05/14/08 Price Drop & GPS Tracking

Price Drop & GPS Tracking plus Food Forethought. I'm Greg Martin with today's Northwest Report. Don't expect to see a price drop for crop prices anytime soon. According to USDA's latest look at crop prices - farmers can expect even higher prices for many of their commodities this coming marketing year. Total wheat production is projected at 2.4-billion bushels - a 16-percent increase from 2007-08. The forecast for the winter wheat crop is 1.78-billion bushels. That's a 17-percent increase. And prices for 2008-09 are projected at $6.60 to $8.10 per bushel - higher than the current year forecast of a record $6.55. As for corn - USDA is projecting a 12.-1-billion bushel crop - a seven-percent decline from the record 2007-08 crop. Chief Economist Joe Glauber says projected yield is down just a bit at 153.9 bushels per acre due to the slower-than-average pace of planting. GLAUBER: Having your purse stolen is not pleasant but remembering your cell phone is inside could just get the purloined purse back like it did for one Boise, Idaho woman. When thieves stole her purse she had a friend find her phone via the cell phones onboard GPS. She then handed the info to the police who promptly made an arrest. Now with today's Food Forethought, here's Lacy Gray. Seems that so called "junk food" is soon to be the new prohibition child. The period from 1920 to 1933 is commonly known as "Prohibition" during which a law forbidding the manufacture and sale of alcoholic beverages was in force in the United States. We all know how well that went over and what it created in its wake. The most recent campaign of certain states wanting to impose a "sin tax" on burgers, fries, donuts, ice cream, bacon and numerous other foods that they deem toxic seems more like a story line from a futuristic bad B movie script. Sadly though it is all too real and gaining momentum. There have been numerous cases of employee lounges being posted with anti-donut signs and punishment dolled out for anyone who may bring donuts to work. Lawsuits have been filed against parents of overweight children. And if you don't think this in any way sounds like the 1920's Prohibition consider the raids enforced on hot dog vendors; threatening one merchant with fines and jail time. This isn't laughable anymore; in fact it is starting to be down right scary. Thanks Lacy. That's today's Northwest Report. I'm Greg Martin on the Northwest Ag Information Network.