Food & Farm News
» June 15, 2007 «
State's timber production drops 5 percent
Even though California has much more forestland than either Oregon or Washington, the other Pacific Coast states produce far more timber than California does. In releasing annual figures on timber production yesterday (Thursday), the California Forest Products Commission said that government policies prevent or discourage sustainable forestry here. The commission said California timber production dropped more than 5 percent last year, mainly due to less harvesting on government-owned land.
Kern County declares water emergency
One day after declaring a water emergency, Kern County water officials met with Governor Schwarzenegger in Bakersfield yesterday to discuss the impact of curtailed pumping from the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta. The Kern County Water Agency says its supplies from the State Water Project will be reduced by two-thirds unless pumping returns to normal within a week. The agency says it will begin additional conservation measures and take other steps to respond to the water shortage.
Water agency warns SD farmers 
In the wake of a dry winter and the pumping problems in the delta, San Diego County farmers received official word this week that their water supplies may be reduced. The region's water wholesaler told farmers to expect cuts of as much as 30 percent, beginning next January. The executive director of the San Diego County Farm Bureau says farmers will face tough choices if the water cuts take place. He said wet weather later this year might prevent the planned reductions.
Vaccine approved for California cattle
An experimental vaccine has become available to California cattle ranchers, to help them protect their animals from a potentially severe disease. The California Cattlemen's Association says state and federal officials approved distribution of the vaccine. The association had sought the move. It says the disease, anaplasmosis, has become a bigger problem for California cattle. Ticks carry the disease, and tick populations have increased in the past year.
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