Cutting Salt & Russian Open to Pork Export plus Food Forethought. I’m Greg Martin with today’s Northwest Report. 

Negotiations led to a lifting of a Russian ban of US pork exports earlier this month, with similar efforts on going to resume trade in other markets through the Obama Administrations National Export Initiative according to U.S. Trade Representative, Ron Kirk.

KIRK: The Secretary himself and I both have been to Russia and to China. We’ve had teams in Japan, we continue to engage our friends in Taiwan and we will work collaboratively to try to open up all of those markets back to our beef, pork and poultry products.

Kraft Foods says it will cut the salt in its products sold in North America by an average of 10 percent over the next two years as food makers try to appeal to health-conscious consumers. The company says this amounts to the elimination of more than 10 million pounds - or more than 750 million teaspoons - of salt. Kraft said Wednesday that the move will reduce the sodium in Oscar Mayer Bologna by 17 percent and Easy Mac Cups by 20 percent. The company says they have been working on reducing sodium for several years and have already made a number of reductions.

Now with today’s Food Forethought, here’s Lacy Gray.

Two very important things happen on March 20th this year, the first day of spring, and National Ag Day. While spring needs no explanation, the What, Who and Why of National Ag Day can be summed up simply as “a day to recognize and celebrate agriculture’s daily contribution in all our lives in communities across America. As more farmers and ranchers make the effort to connect with consumers through such social media networking as Facebook, Twitter, and blogs more and more people are beginning to truly understand the importance, impact, and overall contribution that agriculture has provided the nation and continues to provide daily. Farmers and ranchers promoting healthy and abundant food is nothing new, they have been doing so for years, but they were not conveying that on the whole to the general public. In other words, “they have been preaching to the choir”. But through social media networking farmers and ranchers are finding out that the majority of consumers have confidence in their integrity and ability. A new relationship between farmers and consumers is being forged, one that will hopefully result in a better understanding of agriculture.

Thanks Lacy. That’s today’s Northwest Report. I’m Greg Martin on the Northwest Ag Information Network.