Meat Decline & Wild Horse Bill

Meat Decline & Wild Horse Bill plus Food Forethought. I’m Greg Martin with today’s Northwest Report.

Decisions by livestock producers and meat companies this year will likely mean zero growth in U.S. meat production next year. Gerry Bange, USDA Outlook Chairman, says pork production is not declining as much as expected.

BANGE: Actially pork producers have not contracted as quickly as we thought they would and so we've added some more to both 2009-10. We've added 35-million pounds to pork production in 2009 to 22.78 and we've added 190-million pounds  to 201 up to the 22.54 billion pounds. Again reflecting the latest  farrowing intentions reports and so forth, and the fact that these producers have not cut back on productions as much as we thought they might.

On Friday - the House passed a bill designed to improve federal management of wild horses and burros and increase the land on which they can roam. The bill - which passed 239 to 185 - would direct the Bureau of Land Management to take steps intended to maintain healthy herds on public lands. The bill would outlaw the killing of healthy animals and institute sterilization and other fertility controls to manage the herds. It would enhance an existing program to encourage adoption of the animals - and it would bar adopters from slaughtering the animals for human consumption.

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

Recognizing that agriculture is not only the backbone of our nation but that of most nations around the globe the USDA is participating in an agricultural extension program in conjunction with several universities across the U.S. in order to educate and inform agriculture representatives from Iraq and bring them up to speed on new ag technologies, practices, and systems. Over the past several weeks twelve representatives from Iraq have been learning about everything from animal health, soil and water management, dry-land crops, and horticulture, to youth training. The real work will begin once the Iraqi extension reps return home. There they’ll use the skills they developed here in the United States to train farmers and producers in their communities. So often when we think of Iraq industrial independence we think only of oil, but it will be the stabilization and revitalization of agriculture in Iraq that will allow them to stand on their own in the global community. Hopefully the Iraq Agriculture Extension Revitalization Program will go a long way in helping to sow peace and stability in Iraq.

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