While advocates argue that genetically engineered animals offer a promise of more affordable and more abundant food, opponents say it will only make profits more abundant and that the food could make you sick. It's one of the few big battlegrounds for the fight is right here in Northern California where the conflict is now entering a sharp new phase about what may be on your kitchen table in the near future….At UC Davis, researchers such as Prof. James Murray are working in one of only three labs nationwide to genetically modify large animals. They've already done extensive work with goats….Murray and his colleagues are finding themselves thrust under a national spotlight as federal regulators are poised to make a decision on a salmon that would be the first genetically engineered animal food approved for human consumption.
http://www.ktvu.com/news/24417706/detail.html
Police gun down rampaging pregnant cow at California State Fair [Sacramento Bee]
In the second bizarre incident at the State Fair in a week, Cal Expo police shot an agitated, pregnant dairy cow that twice escaped her confines and knocked over an officer as she bolted through the fairgrounds Tuesday morning. Neither the cow nor her calf survived the shooting, which occurred an hour before gates opened to the public. Ultimately, the roughly 1,200-pound cow became a threat to thousands of employees already abuzz in the fairgrounds, police and veterinary officials said. They agreed she had to be put down after a 1 1/2-hour chase….The Livestock Nursery program is expected to continue through the duration of the fair, which ends Sunday.
http://www.sacbee.com/2010/07/28/2919215/police-gun-down-rampaging-pregnant.html
Santa Cruz County Fair cancels planned rodeo [Los Angeles Times]
When a plan for a rodeo at the Santa Cruz County fairgrounds was tentatively approved last month, fans of ropin' and ridin' were elated. But officials Tuesday said a threatened lawsuit from animal welfare activists forced them to scuttle the local Sheriff's Department event, which was aimed at raising money for children's activities and organizations. The Santa Cruz County Fair Board of Directors "made a business decision that the benefits didn't outweigh the risks," said Steve Stagnaro, a board spokesman….Although satisfied with the cancellation, even Stop the Rodeo wasn't entirely pleased. The fair board rejected its animal-cruelty objections but responded when the group threatened to sue over alleged environmental abuses, including manure polluting a creek near the fairgrounds.
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-0728-rodeo-20100728,0,4898841.story
SB County 4-H’ers fight for program [Santa Maria Times]
The 4-H program in Santa Barbara County isn’t safe yet, but youth club members were “relieved and happy” following the Board of Supervisors meeting Tuesday. All five board members expressed their intention to increase the funding needed to continue the University of California Cooperative Extension program in the county, but a few details needed to be hammered out before a final decision could be made….The 4-H program is one of many services that the UCCE provides, such as support for growers through research into specialty crops and pest eradication, food stamp and general nutrition programs to fight diabetes and obesity, along with advice and education for local gardeners and the public….State cuts to the UC system, combined with local funding reductions, would reduce its presence in Santa Barbara County to practically nothing without the infusion of cash from the Board of Supervisors.
http://www.santamariatimes.com/news/local/govt-and-politics/article_93e6d8a0-9a13-11df-ad1e-001cc4c002e0.html
California, New Mexico and 3 Canadian provinces outline regional cap-and-trade program [Los Angeles Times]
California, joined by New Mexico and three Canadian provinces, outlined a detailed plan Tuesday to curb greenhouse gas emissions in a regional cap-and-trade program by January 2012. The Western Climate Initiative, if it survives political hurdles, would be three times larger than an existing trading system for power plants in 10 Eastern states. It would cover not just the electricity sector, but most large industrial plants as well as transportation….The trading program would allow companies to meet targets by purchasing less expensive "offsets" from forests, agriculture or garbage dumps when companies in those sectors store carbon dioxide beyond what they would have emitted in the normal course of business.
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-climate-pact-20100728,0,5740672.story
Changes proposed to California emission regulations [The Packer]
New emission regulations for transport refrigeration units on trucks that operate in California are causing headaches for owner-operators and others involved in transporting fresh produce. Although the California Air Resources Board — which developed and enforces the regulations — is looking to amend the rules again to make things easier, it is also looking at stricter enforcement, possibly holding brokers, wholesalers and anyone who make transportation arrangements responsible for trucks that do not comply. In the first six months of enforcement, the board inspected more than 4,000 units, wrote more than 700 citations for failure to comply with the in-use performance standard and more than 170 for California-based trucks that were not registered.
http://thepacker.com/Changes-proposed-to-California-emission-regulations/Article.aspx?oid=1181225&aid=351&fid=PACKER-TOP-STORIES
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