CLEAR Conversations: Rancher Tony Toso Champions Trade and Stewardship at CattleCon
At the annual National Cattlemen’s Beef Association event, CattleCon in Nashville, host Tracy Sellers took the Clear Conversations podcast on the road. Her guest was someone who knows that event well—California rancher Tony Toso of Mariposa County. Part cattleman, part appraiser, part policy advocate, Toso represents a generation of producers who balance life on the land with leadership.
Toso ranches in the Sierra foothills, but in Nashville, he was wearing another hat: chair of the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association’s International Trade Committee.
Exports, he explained, are not an abstract policy discussion. They are dollars and cents at the ranch level. “When we sell an animal in a sea container,” he said, referring to boxed beef shipped overseas, “that contributes about $400 a head to the value of that animal.” In a business where margins are often thin and risk is constant, that $400 matters.
As chair, Toso helps monitor global trade issues that could affect U.S. beef producers—everything from tariffs and labeling rules to emerging sustainability standards. The committee hears from groups like the U.S. Meat Export Federation and works closely with NCBA staff who track developments in markets around the world. Recently, he noted, the United Kingdom opened new access to U.S. beef—a significant breakthrough after years of negotiations. China, by contrast, remains a sticking point, a market with enormous potential but complicated access.
“We’re always looking for new markets,” he said. Japan and Korea remain strong partners, but diversification is key. For Toso, international trade isn’t just about opportunity—it’s about resilience.
Balancing cattle and policy
His path to the committee grew out of a career steeped in value and finance. In addition to ranching, Toso is a partner in Edwards, Lien and Toso Inc., an agricultural appraisal firm based in Hilmar, California. With more than a dozen appraisers and support staff—including his daughter Alyssa, now training in the business—the firm specializes in agricultural properties, conservation easements, and ranches.
The dual careers suit him. Ranching offers quiet, physical work and a deep connection to the land. Appraisal challenges him intellectually, requiring analysis, data, and careful judgment. “It’s a balance,” he said. “I know where I need to be, and I just kind of do it.”
That balance extends to leadership. Toso has long believed in service, a value sharpened by family. He and his wife, Danette, started their ranch in 1990 with about 500 acres alongside his father-in-law and mother-in-law. Today, the operation spans more than 11,000 acres of private and public land. Their two daughters are involved, and grandchildren now roam the same hillsides.
In California, where wildfire has become an annual threat, Toso’s commitment to policy is deeply personal. In 2017, the Detwiler Fire burned roughly 700 acres of his ranch. The fire, started by target shooting on a hot summer day, forced long hours of gathering cattle, protecting water sources, and carving firebreaks.
Living through that experience shaped his tenure as president of the California Cattlemen’s Association from 2020 to 2022. During that time, the organization championed legislation creating a livestock pass, allowing producers to access their property during emergencies to protect animals and infrastructure. Another measure addressed liability standards for burn bosses conducting prescribed fires, raising protections for those following established rules and establishing a contingency fund to cover emergency costs if a fire escaped.
“These things matter where we live,” Toso said. In fire-prone landscapes, grazing livestock can also play a role in reducing fuel loads, contributing to wildfire mitigation and broader land stewardship.
Stewardship and leadership on a global stage
That stewardship connects back to international trade. Sustainability conversations increasingly surface in global forums—from European Union deforestation policies to climate discussions. Toso believes producers must have a seat at the table.
“There are people in this world who may not look at things the way we do,” he said. “We need to make sure we’re telling our story.” That story includes the science behind grazing systems, the role of cattle in the carbon cycle, and the practical realities of managing working landscapes—particularly in states like California, where livestock often graze lands that might otherwise be vulnerable to overgrowth and fire.
From the foothills of Mariposa County to negotiating trade abroad, Tony Toso’s work reflects the interconnectedness of modern ranching. And for Toso, that broader work is simply another way of tending the land—and the legacy—he hopes to pass on.