The heat wave is punishing Stanislaus County's dairy and poultry industries. Veterinarians and industry estimates indicate about 1 percent of the county's milk-producing dairy cows have died. That would represent about 1,400 cows. Dairy operators in Stanislaus keep 13 percent of their herds dry, or non-milk producing. None of the dry cows are in danger.
The health of the dairy industry matters in the Northern San Joaquin Valley, where milk is the top farm product, bringing an estimated $1.6 billion in gross income to farmers in 2004. Dairies grossed $550 million in Stanislaus County alone in 2005.
And heat-related ag problems go beyond the dairy industry. County officials said poultry losses are at 1 million pounds, with hundreds of thousands of chickens and turkeys dead. The poultry industry generated $161.5 million in revenue in 2005 with 207 million birds. Turkeys represent a $38 million industry with 12 million birds.
Heat-related problems come at a particularly bad time for the state's dairies. According to industry experts, an oversupply of milk has triggered one of its recurring spells of low prices. Stanislaus County Chief Executive Officer Rick Robinson proclaimed an environmental state of emergency Monday because rendering plants statewide cannot keep up with the rising number of farm animal carcasses during the heat wave.
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