Up to 4,000 Iowa cattle die in heat wave
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — As many as 4,000 Iowa cattle have died in the recent heat wave, the Iowa Cattlemen’s Assoc. said last week.

Up to 3,000 of the deaths occurred in eastern Iowa, spokeswoman Dal Grooms said in a story first reported in The Des Moines Register.

Grooms said totals from northwestern Iowa push the number of cattle deaths to nearly 4,000.

Iowa had heat indices of 110 degrees or higher two weeks ago, and the stifling heat could affect the fertility of bulls and the ability of heifers to stay pregnant, Grooms said.

“The heat really knocks down the fertility of bulls and with heifers and cows, it’s the early time of pregnancy and there is a question of whether they will stay pregnant because of heat stress,” Grooms said. “We won’t know the answer to that until October,” when the animals are checked by veterinarians.
Iowa, which had about 1.2 million cattle on July 1, is the fifth-largest cattle-producing state in the nation.

To read more about USDA assistance available to producers losing livestock to extreme weather, see page 8 in this issue.

Tennessee farmers get inventive to fight heat

LOUDON, Tenn. (AP) — Hot weather is affecting not only people but livestock, as well. In Loudon County, farmer Gage Goddard said his farm lost a lamb recently because a fan broke down. Several others became dehydrated, but survived.

Some farmers are feeding their stock an electrolyte formula, much like a sports drink, to keep them hydrated, according to WBIR-TV in Knoxville. Producers are also shearing sheep early to help keep them cooler.

Dairy farmer Steve Harrison is sprinkling his cattle with water every 12 minutes to cool them. Harrison said it pays off because heat-stressed cows produce less milk.

Farmers also are trying not to move their animals until evening or early in the day to keep them from getting too hot.

215 Illinois schools join fresh produce program

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) — State officials say 215 Illinois schools will share $4.7 million from the federal Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program this school year.
The program gives students in the participating public and private schools access to fresh produce throughout the school day. Schools can make the extra fruits and veggies available all day, except during breakfast and lunch.
The program requires schools to allocate between $50-$75 per student, with the majority spent on fresh produce. The funding runs through June 30, 2012. The Illinois State Board of Education said the grant is up from $3.3 million last year that went to 186 schools. Nearly 370 schools applied for this year’s.

$500K given to fight bovine tuberculosis in Michigan

EAST LANSING, Mich. (AP) — Livestock farmers in 11 Michigan counties will get an additional $500,000 to fight bovine tuberculosis.

The money from the USDA is the third allocation for the northern Michigan counties over the past three months. So far, $1.5 million has been invested in the effort to wipe out the disease in those counties.

Bovine tuberculosis is believed to be spread to livestock by wild deer. The disease causes severe coughing, fatigue, emaciation and debilitation in cattle. Farmers can get reimbursed from the program for fencing and other practices that keep deer and other wildlife from livestock.

Michigan Milk Producers Assoc. President Ken Nobis said bovine tuberculosis threatens the state’s dairy industry, which employs 26,500 people and pumps more than $6 billion into the economy.

Federal judge: Biofuel deal was a scam

NATCHEZ, Miss. (AP) — A federal judge agreed with regulators’ charges against a man who claimed he had developed a revolutionary process to more than double fuel production from soybeans – and to do so without waste or the tiniest bit of pollution.

District Judge David Bramlette’s summary judgment against John Rivera affirmed charges brought by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), based on federal filings and Rivera’s responses. Bramlette has scheduled a hearing about possible penalties and restitution.

The SEC wants Bramlette to bar Rivera from ever acting as a director or officer in a company having securities registered with the SEC, or from ever participating in any “penny stock” offerings, such as the transactions involving U.S. Sustainable Energy Corp.

Rivera burst onto the Natchez scene in 2006 claiming he held patents to a process that didn’t need federal permits because it wouldn’t pollute. He said he could hire up to 2,000 people in Adams County and eventually produce 1.5 million gallons of fuel per day.

In November 2006 he set up a generator to power Vidalia City Hall, saying it was running on his soybean fuel. Rivera’s defense contended that power contract negotiations with Vidalia showed his processes were commercially viable. The judge disagreed.

The SEC’s case, filed in 2008, alleged that Rivera used false press releases and other false public statements to drive up interest and stock price in his company. U.S. Sustainable Energy Corp. originally was based in Natchez but later moved to Baytown, Texas.

Chicago ordinance aiming to promote urban gardens

CHICAGO, Ill. (AP) — Chicago city officials want to step up efforts to promote urban agriculture.

Mayor Rahm Emanuel planned to present an ordinance to the City Council last week that would expand the maximum size of urban gardens. It would also ease fencing and parking requirements on larger commercial urban farms so they can cut operating costs.

The proposed measure also allows some produce sales in residential areas. Council members will vote on the zoning ordinance in the coming months.
Advocates for urban agriculture say the practice can transform the city and its thousands of empty lots. Emanuel says it can also create jobs.