Farmers in Nevada County, along with the Nevada County Agriculture Department and UC Cooperative Extension (UCCE) have established an Ag Pass Access Program to facilitate crop production and human safety before, during, and after wildfire and other emergencies.
Ag Passholders may be permitted into evacuation zones, or other restricted areas, to care for crops and critical infrastructure essential to their operation. Safe access by trained and qualified farm personnel is critical to farm business continuity, firefighters and public safety.
Qualified Commercial Agriculture Operator: For the purpose of this program and to ensure that an operation qualifies, an operation may be required to submit any of the following documents: a) an Operator Identification number or Restricted Materials permit issued by the Agricultural Commissioner; b) an executed agricultural land lease; c) redacted tax forms (i.e. Internal Revenue Service Schedule F) or other business documentation; d) a valid Certified Producers Certificate; e) a valid CDFA Organic Registration; f) a valid Annual Cannabis Permit (ACP) issued by the Nevada County Cannabis Compliance Division.
Application for Registration: To enroll in the program, a Qualified Commercial Agriculture Operator must provide contact information, APNs and/or physical addresses of production sites and other information by completing the ONLINE FORM (click here). For assistance completing the online registration, contact Andrea Warner at (530) 889 – 7385 or alnwarner@ucanr.edu.
Please note that farm owners, family members, and managerial employees are eligible to participate. Employees who receive hourly pay are not eligible.
Mandatory Training: A new Commercial Agriculture Operator must complete an initial 4-hour training course. Training will be offered on Friday, April 11th from 1pm to 5pm. Additional meeting details will be provided upon registration for the program. Farmers who received a pass in prior years will need to complete a 1-hour virtual training session.
2025 Nevada-Placer-Yuba Livestock Access Program Registration
Ranchers in Placer, Nevada, and Yuba Counties, along with UC Cooperative Extension (UCCE) and the County Agricultural Departments from these three counties, have established a Disaster Livestock Access Program to facilitate livestock and human safety before, during, and after wildfire and other emergencies.
Evacuating livestock from commercial ranching operations may not be possible in the event of a major incident, due to scale of operation. Sheltering-in-place may be the best and safest alternative. Safe access by trained and qualified ranch personnel is critical to livestock welfare, firefighter safety, and public safety. The geographic scope of this project aligns with the CALFIRE administrative unit for the region (Nevada, Placer, and Yuba Counties).
Livestock Access Passholders may be permitted into evacuation zones, or other restricted areas, to provide feed, water, medical treatment, and other care to commercial livestock.
Qualified Commercial Livestock Operator: For the purposes of this program, a commercial livestock operator is defined as owning/managing 50+ head of livestock (including in utero, e.g., 25 bred cows), 100+ poultry or rabbits, or 50+ beehives that reside in Placer, Nevada, or Yuba County for at least a portion of the year, or a person who, through an agreement with that owner of livestock, has authority and is responsible to oversee the care and well-being of the livestock. This program applies to commercially raised species of livestock, including cattle, sheep, goats, hogs, poultry, rabbits, llamas, alpacas, and bees. “Commercially raised” means the livestock are raised as part of a business.
Application for Registration: To enroll in the program, a Commercial Livestock Operator must provide contact information, APNs and/or physical addresses of grazing sites, general season(s) of use, livestock description and count, and other information by completing the online form (CLICK HERE). For assistance completing the online registration, contact Andrea Warner at (530) 889-7385 or alnwarner@ucanr.edu. Please note that ranch owners, family members, and managerial employees are eligible to participate. Employees who receive hourly pay are not eligible.
Mandatory Training: A new Commercial Livestock Operator must complete an initial 4-hour training. Training will be offered on April 11 from 1pm to 5pm. Additional meeting details will be provided upon registration for the program. Ranchers who received a pass in prior years will need to complete a 1-hour virtual training session.