Cows? In California? Rangelands and Livestock in the Golden State

On the Ground•Most of the livestock forage in California is produced in the Mediterranean climate zone, despite a long summer dry period.•There are also cold desert steppe and warm desert zones, and montane range, and both fall- and spring-calving cattle herds.•Leased land, public land, irrigated pasture, supplements, by-products, and feeds round out the annual forage calendar.•The Mediterranean zone has been termed a “critically endangered eco-region” and a “global biodiversity hot spot.”•Grazing benefits some of our rarest rangeland species and finest landscapes, and diverse interest groups are cooperating to support ranching.