Agriculture:
*Slaughter under way of dairy herd exposed to TB -- More than 1,000 cattle at risk of contracting bovine tuberculosis are being slaughtered in Fresno County, where the contagious lung disease has been found at three dairies. Federal officials have quarantined more than 12,000 cattle there to protect the country's largest milk-producing region from economic hardship. U.S. Department of Agriculture Undersecretary of Agriculture Bruce Knight is on the scene, and the agency has begun drawing up new regulations for California cattle shipped out of state. SJ Mercury 7/8/08
Five things to watch in next year's cotton market -- Never before has the cotton market been pulled and pushed in so many directions, from such great distances and by factors the market usually has ignored. With the price of corn headed to between $7 and $8, and the price of soybeans headed toward $16, we could be in for another year of low acreage for cotton in 2009. Western Farm Press 7/8/08
*Good quality gets California tree fruit season off to solid start -- California fresh peach, plum and nectarine growers are at the supply peak of a marketing season that is expected to send more than 56 million packages to markets worldwide by season's end. It has been a roller coaster start for the season, with many producers, especially from the Modesto area north, suffering frost damage. Some orchards were a 100 percent loss due to frost. However, the frost damage cut significantly into the early fruit supply, which has been marketed to pleased consumers who are paying respectable prices for plentiful, good-eating quality fruit. Western Farm Press 7/8/08
California tree fruit growers reduce nitrogen to improve quality -- Progressive California fresh fruit growers have significantly reduced nitrogen use on peach, plum and nectarine trees, and the result has been improved quality fruit. University of California Extension Pomologist Scott Johnson told growers at a University of California Kearney Agricultural Center field day featuring nutrient management that growers have reduced nitrogen use by half, compared to a decade or more ago. Western Farm Press 7/8/08
Health:
Senate to vote Wednesday on cutting Medicare payments to doctors –A pay cut was scheduled to take effect July 1. But after public complaints, the Bush administration intervened at the last minute, suspending the pay cuts until July 15. The pay cuts are part of a Medicare cost-containment package approved by Congress in 1997. It created a new formula for determining physician payment rates, but Congress has so far been unwilling to follow through, voting four times since 2002 to stop the pay cuts. Sacramento Bee 7/8/08
Aerial spraying considered to combat West Nile virus -- South Sacramento County residents, already suffering from heat and dirty air, face the possibility of aerial spraying to combat the spread of the West Nile virus. The Sacramento-Yolo Mosquito and Vector Control District announced today that because of the extreme heat, transmission of the virus is expected to increase in bird and mosquito populations. Brown said the district is evaluating its response. Though no formal decision has been made, the district said aerial spraying might be needed as early as next week. Sacramento Bee 7/8/08
Sacramento-Yolo mosquito district treats abandoned pools -- Technicians assigned to crack down on mosquito-borne West Nile virus have seen a drastic increase in cases involving abandoned or neglected swimming pools in the Sacramento area. Pool-related treatments handled by the Sacramento-Yolo Mosquito and Vector Control District have increased sixfold in the first half of this year compared with the same period last year. Mosquitoes often seek out such pools and standing water to lay their eggs. Sacramento Bee 7/8/08
*More fines considered for Anthem Blue Cross in policy cancellations -- California health care regulators say they are reviewing whether Anthem Blue Cross should face more fines in addition to a $1 million penalty for canceling coverage for hundreds of policy holders. Gubernatorial adviser Daniel Zingale says investigations have been launched into each of the health insurer's 1,770 canceled policies to look for individual fines. A possible $200,000 maximum fine in each case means the next set of fines could dwarf the initial million-dollar fine announced last year. SJ Mercury 7/8/08
Water:
*Most of Sacramento's water meters purchased without contracts or bids -- Over the past decade, Sacramento's problem-plagued Department of Utilities purchased most of its $10.5 million in new water meters without a contract and by sidestepping the competitive bidding process, records show. In order to buy from one company, department administrators repeatedly misinformed the City Council that the firm was the only source for the type of meter they sought, according to City Auditor Marty Kolkin. Sacramento Bee 7/8/08
Nanotechnology may decrease energy costs for desalination -- Following an announcement two years ago that "Nanotube membranes offer [the] possibility of cheaper desalination", scientists at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory have continued progress toward the goal of nanotech membranes for water purification that will greatly decrease the energy cost for desalination. In one recent study they showed that carbon nanotubes reject ions that make up common salts while they rush through at great speeds chains of water molecules held together by hydrogen bonds. Foresight Nanotech Institute 7/8/08
Irrigation technology: Smart water solutions for state's farmers -- Faced with another dry year, California farmers and ranchers are looking for ways to stretch their water supplies to the maximum, hoping they won't lose everything they've invested in their crops. For farmers in the drought-stricken regions of the state, progress is taking the form of new irrigation technology that in many cases is providing farmers with additional water, greater efficiency and monetary savings. California Farm Bureau Federation 7/8/08
Softener-ban bill moves toward full CA Senate vote -- A California softener-ban bill, AB 2270, passed out of the state Senate Appropriations Committee by party line vote on July 7, continuing its move toward Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's desk. Before AB 2270 goes before the governor for his signature, it needs to pass the whole California state Senate. Industry observers said this could happen as early as next week, according to a July 8 Water Quality Association (WQA) press release. Water Tech Online 7/8/08
Food:
*Restaurants sue over nutrition posting law -- California's restaurant industry is taking San Francisco to court over a city law that requires chain restaurants to post calorie totals and other nutritional information on menus and menu boards. The lawsuit, filed in U.S. District Court last week, says the law set to take effect Sept. 20 lacks flexibility, will confuse customers, illegally skirts state and federal authority, and violates the restaurants' First Amendment rights.
On the menu at the G8 -- A Guardian UK blog makes fun of poor English translation on menus released for G8 summit. 7/8/08
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