Authored by: Valley Urricelqui

Reno Office summer intern, Valley Urricelqui is a Beef Ambassador. A “Beef Ambassador” promotes and helps shine a brighter light on the Beef Industry. A Beef Ambassador is a knowledgeable public figure of the Beef Industry that informs the public of the health benefits of beef as well as helps to gain support throughout the community.

In California, the Beef Ambassador program invites those across the state of California to compete and showcase their knowledge as an advocate for the beef industry for the coming year. Valley earned her place at the state competition as the 2018-2019 Shasta County Beef Ambassador. Contestants competed in four main events, including a mock interview, mock consumer demonstration, issue response and social media presence. These categories aim to evaluate contestants’ overall knowledge of the beef industry, agricultural issues, marketing, education and animal welfare.

In April 2018, Valley received the title of California State Beef Ambassador representing the North State. In this position she represents the State of California as a voice for the Beef Industry and is helping to spread positivity about the agriculture industry as a whole in efforts to gain more support from the public. Her goal is to present in elementary classrooms to educate our youth about where their food comes from, the hard work and processes necessary for raising livestock and producing food supplies, and the nutritional health benefits our food provides. Making the “farm-to-fork” connection is an important mission for Valley. Being named California Beef Ambassador has been a goal for Valley from a young age, and she aims to educate people within and outside of the agricultural industry.

As a California Beef Ambassador, Valley hopes to serve as a pillar for educating consumers. As a fifth-generation cattle rancher in Northeastern California, her roots run deep. “I want people to understand that you don’t have to have an agricultural background to support agriculture,” she said. “We are a dying breed and it’s more important now than ever for people to understand where their food comes from and that it is safe, wholesome and nutritious.”

As California Beef Ambassador, Valley will travel across the state to represent the beef industry in order to educate people on the nutritional, economic, and environmental benefits of beef. Valley will also take her knowledge and enthusiasm into the classroom and educate youth on the importance of the livestock industry. Her goal is to shine a brighter light on the beef industry.

Already this year Valley has attended the Mid-Year Cattleman’s meeting held in Redding CA, as well as some local county fairs spreading the good word about the beef industry and how to better promote the industry. At the Mid-Year meeting she presented to Cattlewomen on Social Media and how it can be used to promote ranching and farming operations as well as the agriculture industry as a whole. She shared examples as to how we can positively promote agriculture by using hashtags in posts. Valley taught ways for accessing online information more easily.

Today’s youth access social media more than any other age group, with more than 98% using social media on a daily basis. About 30% spend more than six hours a week on social media websites and apps. With these stats being so high it tells the agriculturalists that using social media to spread positive agriculture views is a must!

During her time as Beef Ambassador, Valley wants to attend as many events across the state as possible, and continue to present on matters related to the beef community and the agriculture industry. After this year, Valley plans to run for the National Beef Ambassador Team. If lucky enough to join this team, she will continue to promote the agriculture industry in a positive light across the Nation.

Authored by: Valley Urricelqui

Did you know that an animal’s performance is based, in part, on their water intake?

Water is the most essential component for livestock’s proper growth, development and performance.

How much water do you think cattle drink each day? Well there are a lot of different factors that lead up to that. It all depends on what type of cattle we are talking about, the weather (What is the temperature outside? Is it summertime or wintertime?) as well as the stage in life the animal is currently in. But it is always important to  remember that, generally speaking, when it comes to watering cattle, the heavier the cattle, the higher the water intake.

Cattle should consume 1-2 gallons of water per 100 pounds of body weight. So if you have a 1500 pound cow, she should be drinking about 15-30 gallons of water on an average day.

Below is a list of the amount of water cattle drink each day:

For more detailed information visit: https://www.grass-fed-solutions.com/cattle-water.html

*Fun Fact: Did you know that cattle have 4 stomachs? The Rumen is the largest and can hold up to 50 gallons of feed!

*Fun Fact: The average cow can drink as much as 30-50 gallons of water on a hot summer day! For pairs to get through the summer time heat, they may need to drink 2x the amount of water.

*Fun Fact: Did you know what I mean by “a pair”? A pair is defined as a momma cow and her baby calf.

As the temperatures begin to increases over 40 degrees – cattle generally require an additional gallon of water for every 10 degree increase in temperature.

Water is crucial for the life of livestock, just as all mammals. In order for livestock owners to maintain healthy and happy livestock they must assure that the animals are properly taken care of. A large part of that starts with maintaining our livestock’s water supply.

A lot has changed since 1909, when Oregon enacted its Water Code and the water use permit system began. Obtaining a water use permit can be a lengthy and detailed process. If you’re not careful you can limit the flexibility of your water permit through self-imposed conditions without realizing it.

For example, Schroeder Law Offices recently represented a business that stated on its groundwater permit application that it planned to use drip irrigation. The business did not plan to exclusively use drip, but drip was one form of irrigation used for part of its operation. As a result, the Oregon Water Resources Department (OWRD) proposed to impose a condition in the Proposed Final Order (PFO) that the business would be limited exclusively to drip irrigation. This would have significantly reduced the business’s flexibility and the marketability of its property in the future. However, our office was able to successfully remove the proposed condition from the water use permit that was issued.

This example provides an important reminder to very carefully prepare water use permit applications, and closely review OWRD’s initial reviews, proposed orders, and final orders/permits. Otherwise, water users may be subject to unnecessarily restricting permit conditions. Water use professionals, such as attorneys or consultants, can provide assistance to prepare permit applications and review OWRD documentation regarding the applications. Water use application forms are available on OWRD’s website, https://www.oregon.gov/OWRD/pages/index.aspx. For more information about water right processing see: http://www.water-law.com/water-rights-articles/get-an-oregon-water-right/.

Stay tuned to Schroeder Law Offices’ Water Law Blog for more news that may affect you!

This article was drafted with the assistance of Law Clerk Nathan Klinger, a student at Willamette Law School.

On July 11 and 12, 2018, attorney Laura Schroeder and paralegal Rachelq Harman travelled to Caldwell and Twin Falls, Idaho, respectively, for the Idaho Rural Water Association’s (“IRWA”) annual Water Law to YOU Road Show to educate water users and managers all about their municipal water rights. The 6 hour classes discussed the basics of owning, maintaining, and utilizing water rights, along with tips on avoiding potential associated issues such as easement disputes and involuntary forfeiture. The classes also touched on recent developments in Idaho water law, and the status of the State’s multiple ongoing adjudications.

IRWA hosted these presentations that were offered as continuing education credits to satisfy both drinking water and wastewater CEU requirements. Some attendees also planned to seek real estate and/or attorney CE credits for those professional licenses. Attendees came from a variety of backgrounds, including ditch association managers, wastewater treatment operators, and even fellow water law attorneys!

Laura Schroeder’s new class incorporated additional information related to Idaho Department of Environmental Quality’s (“IDEP”) assumption of Idaho’s water quality program from the Environmental Protection Agency (“EPA”). Due to this recent development and the continuing efforts of the Idaho Department of Water Resources (“IDWR”) on the north Idaho adjudications, the class’s focus was expanded from water rights basics. Active participation from students in each session made each presentation unique, and allowed a focus on material of specific relevance and interest to each group.

While this year’s Road Show has come to an end, there are plenty of upcoming opportunities to brush up on your water rights education. Check out Schroeder Law Office’s events page to learn where you can find us next, and stay tuned to Schroeder Law Offices’ blog for more information on upcoming events and water law developments!