The Sacramento Area Regional Technology Alliance said it is a co-recipient – along with the University of California, Davis – of a $1 million federal grant to create a UCD-based AgTech Innovation Center that will connect ranchers and farmers with resources to develop their businesses.
The award was announced Thursday by U.S. Reps. Doris Matsui, D-Sacramento, and Mike Thompson, D-St. Helena.
The lawmakers said UCD/SARTA were among six recipients nationally – and the only ones in California – to receive a $1 million award through a U.S. Economic Development Administration challenge grant program.
Among its goals, the UCD center aims to develop entrepreneurial ideas within the agriculture industry, supported by various experts.
SARTA said its duties under the grant will include the creation of AgStart, an industry program where funding will be made available to companies commercializing agriculture tech innovations.
Ryder Systems pays for truck violations
The California Air Resources Board said Ryder System Inc., the Miami-based transportation and supply company, has paid more than $1 million in a settlement for what ARB said was failure to conduct testing and maintain complete records of required annual tests on heavy-duty vehicles in its California fleet in 2008-09.
The tests are performed to determine whether a truck produces visible smoke from its exhaust.
ARB said the Ryder vehicles in question were in service for four or more years. It was Ryder's first ARB violation in its 53 years of operating in California.
ARB said $773,000 will go to the California Air Pollution Control Fund, and $258,000 will fund investments to upgrade a West Sacramento maintenance facility to service commercial fleet vehicles that run on natural gas.
– Mark Glover
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