Tracy Schohr and the ranchers: 'They saved our animals'

Between Aug. 20 and Sept. 17, Hunsaker Cattle, operated by a Northern California ranch family, lost five of their six leased grazing parcels to fire. Jilly Curtis, her fiance Scott Hunsaker and two of her sons had faced a near-death incident, had lost cattle to fire on some plots and felt more devastated by each new evacuation notice. They had already rescued the cattle on several of their leases when they got the notice that the merged Claremont and Bear fires near Quincy, Calif., were headed toward their cattle at Spanish Ranch. Curtis called the local animal control agency for help. The agency, in turn, called Tracy Schohr, livestock and natural resource adviser at the University of California Cooperative Extension. “Animal control was like, ‘Hey, can you help move 100 head of cattle?’” said Schohr. Schohr, who knows producers through research projects, cattlemen’s associations and other networks, called and texted numerous ranchers. In response, Schohr said, dozens of ranchers dropped what they were doing to help. “I think that just shows you the commitment of livestock producers to their community and also to livestock health and welfare,” said Schohr. Ranchers hauled the cattle out of the evacuation zone, and some ranchers even brought panels to set up stalls at the local fairground. Plumas County Sheriff’s Office also helped, said Schohr. “I’m sure Tracy (Schohr) gives the credit to the farmers — as she should — but she’s a hero, too, for organizing the rescues,” said Katie Roberti, spokeswoman for the California Cattlemen’s Association. Curtis, the rancher whose cattle were rescued, cried when trying to express her gratefulness. “People came from all over, saying, ‘I got a trailer. A quad. I can meet you? Where do you want me to be?’ It was amazing. They saved our animals,” she said.  LINK