12/17/08 More Snow for NW & Melamine Testing

More Snow For NW & Testing for Melamine plus Food Forethought. I'm Greg Martin with today's Northwest Report. The northwest is just getting back to a bit more normal after a weekend storm system dumped snow and ice across the region. Now it appears more is on the way. An there may be more behind it as the National Weather Service has issued a winter storm watch for another possible 3 to 6 inches of snow. Cold temperatures will continue through the New Year according to one meteorologist. Shelters are full and there is a need for additional blankets, coats & gloves. USDA will include meats that may contain dairy products from China in its testing for melamine. Dr. David Goldman of USDA's Food Safety and Inspection Service explains some of the items tested for melamine found in dairy from China. GOLDMAN: We worked with our colleagues in the policy office to determine those products that might contain a significant percentage of dairy derived ingredients that might be used as binders for example. So things like meatballs and breaded chicken products that you see we are targeting and sausages we know contain some percentage of those dairy derived ingredients. And we have no way of knowing right now whether the ingredients are sourced from overseas from foreign markets or not but considering the possibility that some of them may be sourced from overseas, we decided we would do a essential random survey of these 5 classes of products. Now with today's Food Forethought, here's Lacy Gray. You know "what" runs down hill. As it stands now, farmers and ranchers will be the ones sitting at the bottom if things don't change with the cap and trade systems being bounced around for next year. The failed Lieberman-Warner Climate Security Act to reduce carbon emissions would have had electricity costs rising by 44 percent over the next two decades. In addition to rising electricity costs, fuel prices would be raised anywhere from $1.40 to possibly $3.50 per gallon in that time period. As if those increases wouldn't be enough of a strain on farmer's pocketbooks, the price of nitrogen fertilizers would also skyrocket as an indirect result; all in all drastically raising the cost of production for growers. This scenario doesn't have to be set in stone or carbon as the case may be. However, it remains to be seen how President elect Obama, who is in favor of climate change legislation, will address the growing problem, and whether he will do it in a way that could actually benefit agriculture. Thanks Lacy. That's today's Northwest Report. I'm Greg Martin on the Northwest Ag Information Network.