2010 WORLD AG EXPO - TULARE SECRETARY KAWAMURA TO PARTICIPATE IN SIGNING OF DAIRY DIGESTER AGREEMENTS

WHAT:  CDFA Secretary A.G. Kawamura will join several Central Valley dairy farmers, a representative of a valley power provider and a dairy digester manufacturer to sign memoranda of understanding centered on several digester pilot projects. The signing ceremony will be held at the World Ag Expo in Tulare. 

WHEN:   Tuesday, February 9, 2010, 10 a.m.

WHERE: World Ag Expo Heritage Complex, Banquet Hall
            4450 S. Laspina St.
            Tulare, CA 93274
            Note – Media should enter at Gate B

WHO:  Secretary Kawamura
          Mike Gallo - Joseph Gallo Farms
          Edward Hoekstra – Hillcrest Dairy
          Filipe Lima, Sr. – Lima Brothers Dairy     
          John Sweigard, General Manager, Merced Irrigation District
          Christopher Ott, CEO, ProTech GCS, Inc.

WHY:  Dairy digesters, with their capacity for turning dairy waste into renewable energy, are a high priority of the Schwarzenegger Administration. A reduction of waste materials from dairies could mean a reduction in greenhouse gases, which would be a significant benefit for the environment.

The Central Valley Regional Water Board is beginning an environmental impact report process aimed at reducing the permit processing time for digester projects. As a result, projects like the ones highlighted in the memoranda of understanding will be more easily obtainable for Central Valley dairies.    

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