Union County accepts $82,204 wolf compensation grant for livestock losses, prevention

Union County ranchers hit by wolf depredation will divide $82,204.31 in state aid, with nearly $45,000 set aside to reimburse direct livestock losses and another $48,263.33 reserved for prevention work meant to stop the next attack.

The Union County Board of Commissioners accepted the Oregon Department of Agriculture grant, identified as ODA-4699-GR, at its April 15 meeting. County staff said $44,940.98 will cover depredation losses for two local producers, fully compensating them for the market value of seven ewes, one steer and four cow calves, with a multiplier that lifts the recovery above simple replacement cost.

The larger prevention share is aimed at keeping livestock safe in open country where ranching and wolf activity overlap. The Union County Wolf Depredation Compensation Advisory Committee will take applications from producers who want to use the money for range riders, fencing improvements, deterrence tools and other nonlethal methods. For county leaders, that split matters: the grant does not only pay after damage is done, it also tries to reduce future conflict on the ground.

Union County’s program has been in place since 2012, when the Oregon Department of Agriculture directed counties to administer wolf compensation through local advisory committees after the Oregon Legislature passed House Bill 3560 on June 24, 2011. County officials said the local committee has awarded more than $87,000 in grant funds over the past several years, showing how quickly the need can add up in cattle and sheep country.

The new award also fits a broader pattern across Eastern Oregon. Union County sought $191,194 from the state in February 2025 for wolf losses, and it received $101,832 in 2024, the largest amount it had seen at the time from the program. Statewide, the Oregon Department of Agriculture awarded $789,565 to 13 counties in 2024, and 61% of those dollars went to nonlethal prevention. Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife also reported 69 confirmed livestock depredation events statewide in 2024, down from 73 the year before.

For Union County, the money helps cover immediate losses, but it also underlines a lingering gap: ranchers are still being asked to protect herds, absorb disruption and adapt to wolves while county officials keep returning to Salem for support.