California isn’t often perceived as an agricultural powerhouse by the general population, but agriculturalists in the state see the underlying struggles that often come along with producing agriculture in the nation’s Golden State.
Family-owned sheep operation Riverbend Southdowns is no exception to witnessing firsthand the difficulties of raising livestock in California.
Father-daughter pair Dean and Shelbi Kautz started out with only four head of Southdown sheep back in 2005. Shelbi was in the eighth grade and had some experience showing crossbred lambs but wanted to get the perspective of raising sheep on her own. Now, the operation has grown in size to around 50 head.
“It’s the glorified hobby that never stops,” Shelbi Kautz told WLJ.
Kautz grew up on a small diversified crop farm in Kingsburg, CA. Although raising sheep started as Shelbi and her dad’s project, Shelbi’s mother, Nomie, “is the heart and soul of the farm,” keeping track of records and helping out however she can.
“We all have a story,” Kautz said. “Whether it was a childhood dream, or your grandparents coming to America generations ago to make something of themselves. Our sheep story is unique because our family is in the heart and soul of everything we do.”
“We’ve stuck with the Southdown breed because we believe if we invest in our livestock, it invests in us.” — Shelbi Kautz
The Kautz family decided on raising Southdown sheep because of the breed’s reputation for meat quality and easy finishing. Kautz said becoming involved in the sheep industry taught her a lot of life lessons and took her places across the world she never would have expected to go.
“We’ve stuck with the Southdown breed because we believe if we invest in our livestock, it invests in us,” Kautz said.
“From a livestock showing perspective, the breed has helped with kids wanting to become involved in the industry. Southdowns are docile and smaller, and really appeal to kids. It’s important to keep that younger generation interested for the future of the industry.”
However, raising sheep in California hasn’t been an easy or glamorous job. Increasing water prices and fluctuating feed prices have affected agriculture as a whole, Kautz told WLJ.
In addition, “laws and regulations have really cracked down lately on the livestock industry and have made it really hard to be a producer,” Kautz said.
Most notably, the California law implemented in early 2018 requiring a prescription from a California-licensed veterinarian for all antibiotic use has put strain on the livestock industry.
“You want to be able to take care of your animals the best you can,” Kautz said. “I think everyone across the board wants to be able to do this—it’s part of our livelihood.”
Kautz said she believes people in agriculture have done a good job of educating the consumer through using the best possible practices and most humane ways of raising their livestock. However, as an individual involved in agriculture marketing, Kautz’s perspective is geared towards the consumer.
“I think one of the biggest issues the sheep industry faces is not being recognized as a prominent player in protein,” Kautz said. “We need to step up our game.”
Kautz added that technology is cheap for a smaller producer to become more efficient. Modern practices call for being as sustainable as possible to ensure the best life for the animals and giving the consumer the product they want, all while making ends meet for the producer, Kautz told WLJ — Anna Miller, WLJ correspondent
