By WES SANDER

Capital Press

SACRAMENTO -- Several agriculture bills fell to Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's veto pen this week, but several others were signed into law once the governor deemed lawmakers' progress on water bills sufficient to ward off his threat of a blanket veto.

Among the vetoed bills was one proposing an apple pest advisory committee, and another to augment the California Organic Products Advisory Committee.

He also vetoed a bill to prohibit agricultural burning in the San Joaquin Valley on residential no-burn days, saying that authority should rest with local officials. And he vetoed a bill to assist farmers switching to organic production.

He had previously threatened to veto most of the nearly 700 bills on his desk if lawmakers failed to reach a water deal by Oct. 11.

Despite the lack of a deal by Sunday night, he relented.

"While we still have a few remaining issues to work out, I commend the legislative leaders for their focus and commitment to solving this crisis and I will weigh all the bills on their merits," Schwarzenegger said in a statement that included his announcement of a special legislative session to finish the water deal.

Among the bills he signed:

* SB135, by Sen. Dean Florez, D-Shafter, would make it a misdemeanor to cut off a cow's tail -- a practice that exists in the dairy industry, although it is not widespread. All three of the bill's registered opponents -- the California Farm Bureau Federation, California Cattlemen's Association and Western United Dairymen -- removed their opposition when Florez dropped a provision that would have extended misdemeanor penalties to anyone who fails to report a case of docking.

* AB856, by Assemblywoman Anna Caballero, D-Salinas, imposes fines of up to $15,000 for adulterating fertilizers sold as organic. The bill, inspired by public outcry in 2008 over CDFA's slow response to a manufacturer's spiking of its organic fertilizer with non-organic substances, allows CDFA to increase industry fees to support its inspection program.

* AB281, by Assemblyman Kevin De León, D-Los Angeles, creates the California Citrus Pest and Disease Prevention Committee within the Department of Food and Agriculture. The committee, funded by federal dollars and industry assessments, will coordinate control measures to protect the state's $1.5 billion citrus industry from diseases such as citrus canker and Huanglongbing, afflictions for which there are no known cures.

* AB 606, by Assemblywoman Fiona Ma, D-San Francisco, creates the California Blueberry Commission to help California's industry improve its standing in growing national and overseas markets.

* AB 735, introduced by the Assembly Agriculture Committee, restructures the California Wheat Commission to reflect the crop's profile. The bill consolidates the state's producer districts, and the commission's producer members, from 15 to 13.

* AB 1216, by Assemblywoman Noreen Evans, D-Santa Rosa, requires products marketed as honey to fit a standard definition. The bill is part of an industry effort to standardize the definition of honey across the country.

* AB 905, introduced by the Assembly Agriculture Committee, lowers the minimum weight requiring vendors to prove ownership of fresh produce from 200 pounds to 25 pounds for fruits, nuts and vegetables, and from 40 to 25 pounds for avocados. The bill's proponents say the change will limit illegal activity among roadside vendors, many of whom don't meet the current limit.

* AB 1255, by Assemblyman Tom Berryhill, R-Modesto, extends until 2015 the sunset of county subventions for enforcement of the California Seed Law. CDFA pays participating counties $120,000 annually as reimbursement for enforcing the seed law, which aims to ensure accuracy in seed labeling.

Staff writer Wes Sander is based in Sacramento. E-mail: wsander@capitalpress.com.