11/13/08 Shafer on Ag & Farm-City

Shafer on Ag & Farm-City plus Food Forethought. From the National Association of Farm Broadcasters convention in Kansas City, I'm Greg Martin with today's Northwest Report. A new administration will soon be taking over and with it the face of agriculture may see some changes. Out-going Ag Secretary Ed Schafer speaking at the National Association of Farm Broadcasters convention says they are working to make a smooth change. SCHAFER: It's my hope that the Obama Administration will look at the long line of administration successes in agriculture and find a way to build on them with a bi-partisan approach. I've certainly grown to appreciate the positioning of the United States Department of Agriculture, USDA as a non-political department. And I certainly hop it stays that way with the new administration. What better time to commemorate those who grow America's food supply than Thanksgiving? National Farm-City Week, recognized by a White House proclamation, is celebrated November 21st to the 27th - ending Thanksgiving Day. While Al Pell - Chairman of the National Farm-City Council - says it's important to honor the growers and ranchers who provide us with food at home and to folks around the globe all year - he says it's especially appropriate to remember their efforts in the week leading up to Thanksgiving. Now with today's Food Forethought, here's Lacy Gray. Are you a "frugalista" who occasionally shows up at a "carrot mob" and opted to take a "staycation" this year? If you consider yourself the aforementioned and also practice the technique of hypermiling you can officially title yourself as one of the truly innovative peoples who have embraced this year's "new" lingo and lifestyle changes. Hypermiling is probably the most easily recognized new phrase and has been chosen as "word of the year" for 2008 by the New Oxford American Dictionary. To hypermile is to attempt to maximize gas mileage by making fuel-conserving adjustments to your car and your driving techniques. I'm curious though, whether hypermiling will go the way of most fads or become a fact of life for Americans. With gas prices fluctuating rapidly from day to day and the U.S. dollar sinking slowly into the sunset some aspects of hypermiling will probably remain in our culture. Certain hypermiling techniques though such as tailgating, drafting larger vehicles, or rolling through stop signs are quite dangerous and should probably go the way of fad. Thanks Lacy. That's today's Northwest Report. I'm Greg Martin on the Northwest Ag Information Network.