In October 2004, we took President Dynes to Silacci Dairy in Sonoma County, where advisor Stephanie Larson and former advisor Dayna Ghirardelli talked about their water quality projects at the dairy.

I read in the May 23 issue of AgAlert that the Silacci family had to shut down the dairy. They had used 50,000 old tires to stabilize a hillside 50 years ago. But a change in the law in 1989 made it illegal for anyone besides a tire facility to stockpile more than 500 tires. The state paid for removing the tires, but the Silaccis had to pay for restoring the hillside and preventing erosion. They couldn't afford it.

Rich Silacci, who succeeded his father and grandfather in the dairy business, is now moving his family to take a job in San Luis Obispo.