Water and fishing:
*California forestry officials reject rules to protect salmon -- California forestry officials Wednesday rejected an emergency petition to protect coho salmon in coastal streams, even though federal fisheries regulators said it would help the imperiled fish. The request came from California Trout, the Sierra Club and the Environmental Protection Information Center. It targeted coho salmon in coastal streams between Santa Cruz and Humboldt counties. The forestry board regulates logging on private land. Last year it required new stream protections if the state Department Fish and Game ruled that a logging plan will kill salmon. But Fish and Game has never made such a ruling. The petitioners want the stream protections required without such a finding. Sacramento Bee 8/7/08
Desalination plant plans OK'd -- A private company's proposal to build the nation's largest drinking water desalination plant at Agua Hedionda Lagoon in Carlsbad cleared its final hurdles yesterday before the California Coastal Commission. San Diego City Attorney Michael Aguirre testified in opposition to the project, arguing that it was the wrong approach to solving the region's water shortage. San Diego Union Tribune 8/7/08
US investigates impacts of drugs in drinking water -- American environmental regulators are looking into the effects of low level residues of drugs in drinking water and working with healthcare professionals to see how levels might be reduced. The Environmental Protection Agency has asked the National Academy of Science to advise on potential risks to human health and draw up a list prioritising the particular pharmaceuticals for which urgent action is needed. Edie 8/7/08
Health:
*Insured patients using ER for primary care -- Hospital emergency departments, typically the medical providers of last resort, are becoming the only option for insured as well as uninsured people who are unable to get care elsewhere, leading to a record rise in emergency room visits over the past decade, a federal government report found. Emergency room visits jumped more than 32 percent from 90.3 million in 1996 to 119 million in 2006, the most recent year statistics are available, according to the National Center for Health Statistics, a division of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. California has the lowest percentage of emergency departments per capita - 6.12 per 1 million people. SF Chronicle 8/7/08
Biofuels:
Cal Poly project aims to make biofuels from algae -- For almost a year now, student researchers have been growing this aquatic plant at the San Luis Obispo County Wastewater Treatment Facility. As the algae is harvested, it is then dried and extracted for its oil. The algae will serving a dual purpose: one purpose is to turn it into fuel, but plans are also in the works to bring algae ponds to Cal Poly so it can treat the wastewater on campus. KSBY 8/7/08
Agriculture:
*UCD shares $12.3 million grant for large-scale 'carbon farm' in Delta -- UC Davis is joining federal and state agencies in the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta for expanded research into "carbon-capture" farming - a process of trapping carbon dioxide and rebuilding the soil base. UC Davis' participation is made possible by a three-year, $12.3 million grant from the state Department of Water Resources. UC Davis and the U.S. Geological Survey are sharing the grant, which was announced July 23. Daily Democrat 8/7/08
California Company Recalls Beef After E. Coli Outbreak -- A California company is voluntarily recalling 153,630 pounds of frozen ground beef, some of which has been linked to an outbreak of E. coli bacteria that shut down a Boy Scout camp in Goshen, Va., this week, federal officials said. S&S Foods, of Azusa, Calif., is recalling 30-pound boxes of ground beef that went to distribution centers in Milwaukee, Wisc. and Allentown, Penn., on the recommendation of the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Food Safety and Inspection Service. Washington Post 8/7/08
California strawberries clear Olympic hurdle -- With one food preference survey, China's Olympic athletes accomplished something the California Strawberry Commission and Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger had been trying to achieve for years: getting U.S.-grown supplies of the fruit into communist China. The first 450-pound supply of American strawberries ever exported legally to China arrived in Beijing on Wednesday after members of the Chinese Olympic team listed strawberries as the No. 3 fruit they would like to eat during the Summer Games starting Friday. AP 8/7/08
The Peninsula fights a big battle against a little moth -- So far, the moth — which immigrated to California from Australia, New Zealand or Hawaii in 2007 — has not caused any crop damage, according to CDFA spokesman Steve Lyle. Traps in San Mateo County have caught 359 moths, compared with nearly 8,500 in neighboring San Francisco and nearly 18,000 in Santa Cruz County. Examiner 8/7/08
*Secretary Kawamura and USDA Secretary Schafer celebrate the benefits of farmers markets -- Secretary A.G. Kawamura today joined U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Ed Schafer in proclaiming Aug. 3-9 “National Farmers Market Week.” This proclamation celebrates the thousands of farmers across the state who set up their tents, ready their scales, roll out their new products, and invite multitudes of people to sample farm fresh, locally grown products. The U.S. Department of Agriculture reports over 4,500 farmers markets currently operate throughout the nation. Of those markets, approximately 520 are in California. Western Farm Press 8/6/08
California sweet potato harvest begins -- After surviving a couple of spring weather hurdles, the California sweet potato crop is back on schedule. Harvest began in late July, and grower-shippers said production will meet demand through the holidays and into the new year. A mid-April frost, followed by two days of extremely high winds in May, killed thousands of young plantings, also known as slips. As many as 3,000 acres had to be replanted. The state’s sweet potato acreage this year is more than 14,000 acres, Stoddard said, up from 13,000 acres in 2007. The Packer 8/7/08
*Doha Round trade talks collapse -- The Doha Round negotiations of the World Trade Organization collapsed in late July after the U.S. refused to accept a demand by China and India that any new agreement should allow them to raise tariffs and put in place special safeguards on agricultural goods. Now, nearly seven years after launch, trade observers said the Doha round of global trade talks is probably on hold for the rest of the year. The Packer 8/6/08
Food and nutrition:
Dining Update: Coi's sophisticated menu earns Patterson four stars -- Few chefs have such a meticulous focus on both product and technique. Unlike many chef-owners, it is rare to see Patterson chatting in the dining room; he prefers to stay in the background and let the food speak in his stead. And his subtle, intricate and cerebral food speaks volumes. SF Chronicle 8/6/08
Jamba Inc.: Juicing up its expansion strategy -- Jamba, which operates a chain of Jamba Juice smoothie cafes, has been working on a major expansion beyond its core California market since it became a public company last November. It was founded in 1990 by Kirk Perron, a cycling enthusiast in San Luis Obispo, Calif., who craved healthy smoothies after a hard day of cycling. Small Cap Investor 8/7/08
No comments:
Post a Comment