Ag community seeks answers after cattle loss

At last week’s meeting of the San Mateo County Farm Bureau, ranchers, farmers, agricultural officials and land management specialists, among others, crowded together to hear from the state veterinary officials who responded to the incident. 

The cattle loss was first reported on Dec. 9, 2018, according to an investigation launched by the Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District the next day. At the time, the tenants at McDonald Ranch, Erik and Doniga Markegard, sent an email to Midpen property management specialists reporting 18 dead cattle in one of their pastures. 

In a subsequent email, Doniga Markegard said that 30 animals in total were missing from the property, with many of them still unaccounted for. 

After contacting a local veterinarian to help assess what happened, the Markegards were referred to Alan Burr, a veterinarian for the California State Department of Food and Agriculture. The next day, Burr met with Erik Markegard and several Midpen specialists to pinpoint any potential causes of the cattle deaths.  

During the site visit, the group saw a total of nine carcasses. Seven of them were little more than hair and bones. Burr was able to collect ocular fluid from the carcass that had decayed the least — all the others were too decomposed to produce a sample. He also noted that the lab results might be inconclusive due to the age and condition of the carcasses. 

Later that month, Midpen specialists received the lab results from Burr. The toxicology tests on the fluid sample, as well as the water samples taken from a nearby pond to test for botulism, all came back negative. 

At the April 16 meeting, Farm Bureau President BJ Burns said that the ranching community was eager for clarity amid confusion and misinformation that spread over the last few months.  

“Hopefully, we get some answers here today,” he added. Burns said the Markegards were invited to attend the April 16 Farm Bureau meeting, however they were not in attendance. Efforts to reach them through the MROSD failed.

Kent Fowler, chief of the Animal Health Branch for the California Department of Food and Agriculture, fielded questions at the meeting, alongside Burr and Randy Anderson, a veterinarian for the Department of Food and Agriculture. Fowler noted the difficulty of diagnosing possible causes of death without proper tissue samples.  “We started this investigation with our hands behind our back,” he said. 

Some ranchers at the meeting said they were baffled by the extent of decomposition of the carcasses that had been examined given that the animals were said to have died within the span of a few weeks. During the December visit to McDonald Ranch, Erik Markegard reported that he found the first dead cow on Nov. 26, 2018, and that the last animal died 10 days later. 

“I can’t tell you how long they were dead,” said Fowler. “But, yes, I believe that some of the cattle had been there longer (than indicated).”

Burr refuted rumors of bioterrorism, as well as possible foul play from neighboring ranchers. He said that there were no footprints or tire tracks leading away from the property when he went out to McDonald Ranch. 

“And nobody’s going to (commit bioterrorism) in such a rural area,” he added. 

Several ranchers at the meeting asked what they should do in similar situations involving sick or dead cattle. 

“Call a veterinarian,” said Anderson. 

Others at the meeting said they were frustrated by not knowing why the cattle died. “This is embarrassing,” one rancher said. “We have a responsibility to the community.”

“You can’t expect us to diagnose a pile of bones to satisfy inquisitive minds,” answered Fowler.

San Mateo County Supervisor Don Horsley, however, said he was satisfied with the explanations given at the April 16 meeting. “I have all the answers I need,” he added. 

Fred Crowder, the agricultural commissioner for San Mateo County, said that he sent a letter to the county’s ranchers and cattlemen affirming that no foreign animal disease or naturally occurring anthrax has been detected since the incident. The health of the surviving cattle, he continued, indicates that neither foreign animal disease nor anthrax were factors. 

“There is no quarantine in place, and cattlemen can sell and move cattle without restrictions,” wrote Crowder in the letter.

Ultimately, Burns said, he remains concerned that the rumors swirling around the incident — and the lack of a definitive diagnosis — may erode trust between ranchers, property owners and the public.

“This affects all of these ranchers,” said Burns. “Poor property management is a problem for all of us. I just hope this doesn’t ruin trust among the agricultural community.”