Vacancies announced on California advisory boards

Aug 10, 2015

Five vacancies need to be filled

Two branches of the California Department of Food and Agriculture are currently looking for people to fill five vacancies.

Help Wanted

The Meat, Poultry and Egg Safety (MPES) branch has two vacancies on the Rendering Industry Advisory Board. The board makes recommendations to the state’s Department of Agriculture Secretary on all matters relating to the MPES Program, including:

Adopting, modifying and repealing regulations and procedures
Collection of license and penalty fees
Acquiring and usage of equipment
Posting and noticing changes to bylaws and other orders
Procedures for employment, training, supervision and other personnel

The positions are for industry members and for terms lasting 36 months. Applicants must be a licensed renderer, collection center or registered transporter of inedible kitchen grease.

Interested applicants are encouraged to send a brief resume to the California Department of Food and Agriculture Meat, Poultry and Egg Safety branch by Monday, August 24^th.

The second California advisory board needing vacancies filled is the Fertilizer Inspection Advisory Board.

Three positions need to be filled on the board responsible for advising the Fertilizing Materials Inspection Program.

Responsibilities include conducting sampling and inspections, responding to consumer concerns and enforce laws governing fertilizer distribution and manufacturing.

Anyone holding a current fertilizing materials license or representative of a licensed firm are encouraged to apply for the three-year position.

Interested applicants should send a resume by Monday, August 31^st to the California Department of Food and Agriculture – Feed, Fertilizer, and Livestock Drugs Regulatory Services Branch.

Video: Not only is corn getting sweatier, it's getting smarter

Over the past several weeks, much of the U.S. Midwest has experienced prolonged episodes of extreme heat, a trend also observed in other major corn-producing regions of North America such as eastern South Dakota, southern Ontario, and parts of Kansas and Missouri. These high-temperature events can place significant physiological stress on maize (Zea mays L.), which is cultivated on approximately 90 million acres across the United States, with leading production in Iowa, Illinois, Nebraska, and Minnesota. Like all maize, Bayer’s PRECEON™ Smart Corn System is subject to transpiration-driven water loss under high heat. However, this system incorporates agronomic traits designed to improve standability through enhanced stalk strength, thereby reducing lodging risk during stress conditions. Furthermore, the system supports precision agriculture practices by enabling more targeted fertilizer and crop protection applications. This approach not only helps to optimize input efficiency but also contributes to maintaining or increasing yield potential under variable environmental stresses such as heat waves, which are becoming more frequent in corn belt and fringe production regions.