Dead Cattle Piling-up in Wake of California Heat

The record-setting heat wave blamed in the deaths of at least 50 people has also killed thousands of dairy cows and other livestock, leaving farmers with piles of carcasses and creating a backup at factories that turn the dead animals into pet food.

A combination of sweltering temperatures, growth in the state's dominant $5 billion dairy industry and fewer plants to properly dispose of the animals have forced several counties to declare a state of emergency, allowing the dumping of dead livestock in landfills — something usually outlawed because of the health risks.

"But what can we do? We have to weigh the possible contamination to ground water versus piles of dead cows stinking and attracting flies," said Phil Larson, chairman of the Fresno County Board of Supervisors.

[url=http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,205661,00.html]link[/url

The cascade effect of this die-off on the local environment could become significant if the disposal of all these carcasses isn't handled properly. I'm skeptical about the two methods presented, landfill and composting under manure. They may have to come up with a more expeditious method if the situation continues or worsens.

This is a glaring case of environmental change affecting the means of production. It should send up a red flag for everyone. Its only late July out here, and it will only get progressively hotter for the next six weeks, at least.

That is insane.
Its scary because its like a movie about global warming but its not a movie.
Cows are just dying and dropping dead.
I can imagine what this heat is doing to other animals that we dont pay attention to.
Other species in the wild will obviosly have the same reaction.
My sick and scary question is this:
What happens in a few years ?
Will humans have to stay in AC bubbles in california to survive ?
SICK
but, we have dont it to ourselves, like a moth trying to fly to the light, but only getting burned.

Originally posted by Icarus Rising

Its only late July out here, and it will only get progressively hotter for the next six weeks, at least.

According to the climate records I have in front of me, the avg high temps peak the last week of July and first week of August, then decline through August and September.

Just how hot has it been in California? 50 people dead? Is that just nationwide, or is it in California alone?

I wonder how bad California's cheese industry is going to suffer as a result.

Originally posted by dave_54

According to the climate records I have in front of me, the avg high temps peak the last week of July and first week of August, then decline through August and September.

Do you have a link?

Cuz I grew up on a farm, close to the land - and I garden. We're talking decades of up close and personal with weather and climate.

NO WAY do avg high temps peak the last week of July and first week of August, then decline through August and September.

You are describing a change in growing season if temps drop off now. Spring started about 1 1/2 months ahead of normal here - and it sounds like you're saying fall will come 1 1/2 months early.



So that great big tsunami really did impact the earth's orbit, huh?


.

I haven't gotten any local news since I returned from vacation, and then lo and behold I get some on ATS
Yes, Dave is right for climate here; although cooler means going from 98Julyavg to 97Julyavg to 92 for Sept. Although we still could hit 100+ first part of Sept sometimes. What is bad this year is how widespread the heat wave is. And I remember some years with days on end 100+, but not this high of 100's.

What is different for here is the humidity, less than East Coast, and that makes a big, big difference in how temp feels. 100 in CA is not as sweltering as 100 in New York.

Still, though, the poor cows have it rough. Seems from what I looked up, the cows in Southern CA suffered many deaths while cows in Central CA are a little more than usual. Many of the dairies in Cen CA had moved up from So CA because of urban growth. (Some of these are mega-dairies, 1000's of cows.) One new dairy I saw had huge fans to keep the cows cool.

The dead cows being buried are from the Central Valley, where besides the heat, the rendering plants are experiencing problems in operation and can't pick up as usual. Each county is handling it differently, whether burial in landfill or onsite. I remember once going by a dairy where they had their dead cows in a pile ready to be picked up; I don't want to even think of the smell that would be now.

Oh, I think the 50 dead were just in CA. In Fresno (Cen CA) alone 8 out of the 11 deaths were 70+ years.
Oh, again. Imbalance, you're right about other animals. One year in May it got to 103deg and pigs were dying at the local farm fair, even with fans.

It's been absolutely horrible here this year. At the beach the temp hasn't reached the triple digits, yet. But the humidity has been manky, it reminds me of Florida. I visited a relative who lives inland, and it was 90F by 8 am .

To stay on subject...I don't see why they don't just burn the cows.

Yeah i agree with you this looks like a serie B movie. When i read comments on global warning here on ATS i realized alot of ppl suggest the planet tilted. Like from south to north. Its hard to explain realy, its just an observation. I know theres report about how birds are acting weird. I live in eastern canada and we are seeing fish or whales that we are not used to. The weather is horrible here too, season shifthing, heat wave then tropical weather then end of the world type of storms. I will always rememeber the 2 girls at the university from Gabon, Africa they were saying in a heat wave it was hotter in Canada than Africa, cause of the intense humidity and yet we still get our 5-6 feet of snow per year

Another crazy ass storm went through jersey tonight to.
So...

Queens now has power, Staten Island does not

On the news they said, "There were some rotations".
Thats scary, being a tornado just hit westchester

Yeah, why don't they just incincerate the cows?

That seems like an obvious answer to me, but maybe the trash incinerators aren't big enough to handle bovine carcasses?

California uses landfills instead of incineration (except for medical waste). The area where the cows are has xtreme air pollution, so burning probably out; burning a cow would require a lot of fuel also.

According to this article, composting probably best idea.
Well, can't make url work.

Ah, heck, gonna hafta google this then go to site


extension.usu.edu/files/agpubs/ag507 Cow Mortality Disposal





[edit on 28-7-2006 by desert]

Because here in the central valley we have smog probs and very strict Air Quality control. Incinerators are to few and far between. the processing plants for dead animals take them to dog food plants elsewhere in the state. They are only picking up the recently deceased cows but by the time they get there the multitude of not new dead ones heavily outweigh the newly deceased. And there are other animal farms having issues also, turkeys and chickens are droppin like flies too.

Its usually pretty hot here in the summer, but not over 110 for 2-3 weeks straight like now, usually 102, 103. It was 105 today and i was thinkin gee, this is pleasant. I couldnt believe i was thinkin that. thank goodness its supposed to be 96 tomorrow.

In an article i read in the fresno bee yesterday, they WILL NOT say that heat killed alot of the dead in fresno. Age, health complexity, anything else but the heat and i dont know why. My Sweetie is CSI for fresno county and the bodies are piling up she said. Stacking 2-3 per gurney in the morgue. Im not really understanding the reason why the sidestepping, unless its something to do with Mayor Alan Autry(thats right, bubba from in the heat of the nite fame) just vetoed a bunch of initiatives for Air conditioned centers amongst other things. The city council stepped up and created some centers out of school cafeterias and other places. Also sent some clean burning buses out to rural areas to park and allow people to get on and cool off. In the late edition bee yesterday, the wording had been changed to the mayor ordered it. Not sure what or whom to believe around here anymore.

The Fresno PD CSI has some of the most delapidated(sp?) equipment in the valley. For a city of almost 3/4 of a million, its a wonder my lady can do her job. Oh ya, autry vetoed cash for that too. but gotta love that new $500k super swat control center RV they got ./sarcasm

Just my 2cents about the conditions here. Its bad around here just like everywhere else.

Just give them to arnold, Im sure he needs something to shoot at.

Wow, S1LV3R4D0, now I know why I haven't tuned into local news yet! Geez, that's bad news. Welcome to the Valley, Everyone.
Take heart. The Valley has always been about 15 yrs behind everywhere else, so maybe Fresno PD CSI will get their new equipment in about 15 yrs. Lord knows they can use it.

Sadly enuff, wimpy little towns like Tulare and Kingsburg have all up to date stuff. Even local fresno news did a week long thing on the CSI depts. A new one every nite and Fresno wasnt one of them shown...hows that for irony.

Sorry for going off topic...back to the dead animals people.

edited for apology

[edit on 28-7-2006 by S1LV3R4D0]

I think this is a perfect opportunity to test these animals and see if they were compromised in some way that made them more suspectible to the heat. Here we have a whole pile of cattle that died and it's so easy to just say it was the heat, when I have seen worse droughts where the non-domestic animals (like deer) found ways to survive and continue to flourish out of contol.

Like, how about a mad cow test just in case? No that would be too easy when they can just right it off to the heat. what - they weren't supplying water to the herds under the circumstances? I think something stinks here and it's more than rotting cows.

Speaking of the high heat here in California,I too almost keeled over dead,got my electric bill and it was for 683.00

Originally posted by Oldtimer2
Speaking of the high heat here in California,I too almost keeled over dead,got my electric bill and it was for 683.00

Is that for a month? If so holy doodle. Here in BC, being in the high deset area, i run my air conditioner everyday, but don't need to at night. Avg temp is from 97 to 100F or a little higher. My power bill is $68.00 month

Originally posted by Relentless
I think this is a perfect opportunity to test these animals and see if they were compromised in some way that made them more suspectible to the heat. ...

Like, how about a mad cow test just in case? ...I think something stinks here and it's more than rotting cows.

A lot of species are compromised - birds, amphibians, fish - the list goes on. Everything is connected and several factors likely come into play, creating a cascade...


.

Relentless, contrary to the commercials, the cows dont frolic around in green pastures. They are used to 102 maybe 103 for a few weeks, not 113+ for weeks on end. The dairy industry is an assembly line type of business. The cows go from one paddock to be fed, to another for milking, to another for resting. Those paddocks usually have no vegetation ie... grass, trees for the cattle to "frolic" in. Non domesticated animals like deer can rest under trees, find streams to lay in, things of the sort like that. Dairy cows arent afforded that luxury. Theres also no one keepin tabs on how many wildlife have died due to this heat so we dont know how many deer, wild boar, bears and mountain lions have died from it.

25,000 cattle and millions of pounds of fowl dead so far

If mad cow disease or "doping" was the case, the chickens, turkeys and humans would be ok id assume.

The human death count for just this area is up over 100 now. I dont think its a doping issue, its just FRAKIN TOO DANG HOT OUT THERE. It got so bad i had to go buy a fan because my AC wasnt even cooling my apartment down anymore.

Valkerie, that is usually the case here too where even when its hot, it will cool down to 70 or so allowing for some relief on us and our ac units, but at nite it hasnt gotten below 95 mostly. Thank goodness that hi pressure ridge is gone, its sittin at 70 degrees right now before i goto work and its only supposed to be 96 today....PHEW bout dam time.