Ag Day Success & Potato Lawsuit

Ag Day Success & Potato Lawsuit

Ag Day Success & Potato Lawsuit. I'm Greg Martin with today's Northwest Report.

The 29th Annual Ag Day was a rousing success over the weekend at the State Fairgrounds in Salem. The two-day event brings the city and farm together with a variety of hands-on activities for kids of all ages. Tami Kerr is chair of this year's Ag Fest, which has something for everyone, but is geared primarily to kids.

KERR:  It's to teach people where their food and fiber come from and it's a hands-on way to do that. It's very family oriented, kid-friendly, where they can touch, taste, smell all the different areas of Oregon agriculture. Somebody a few years ago said that more kids have exposure to giraffes and elephants at the zoo than they do to farm animals. I was kind of stunned by that at first, but he was right.

Two Idaho families have been denied claims to the USDA after they contend its pesticide treatment contaminated their crops and poisoned a cattle herd. The claim comes from USDA spraying fields for potato cyst nematode and the aftermath that saw a number of issues with some local cattle. USDA has told the families to file a lawsuit instead which would more than likely bankrupt the families. The potatoes were sprayed with the pesticide methyl bromide despite its potential to poison people and animals.

That's today's Northwest Report. I'm Greg Martin on the Ag Information Network of the West.

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