LANDFILL HOOKS UP WITH CATFISH FARMER FOR SOIL.

Byline: Melanie Turner The Davis Enterprise

Add a new crop to your list of Yolo County farm products. It's catfish, produced with a side order of much needed dirt.

``It's like any other crop,'' aqua farmer Kris LaPoint told county officials earlier this month. ``It's (just) not as well known as other crops.''

LaPoint of Composite Research plans to start the farm near the Yolo County Landfill, and his project not only will produce catfish, but lots of soil, something the landfill really needs.

The landfill needs soil for construction of trash modules, as well as trash cover and closure activities mandated by federal law.

``We are fortunate,'' said Public Works Director John Joyce. ``The project is so close to the landfill that we are able to get large quantities of soil.''

The Board of Supervisors voted unanimously to purchase up to 2.5 million cubic yards of soil over five years for use at the landfill. The soil will be excavated as ponds are constructed for the fish.

Joyce said the price negotiated with LaPoint for the soil is far lower than the price from other sources, in part because of the catfish farm's proximity to the landfill south of the Willow Slough Bypass.

According to LaPoint, catfish farming is more common in southern portions of the United States.

``It's a little bit tougher here, but we have a unique situation in that there is a tremendous market in Asian communities in the (San Francisco) Bay Area,'' he said.

The operation will raise small fish to market size, or around 1 to 1-1/2 pounds. The fish will be trucked live, in water. LaPoint said he ran a similar operation in Los Banos for 20 years.

County Supervisor Helen Thomson of Davis asked LaPoint if he is concerned about the large numbers of birds in the area, like the great blue heron and others that feed on small fish.

LaPoint said if it became a problem, he could raise the fish in cages in the water.

Initially, Composite Research - which is strictly a production facility, not a research operation - will function with two ponds of approximately 18 acres apiece on a 243-acre parcel.

It will start with about 2,000 pounds of fish an acre, moving up to about 4,000 pounds per acre, or about 80,000 pounds over the first 15 to 18 months, LaPoint said. The ponds will be about 10 feet deep, while the water will be just 5 to 6 feet deep. This creates a wind barrier for the fish.

Soil that will be sold is nonprime alkali soil. Prime soils on the site will be preserved for farming.

The project also is designed to provide a recreational opportunity by producing increased wild fish stock, which has been declining over the years. LaPoint must file a report by spring outlining alternative uses for the land should his project fail.