California Cattle Leader Says Ranchers Must Unite to Protect Industry’s Future
May 23, 2026
As the Common Ground Coalition launched its first regional summit this week in Reno, Nevada, livestock leaders from across the country gathered to tackle some of the biggest long-term challenges facing the cattle industry.
Among those attending was California Cattlemen’s Association President Rick Roberti, who says the coalition’s focus on bringing producers together around shared priorities is badly needed in today’s agricultural landscape.
“I think we understand that there’s some things we agree on — four or five issues that we can get along with,” Roberti said. “Let’s work on those things and then worry about some of the other ones later.”
Roberti says the coalition is encouraging producers to think beyond immediate challenges and begin planning for the long-term future of the beef industry.
“One of our local meetings, someone threw a question out at me: ‘Where are we in 20 or 25 years in the beef industry?’” he explained. “And I couldn’t answer it. We’re so hard trying to get by to the next year that we’re not thinking far enough down the road.”
He says gatherings like the Common Ground Coalition meetings provide an opportunity for producers to focus on bigger-picture solutions while addressing issues that affect ranchers nationwide and regionally.
For California ranchers, one of the biggest concerns remains predator management, especially the growing gray wolf population.
“One thing they didn’t talk much about in Denver was the predator problem that we’re having in California with the gray wolf,” Roberti said. “It’s hurting a lot of people.”
Because wolves remain protected under the endangered species list in California, Roberti says ranchers often feel limited in how they can respond.
“There’s still good people in California, and we’re going to keep trying,” he said. “With the help from groups like this, we’ll get through it.”
Roberti also emphasized the importance of unity within the livestock industry as outside pressures continue mounting.
“There’s enough people out there that want to see us go out of business,” he said. “We’ve got to figure out a way to get along so we can keep that next generation involved.”
He believes producers also need to do a better job telling agriculture’s story directly to consumers.
“We’re producing this very good, safe product,” Roberti said. “But sometimes we don’t tell our story very well.”
According to Roberti, ranchers must continue engaging with people outside agriculture to help correct misconceptions about livestock production and land stewardship.
“We’ve got to meet with some people we don’t like maybe, to show them that we’re not the bad guys in this business,” he said. “We’re actually the good guys taking care of the land and doing things right.”
The Reno summit marks the first of four Common Ground Coalition regional meetings scheduled across the country this year, with additional events planned for Omaha, Nashville, and Fort Worth as the coalition continues building producer-led conversations about the future of the livestock industry.
Source: Western Ag Network
