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Federal funding for rural school districts and county governments

Rural schools bill moves forward

Schools serving 9 million students across the country could benefit from a bill being considered by a House subcommittee today (Wednesday). The bill aims to solidify funding for school districts and county governments in rural areas that contain national forest land. Those services have been paid for in part by timber harvest revenues from forestlands, but sharp cuts in timber harvest dried up the revenue stream. The bill would provide supplementary money for five years.

Rain in far north helps potatoes, hurts hay

Rain and snow in Northeastern California created mixed results for farmers. The wet weather will cause some quality loss for hay that had been cut before the storms. But the rain helps potato farmers who will start harvesting their fall crop this week, by making it easier to dig the potatoes. Storms have been few and far between in the region. The Modoc County agricultural commissioner is drafting a request for a drought disaster declaration.

Cling-peach harvest volumes recover

Final figures confirm a recovery in the California cling-peach harvest. The California Canning Peach Association says deliveries to canneries reached almost 490,000 tons of fruit. That's up 38 percent from last year's very small crop. The amount of peaches harvested per acre reached the highest level in seven years. The association says the larger crop should help processors meet demand for domestic canned peaches.

New dairy digester starts producing power

Electricity has become the latest product of a Northern California dairy farm. St. Anthony Farm near Petaluma became the first in Sonoma County to install a system known as a methane digester. The digester converts waste from the dairy's 240 cows into biogas, which is used to generate electricity. The system operates about 12 hours a day, producing much of the electricity needed for the dairy's milking center and creamery.

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