Weekly Update Feb. 12, 2010

Welcome to Weekly Update, a publication of Western United Environmental Services (WUES). We realize you look to us as a reliable source of information on the Waste Discharge Requirements from the Regional Water Board. We strive to provide your dairy with quality service, while at the same time saving you money as you face the challenges in complying with the WDRs. Previous editions of can be found at www.wuenvironmental.com.

A three-day dairy herdsman short course sponsored by UC Cooperative Extension will be held in Tulare April 27-29. The course is designed for working dairy employees and is designed to provide information on the latest technology and training in all aspects of dairy management. Simultaneous translation will be available to assist Spanish-speaking attendees. Morning session will focus on classroom sessions, with the afternoons devoted to hands-on training. Registration fee is $280. Companies or dairies with more than one participant will be charged $260 for each additional participant. Individual student fees are $220. Pre-registration is required. Additional information is available online at http://cefresno.ucdavis.edu/Dairy/ or by contacting Fresno/Madera dairy Advisor Gerald Higginbotham at (559) 456-7558 or gehigginbotham@ucdavis.edu.

The deadline is March 19 to apply for Western United Dairymen's highly successful California Dairy Leaders Program. Designed to train the next generation of California's dairy leaders, the leadership program consists of several sessions devoted to developing a better understanding of the economic, legislative, marketing, and environmental issues facing the industry. Application forms can be downloaded by clicking here. The yearlong program kicks off in the spring. Topics include environmental issues, the state and federal legislative process, dairy pricing and economics, biotechnological developments, marketing and promotion, and public relations skills. Participants will develop and enhance their leadership skills through communication, business etiquette, negotiation skills, time management, and team building workshops. Instruction will be provided by recognized experts in their field. Eligible participants must be actively involved in milk production, be able to spend the necessary time in class, as well as studying resource materials, and be able to commit to visits to locations such as Sacramento and Washington DC. Class IX enrollment will be limited to ensure one-on-one instruction. The program enrollment fee of $750 should be submitted with letters of recommendation. Further information is available by contacting Western United Dairymen at 209-527-6453

New project energizes dairy waste treatment

State support of a new methane digesting project could help three Central Valley dairy farms more efficiently treat their waste. Officials from the California Department of Agriculture, the Merced Irrigation District, a West Sacramento-based environmental engineering company and representatives of three dairies met Tuesday at the World Ag Expo in Tulare to sign an agreement to pursue digester pilot projects at each of the dairies. Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger stopped by to express his support for the project after the signing. The dairies -- Joseph Gallo Farms of Atwater, Hillcrest Dairy Farms in Le Grand and Lima Farms in Lodi -- could house a new digesting system designed to comprehensively treat dairy waste by turning it into fertilizer, treated water or renewable energy. The new system, created by ProTechGCS, Inc., includes a treatment plant using various types of digesters, algae ponds and other means to turn the waste into energy. Natalie Friton, a spokeswoman for ProTechGCS, said financing for each of the pilot projects hasn't been finished, but it probably will include private investors because the treatment plants will generate revenue over time for the farms. <more> Feb. 10, 2010 Merced Sun-Star

Tunnel emerges as favored way to deliver Sacramento River water to the state

A giant tunnel now is the primary concept for delivering water from the Sacramento River to the rest of California. The Bay Delta Conservation Plan, a coalition of water agencies and nonprofit groups, agreed at its meeting in Sacramento today to pursue the tunnel idea. It now is the group's primary option for further study as a solution to freshwater delivery problems in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta. The conservation plan is an effort by water agencies to obtain Endangered Species Act approval for massive new plumbing projects in the Delta. A draft of the full plan, including large habitat restorations projects, is not expected until the end of this year. As American water projects go, this one will rank among the biggest ever. As currently proposed, the tunnel would run about 35 miles from near the town of Hood, south of Sacramento, to water diversion pumps in the south Delta near Byron. It would be a pair of tunnels 150 feet underground, each about 33 feet in diameter. The twin tunnels could move 15,000 cubic feet of water per second, or about 10 times the flow in the American River today. Estimated cost is $11.7 billion. Water agencies that receive the diverted water have agreed to pay for the project, a cost that would be passed on to ratepayers. <more> Feb. 11, 2010 Fresno Bee

CALENDAR OF MONTHLY MONITORING ACTIVITIES

February 2010

1^st of the month	Photograph Free Board in Ponds
Weekly	Visual inspection (production and waste storage areas; ponds)
Manure Exports	Measure volume/density OR weight/moisture (require lab analysis)
Harvest	Yield, lab analysis

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