Stanislaus County, CA - At Least 1,400 Dairy Cows Killed By Heat

[hatrack]

The heat wave is punishing Stanislaus County's dairy and poultry industries. Veterinarians and industry estimates indicate about 1 percent of the county's milk-producing dairy cows have died. That would represent about 1,400 cows. Dairy operators in Stanislaus keep 13 percent of their herds dry, or non-milk producing. None of the dry cows are in danger.

The health of the dairy industry matters in the Northern San Joaquin Valley, where milk is the top farm product, bringing an estimated $1.6 billion in gross income to farmers in 2004. Dairies grossed $550 million in Stanislaus County alone in 2005.

And heat-related ag problems go beyond the dairy industry. County officials said poultry losses are at 1 million pounds, with hundreds of thousands of chickens and turkeys dead. The poultry industry generated $161.5 million in revenue in 2005 with 207 million birds. Turkeys represent a $38 million industry with 12 million birds.

Heat-related problems come at a particularly bad time for the state's dairies. According to industry experts, an oversupply of milk has triggered one of its recurring spells of low prices. Stanislaus County Chief Executive Officer Rick Robinson proclaimed an environmental state of emergency Monday because rendering plants statewide cannot keep up with the rising number of farm animal carcasses during the heat wave.

EDIT

http://www.modbee.com/local/v-dp_morning/story/12498933p-13215083c.html

[donsu]

1. good grief - this is serious

nt

[stopbush]

2. The San Joaquin Valley produces 25% of the food consumed in the USA.

Look for price hikes on dairy, fruit & vegetables across the country.

Maybe it's time to do another study on global warming...you know, to see if it's real.

[Sequoia]

3. Poor cows. No Happy Cows in California these days.

I see them in the fields and there is no shade for the dying creatures.

[jpak]

4. I put myself through undergrad working at a chicken farm for $2 an hour

60-80 hours a week - and no overtime (agriculture).

One summer, my brother and I worked 2 months straight without a day off (12-14 hours a day).

We finally convinced da boss to let us have a weekend off.

They turned out to be the hottest two days ever recorded in the state of Maine (105-107 degrees F).

All we heard on the radio the whole weekend was "MILLIONS OF CHICKENS DEAD!!!!".

Guess what we did for the next 3 weeks...

:puke:

:puke:

:puke:

[GreenPartyVoter]

7. Oh, ICK! Poor you *hugs*

[phantom power]

5. The thought that summers like this may be the new normal is... disturbing.

[jarnocan]

6. so much is going on

and this is another serious crisis, but the Bu**sh** and republican agenda is focused on trivial nonsence waving the flag, preventing some people from marrying,and coming to this country to work hard, (while sending better jobs to other countries) and American Idol-style hoopla.

[Xithras]

8. Actually this isn't unusual (the cows or the heat).

I've lived here 30 years, and I don't ever remember a summer that DIDN'T have a stretch of 100+ degree weather. This area was mostly scrub desert before irrigation greened it, but all the irrigation in the world isn't going to get rid of its desert weather patterns.

There are only two reasons this is getting any attention. 1) Lots of people moving here from other parts of the state for our "cheap" real estate are caught off guard by the heat...they see all the green and expect that it will be relatively cool. Our "real" weather can come as a bit of a shock. 2) With unusual heat gripping much of the rest of the state, the press is scouring for "heat stories" to fill their pages. The numbers of dead cows rise and fall with the temperature EVERY summer here.

BTW, the rendering plants are backlogged because most of them have been shut down. Developers build new neighborhoods downwind of them, and the new residents sue because rendering plants stink. The plant owners eventually get tired of it and shut down. When I was a kid here, I know of at least 4 rendering plants that existed here (you could smell them for a mile, so everyone knew what and where they were). Today, there is only 1 plant left in operation. And they wonder why they can't keep up?!?