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Are Texas cows tougher?
July 26, 2006This story caught my eye on the wire.
California, in the midst of a major heat wave (like the rest of the country isn't) is having huge problems with cattle dying in the heat.
I guess those dairy cows aren't so happy after all....
Here's part of the story:
By OLIVIA MUNOZ Associated Press WriterFRESNO, Calif. (AP) -- The state's record-setting heat wave has 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.
The declarations allow dead livestock to be dumped in landfills - something usually outlawed because of 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.
The heat wave, with 10 straight days of 100-degree temperatures, brought the threat of more rolling blackouts and raised the number of suspected heat-related deaths to at least 56. Cooler weather was not expected until Wednesday.
Fresno County, which reached 113 degrees in recent days, was one of the first to declare an emergency when a plant that handles the bulk of the region's dead animals broke down earlier this month.
After the old carcasses began decomposing in the searing summer heat, county officials were forced to make the declaration - the first in the county's history, Larson said.
"It wasn't any easy solution," he said. "It's not something we want to continue but we can't have piles of dead animals laying around."
Gross.
Now, you'll have to forgive this big-city kid...but is this a problem around here?
Our the cows in Texas just tougher than those pampered bovines on the Left Coast? It's been hot here too. Really hot...just as hot as sunny California.
Are there "rendering" plants around here, grinding up dead cows and whatnot for dog food?
Is that why steak is so much better in Texas...it doesn't melt on the grill like a stick of butter.
Somebody, please, help me understand this a bit more.
Posted by Jason Palmer at 01:59 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
