New Laws & A Clear Direction
New Laws & A Clear Direction plus Food Forethought. I’m Greg Martin with today’s Northwest Report.
2012 has ushered in a bevy of new laws across the Pacific Northwest including minimum wage increase in both Washington and Oregon. But Oregon has several other new laws going into effect. Drivers no longer have the excuse that they need to talk on the phone while driving for their job. Talking and driving is now a no-no. And in Oregon anyone convicted of drunken driving, even first-time offenders, will have get an ignition interlock device installed in their cars. In a bid to stop demand for illegally killed sharks, it will be illegal to possess or sell shark fins in Oregon.
American Farm Bureau Federation President Bob Stallman wants delegates at the group’s upcoming annual meeting in Honolulu to provide clear direction on farm policy. The delegates are expected to engage in a spirited debate on a safety net recommendation for the 2012 Farm Bill that omits any reference to direct and counter-cyclical payments.
Instead, Stallman says they’ll be asked to endorse a catastrophic revenue loss program….
STALLMAN: We think moving forward with the Systemic Risk Reduction program as we have tentatively outlined is the way to go in terms of our future farm policy. It’s scalable, it’s a lot simpler, not as complex for administration, it has the opportunity to be consistent across all commodities.
Now with today’s Food Forethought, here’s Lacy Gray.
January 12 will mark the end of the current Miss America, Teresa Scanlan’s reign. It’s hard to believe the Miss American Pageant has been a fixture in our nation’s culture for nearly ninety-one years. That’s a lot of smiles, tears, bathing suits, and crowns. Something that helped to make the Miss America Pageant more than just a beauty contest was the arrival of contestant platforms. Up until then Miss America winners were not much more than a pretty face selling consumer products. The social issue platform in which each contestant supports a particular cause upon becoming Miss America became a requirement in eighty-nine. The years following have seen winners promoting worthwhile causes ranging from diabetes to character education. Teresa Scanlan has been one of the few, if not only Miss America to promote the importance of food and farming. Granted, her original platform was eating disorder awareness, but she soon morphed that into promoting agriculture. Reaching consumers of all ages, Scanlan has had the opportunity to educate consumers about healthy foods and the farmers and ranchers who produce them.
Thanks Lacy. That’s today’s Northwest Report. I’m Greg Martin on the Ag Information Network.
