That big Cali Cheese project in Tulare, announced in January is a go at least half way home. The company informed the city July 15, as agreed to, it was still on-track to close the land deal in town by the end of the year. This according to Traci Meyers the city’s economic development manager. The $250 million cheese plant would be the first major cheese plant in the state in years and would employ 220.
Another Kings County dairy threw in the towel late last month when Martin and Martin Dairy of Hanford sold off both all their milking cows (about 1050) and rolling stock at auction.After 38 years in the business Tony Martin’s farm is for sale as well.
Dairies got some rare good news on the feed front – at least corn. Corn futures for this fall are falling with a potential huge Midwest corn crop and good weather. Corn futures dropped to $4.66 a bushel this week, heading to half of what some paid for feed a year ago. “It was taking me 18 days a month of selling my milk just to pay my monthly feed bill” says Hanford dairyman Joaquin Contente.
In another trend reversal milk processors this summer are short on milk with Land O Lakes offering a premium price for 60 days. Earlier this year the region was swimming in too much milk.
Tulare’s UC Davis Veterinary Center will get a $36 million- 2 story, 35,000 sf California Animal Health & Food Safety Lab that could break ground late this year. The lab will provide diagnostic sampling for the Valleys dairy,cattle and poultry farmers.The lab will employ 37. The state’s labs “are the backbone of California’s warning system” says a 2011 report, for both animal diseases and food borne pathogens.