10/23/08 E. Coli Outbreak & Renewable Energy Interest

E. Coli Outbreak & Renewable Energy Interest plus Food Forethought. I'm Greg Martin with today's Northwest Report. Doctors in Snohomish County are investigating over a dozens cases of e-coli. Only one victim required hospitalization. Cases first appeared last week and the push is on now to figure how those people got sick. E-coli is often spread through contaminated food and in serious cases can lead to kidney failure and death. Public health officials met Monday afternoon to discuss the latest on the investigation. Oil and gasoline prices have been plummeting - and experts say that could dry up some demand for alternative fuels like ethanol. Others disagree. Recent studies show ethanol and gasoline prices closely linked - since ethanol is a gas substitute. Does that mean falling oil prices will hurt ethanol prices, demand and investment? Energy Secretary Sam Bodman recently weighed in. BODMAN: I don't think we've seen anything that, at least I haven't, that suggests that oil prices are going to  are going to be so low that they're going to diminish interest in renewable energy. Now with today's Food Forethought, here's Lacy Gray. The American farmer, that under appreciated, under touted and under valued American icon is in jeopardy of extinction. We hear often of endangered species, from the arctic fox to the blue whale, but what about the constant attacks made on the American farmer and agriculture. Every day threatens a new restriction placed on some form of U.S. agricultural production. A little over a month ago a judge in Missouri declared no hog farms could be built within a 15 mile radius of state parks. That resulted in more than 700 square miles of agricultural land being inaccessible for raising pigs. In November, California voters will determine whether or not to allow animals to be raised in environmentally controlled systems. Several researchers fear that if passed, this bill would virtually eliminate egg production in California. Do we really want to put ourselves in the position where we rely on foreign food imports? We know where that got us with oil. Don't settle for the American farmer being next on the endangered species list. Thanks Lacy. That's today's Northwest Report. I'm Greg Martin on the Northwest Ag Information Network.