS ROOFING and CONSTRUCTION SheetMetalRoofing ResidentialCommercial • Composition • Shingle • Single Ply Membrane ServingTehamaCounty 530-527-5789 530-209-5367 No Money Down! "NoJobTooSteep" " No Job Too Flat" FREE ESTIMATES CA.Lic#829089B&C39 STOVEJUNCTION The TheNorthState'spremiersupplierofstoves 22825 Antelope Blvd., Red Bluff 530-528-2221 • Fax 530-528-2229 www.thestovejunction.com Over 25 years of experience Tues-Sat9am-5pm• ClosedSun&Mon Now Carrying! GreenMountainGrills & Accessories Serving Butte, Glenn & Tehama Counties Smog Check (MOST CARS & PICK-UPS) 527-9841 • 195 S. 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