04/17/08 Poultry Raid & Extension

Poultry Raids & Extension plus Food Forethought. I'm Greg Martin with today's Northwest Report. The House has agreed to a one week extension of the Farm Bill through the 25th and warned that another 2-week extension will most likely be necessary. Deputy Ag Secretary Chuck Conner said with little action on the bill, it may be time for a longer extension. CONNER: As it is right now they have made no progress on the funding. Obviously that funding takes a whole lot of policy decisions below that, that they haven't even discussed yet, publicly either staff level or certainly not at members. Discussion are back on today but the big issue that will more than likely keep the bill up in the air is funding. Federal immigration agents raided Pilgrim's Pride poultry plants in five states Wednesday in a crackdown on an alleged scam to provide fake identification for illegal immigrant workers. Pilgrim's Pride is the nation's largest chicken producer. More than 100 people were expected to be charged in the raids at plants in Mount Pleasant, Texas, Batesville, Ark., Live Oak, Fla., Chattanooga, Tenn. and Moorefield, W.Va. The raids were part of a long-term investigation and there was no word on what that might do to already inflated chicken prices. Now with today's Food Forethought, here's Lacy Gray. Looks like even your closet may soon be going high tech. You've heard of the "power tie", well the "power shirt" puts a whole new spin on the definition. The "Power Shirt" is nanotechnology infused clothing that will generate enough electricity to power small electronic devices for anyone whose physical motion can be captured and converted to electrical energy. Sounds like an episode of MacGyver doesn't it. Without inundating you with techno babble, just suffice to say researchers are working on nanowire covered fiber which reacts to mechanical stress. Meaning such fiber weaved into a shirt or jacket could allow the wearer's movements to power portable electronic devices. I'm just not sure I'm ready for such technology. I still haven't figured out how to run all the different features on my cell phone! Although, it would probably come in handy for those extreme enthusiasts or soldiers in the field, I don't see average Jack or Jill paying what will probably be a hefty price tag for an "electronic base" shirt. And laundry day could be very "electrifying"! Thanks Lacy. That's today's Northwest Report. I'm Greg Martin on the Northwest Ag Information Network.