05/05/08 Is it a Farm Bill & Fishery Failure

Is It A Farm Bill & Fishery Failure plus Food Forethought. I'm Greg Martin with today's Northwest Report. Late last week, both the Senate and the House passed a two week extension of the current farm bill and then sat down to hammer out a new one. Early Friday morning they emerged with something that may have a chance to pass through both houses and on to the President. There are still details to be worked out and some budgeting issues that were being worked on during the weekend. Senate Ag Chair Tom Harkin explained. HARKIN: Now we are going to have to have another meeting next week because we have to get scores all tied up and make sure we are below that $10 billion dollar mark so we are going to have another meeting to see whether or not we have to do something else to make it all fit again. Secretary of Commerce Carlos M. Gutierrez declared a commercial fishery failure for the West Coast salmon fishery due to historically low salmon returns. And also issued regulations to close or severely limit recreational and commercial salmon fishing in the area. Although the reasons for the sudden decline of the fishery are not completely understood, NOAA scientists suggest that changes in ocean conditions, including unfavorable shifts in ocean temperature and food sources for juvenile salmon, likely caused poor survival of salmon that would have comprised this year's fishery. Now with today's Food Forethought, here's Lacy Gray. Hi ho the dairy oh, the farmer takes a wife. In the realm of reality TV this could be a major, albeit humorous, challenge. I myself have always in the past turned up my nose at reality TV programming of any kind, but I have to admit "Farmer Wants a Wife", which premiered April 30thon the CW network, has peaked my curiosity. There is nothing quite as satisfying and down right thigh slapping funny as watching "big city" gals get their dainty Prada shod feet dirty in&. well you know what in. As one contestant found out the day she arrived, fresh cow patties can be "a might deep" and "a might warm"! One poor contestant seems to have Paris Hilton's lifestyle and that of a farm wife confused stating that her impressions of a farm wife lifestyle could be wonderful, "going to polo matches, and a farmer's wife doesn't work, she has people who work for her". A farm wife's life wonderful, yes, polo matches and house servants, generally not! Contestant Josie though asks Farmer Matt's mom whether the toilets flush normally or you have to hold the handle down. Hmm&.she's got my vote. Thanks Lacy. That's today's Northwest Report. I'm Greg Martin on the Northwest Ag Information Network.