11/11/08 Program Changes & More Potatoes

Program Changes & More Potatoes plus Food Forethought. I'm Greg Martin with today's Northwest Report. There have been three changes to farm program participation rules. Now, producers on a farm with 10 acres or less of base acreage may now, under new law, enroll their farms in the 2008 Direct and Counter-cyclical Payment Program. They have until November 26, 2008 to do so. This extension of the original deadline only applies to producers who were previously excluded because of the minimum acreage requirement. Program payments are already being made. After an industry shakeout 8 years ago, potato growers are seeing much higher prices, especially over the last six months. Rachael Dettmann, USDA economist, gives us some reasons why U.S. potato growers may elect to plant a few more acres this year. DETTMANN: The prices for corn and wheat have deflated a bit over the past few months and potato farmers produce on a crop rotation so they have to rotate their crops so I would expect that some growers would put more acreage into production. Not substantial increases but slight increases because after all they do want to maintain the healthy prices that they have been receiving. And if our export demand continues to grow there will be even more incentive to produce more potatoes especially processed potato products to export to foreign countries. Now with today's Food Forethought, here's Lacy Gray. Mr. Obama has been president elect for a week now and the questions and concerns from different sectors are starting to pour in. One of the more intense queries revolves around what an Obama administration will mean for American agriculture? During his campaign Obama stated that his plans for America's farmers revolved around seven priorities which included but were not limited to, securing payment limits on mega farms, fair access to markets for independent farmers, country of origin labeling, and to work at providing tax incentives making it easier for new farmers to afford their first farm. President elect Obama's website listed off several sizable campaign promises in regards to America's farmers, not the least being a concentrated effort to "work with farmers in making ethanol technology widely available, economical and profitable." Hopefully this new administration will live up to their word. All in all the "book jacket" seems to promise a fairly good read, but how the story really pans out, only time will tell. Thanks Lacy. That's today's Northwest Report. I'm Greg Martin on the Northwest Ag Information Network.