02/27/08 25 x 25 developing institute for accurate information

Farm and Ranch February 27, 2008 When 25 x 25 co-chair Read Smith looks back over the past year he says it has been an exciting one. After all the organization's goal of having 25 percent of total U.S. energy needs provided by America's farms, forests and ranches by 2025 was incorporated into an energy bill. Smith: "We have legislation, national legislation signed by the President now that adopts 25 x 25 as a national resolution. So we are proceeding this next year in 2008 on a number of very aggressive fronts." Smith, a Washington farmer says one of those efforts is creation of an institute. Smith: "Will be a think tank of questions. There is a prolific amount of bad information out there being circulated by not necessarily anti-renewable folks, but people that have other interests, and we want to make sure that the public and everyone makes their decisions and forms their opinions on the facts rather than rumors or someone else's. So we are moving very quickly in that direction." The 25 x 25 Summit is coming up in Omaha, Nebraska March 11th through 13th. You can get more information about that and 25 x 25 itself at www.25x25.org I'm Bob Hoff and that's the Northwest Farm and Ranch Report on the Northwest Ag Information Network.