Food & Farm News
» June 20, 2008 «
Metal theft prevention bill advancing 
Two bills that address metal theft have been combined into one by the authors. Backers are hopeful the new bill will gain approval of both houses of the Legislature by the end of next week. Sellers of scrap metal would be paid by check and be required to leave a thumbprint. Metal theft has become a serious problem for farmers as well as business and governmental agencies. Law enforcement agencies say most of the suspects arrested for metal theft are drug addicts.
New strawberry production record possible
Strawberry growers set a production record last year. With a 3 percent increase in planted acreage this season, they could establish a new high production mark. The California Strawberry Commission says farmers planted 36,000 acres of strawberries this year. The keys to another record-setting production will be weather and availability of irrigation water. Demand for strawberries remains strong.
California remains leading dairy state
California continues to lead the nation in milk production, according to a federal government report. In May California dairy farms produced more than 307,000 gallons of milk, a nearly 3 percent increase from May 2007. Wisconsin continues in second place, producing nearly 184,000 gallons of milk. The number of cows being milked in both states increased slightly.
Ethanol by-product subs for petroleum in plastic
Distiller's dried grains, a by-product of ethanol production, can be used to make plastic. That's the finding of research scientists. Their studies show the grain has a high fiber content and a molecular structure suitable for binding. That's what makes it a candidate as a filler in plastics. Fillers in plastics are used to increase strength in the product. Using distiller's dried grains would reduce the use of petroleum in plastic production.
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