Agriculture

SACRAMENTO – The annual quarantine of all sport-harvested mussel species along the California coast begins May 1, announced Dr. Ron Chapman, director of the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) and state health officer.

This quarantine applies to all species of mussels harvested along the California coast, as well as all bays and estuaries.

“This quarantine is in place to protect the public against poisoning that can lead to severe illness, including coma and death,” said Dr. Chapman. “It’s critical that the public honor the quarantine because the toxins found in mussels have no known antidotes and are not reliably destroyed by cooking.”

The quarantine is intended to protect the public from paralytic shellfish poisoning (PSP) and domoic acid poisoning (DAP), both are linked to microscopic plankton that are concentrated in filter-feeding animals, including bivalve shellfish-like mussels.

The overwhelming majority of human cases of PSP illnesses occur between spring and fall.

PSP affects the human central nervous system, producing a tingling around the mouth and fingertips within a few minutes to a few hours after eating toxic shellfish.

These symptoms are typically followed by a loss of balance, lack of muscular coordination, slurred speech and difficulty swallowing. In severe poisonings, complete muscular paralysis and death from asphyxiation can occur.

Symptoms of DAP, also known as amnesic shellfish poisoning, can occur within 30 minutes to 24 hours after eating toxic seafood.

In mild cases, symptoms may include vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal cramps, headache and dizziness. These symptoms disappear completely within several days.

In severe cases, the victim may experience difficulty breathing, confusion, disorientation, cardiovascular instability, seizures, permanent loss of short-term memory, coma and death.

More information about the quarantine, PSP and DAP can be found on the Mussel Quarantine Frequently Asked Questions Web page, http://www.cdph.ca.gov/Pages/MusselQuarantineFAQ.aspx .
 
The quarantine usually lasts from May 1 through Oct. 31. Commercially harvested shellfish are not included in the annual quarantine.

All commercial shellfish harvesters in California are certified by the state and subject to strict requirements to ensure that all oysters, clams and mussels entering the marketplace are free of toxins.

For updated information on quarantines and shellfish toxins, call the CDPH shellfish information line at 800-553-4133.

The California Department of Food and Agriculture, in cooperation with the Western United States Agricultural Trade Association and the California Centers for International Trade Development, will be hosting three seminars across the state to promote export services and encourage companies to participate in the international marketplace.

On average, more than 24 percent of California’s agriculture production is exported worldwide and 2010 was a record export year for the state with approximately $14.7 billion in fruits, vegetables and commodities arriving in foreign markets.

Trade is critical for California and presents great opportunities for farms and businesses alike.

The CDFA seminars will focus on local, state and federal programs that are designed to assist small businesses in exporting products abroad. Export growth is led primarily by small businesses, according to the U.S. Small Business Administration, and CDFA is wanting more farmers, ranchers and food processors to participate.

Seminars will be held in San Diego (May 22), Fresno (May 23) and Napa (May 24) and will provide companies the opportunity to ask questions and learn more about the network of programs and services available for assistance.

The seminars are free and companies interested in exporting are encouraged to attend.

Online registration and further information is available here (http://wusata.informz.net/wusata/archives/archive_2262885.html ) or by contacting the Western United States Agricultural Trade Association (WUSATA) at 360-693-3373.

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. –  State officials are continuing to investigate the disappearance of California Department of Child Support Services computer storage devices involving data belonging to more than 800,000 individuals across the state.

The agency reported that on March 12 it learned that its contracted service providers IBM and Iron Mountain Inc. could not locate several specialized computer storage devices that were being transported from IBM's facility in Colorado to California.

Upon arrival in California it was discovered that the devices were missing, the department reported.

Information of agency customers including names, addresses, Social Security numbers, driver license numbers, names of health insurance providers and employers were on the devices and could therefore be affected. The department said the information is gathered to enforce child support cases.

Those who could be affected have been notified by U.S. Mail.

The letters notifying Department of Child Support Services customers arrived in some local mailboxes this week, according to county residents who received the notification.

The delay in notification resulted from needing to confirm that the storage devices were lost, verifying which customers were affected, and then printing and mailing the notifications, state officials reported.

Approximately 2,203 Lake County residents are affected, according to Connie DaMant, assistant director for legislative and external affairs at the California Department of Child Support Services.

The state is emphasizing that the 800,000 people across California who are potentially affected have not been the victims of identity theft.

“Because the devices are in a specialized format, we have no reason to believe, at this time, that the data have been accessed or utilized in any way,” interim Department of Child Support Services Director Kathleen Hrepich said in a written statement.

Hrepich said the incident will not impact the processing of child support cases.

“The rigorous investigation and search for the missing storage devices continues,” said Christine Lally of the California Technology Agency.

Reaching and helping the impacted Department of Child Support Services customers remains the state's top priority, Lally said.

The Department of Child Support Services reported that it has notified the three major U.S. credit reporting agencies – Equifax, Experian and TransUnion – about the incident. The California Attorney General's Office and the Office of Privacy Protection also were notified.

Department of Child Support Services customers are urged to take measures to protect their identities, including placing fraud alerts on credit cards, getting copies of their credit reports from the credit reporting agencies and reviewing health insurance benefit statements.

For more information, potentially affected customers should visit the FAQs page at www.childsup.ca.gov/portals/0/home/docs/MissingStorageDeviceFAQsforChildsup.pdf or call the toll-free hotline at 866-904-7674.

Privacy protection steps for customers also are offered at www.privacy.ca.gov .

Lally said any new developments in the case will be posted on the Department of Child Support Services' Web site at www.childsup.ca.gov .

Email Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .

Blog Left ad

claudiastreet

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Lake County Farm Bureau has named its new executive director.

Claudia Street, who serves as projects manager and conservation planner at the Glenn County Resource Conservation District, has been selected for the position.

She succeeds Chuck March, who last year was stricken by illness and was unable to continue in the job.

Street has more than 25 years of experience in the agriculture field. She also has worked in ag tourism and ranch management and as a pest control advisor.

She has an associate in science degree in agricultural business from Butte College, as well as, two years at the University of California, Davis.

Street is passionate about agriculture and committed to providing support to the farming and ranching industries in Lake County. Her goal is to be intimately involved with educating the general public regarding the enduring values of agriculture, land stewardship and resource enhancement practices.

Lake County Farm Bureau's purpose is to protect and promote agricultural interests throughout Lake County and find solutions to problems of the farm, the farm home and rural community.

Farm Bureau is Lake County's largest farm organization, representing over 650 farm families and individual members.

Farm Bureau strives to protect and improve the ability of farmers and ranchers engaged in production agriculture to provide a safe, reliable supply of food and fiber through responsible stewardship of the county's resources.

NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING

NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that the Planning Commission of the County of Lake will hold a public hearing on application UP 12-05 proposing a seasonal farm labor housing facility on property located at 2174 Scotts Valley Road, Lakeport, APN 005-022-66.

The project applicant is Scully Packing Company.

The staff report will be available ten (10) days before the hearing at the Community Development Department, Lake County Courthouse, 255 North Forbes Street, Lakeport, CA.

The Planner processing this application is Richard Coel, (707) 263-2221.

The public hearing will be held in the Board of Supervisors’ Chamber in the Courthouse on April 26, 2012 at 9:50 AM, at which time and place interested persons may attend and be heard.

If you challenge the action of the Planning Commission on any of the above stated items in court, it may be limited to only those issues raised at the public hearing described in this notice, or in written correspondence delivered to the Lake County Planning Commission at, or prior to, the public hearing.


COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT
Richard Coel, Director


By: ______________________________________
Danae Bowen, Office Assistant III
               

LAKEPORT, Calif. – A workshop for winegrape growers interested in tracking and managing their sustainable winegrowing is slated for Wednesday, April 18.

The workshop will take place from 8:30 a.m. to noon, in the computer lab at Mendocino College’s Lake Center, 1005 Parallel Drive.

The workshop is presented free of charge by the Lake County Winegrape Commission in partnership with Pacific Gas & Electric Co., the Wine Institute, and the California Association of Winegrape Growers.

The Performance Metrics Workshop may benefit any Lake County winegrape grower who is interested in using online tools to measure, track and manage the use of natural resources, says Lake County Winegrape Commission Education Director Paul Zellman.

Interested growers and vintners are encouraged to sign up early because computer space is limited.

To register or inquire about the free workshop, call or email Jodi Wilson, 415-356-7544, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .

Details about the workshop are available on the California Sustainable Winegrowing Alliance’s Web site, www.sustainablewinegrowing.org .

Performance metrics are the measurable outcomes of business practices – in this case, the sustainable winegrowing practices of winegrape producers and vintners.

Workshop attendees will learn more about performance metrics and the benefits of using them.

Growers will be introduced to the California Sustainable Winegrowing Alliance’s (CSWA) new online tools to calculate water, energy, greenhouse gas emissions related to energy, and applied nitrogen metrics.

They also will learn about the connection between water, energy and greenhouse gas emissions.

Attendees are asked to bring their data about water, nitrogen and energy use. The workshop facilitators will assist growers in using the online tools to start calculating their sustainability metrics, said Zellman.

In addition, PG&E will present information about energy efficiency rebates and incentives for wineries and vineyards.

“Having the data on hand and being able to use the performance metrics to analyze outcomes of the sustainability practices can help growers achieve better efficiency in their operations and decrease costs,” said Zellman. “This is useful information that will help our winegrape producers and winery managers look at the use of their energy, water consumption, utilization of nitrogen, and the greenhouse gas emissions.”

The CSWA’s existing online system includes a self-assessment for winegrape growers interested in sustainable winegrowing.

The new tool for performance metrics will allow growers and vintners to track and store their data and access educational information within the secure system, according to the CSWA.

Individuals who do not have a username and password for the SWP online system are asked to contact Wilson by April 10 to obtain an online participation form.

The workshop is one of many presented by the Lake County Winegrape Commission.

For more information about the Lake County Winegrape Commission’s workshops and other events, visit the Commission’s website, www.lakecountywinegrape.org .

LCNews

Award winning journalism on the shores of Clear Lake. 

 

Search