12/19/08 Vilsack on USDA Mission & Gregoire's Scheme

Vilsack on USDA Mission & Gregoires Scheme. I'm Greg Martin with today's Northwest Report. Tom Vilsack, the Obama Administrations nominee for Ag Secretary is being lauded as a good choice for the position and he reiterated the USDA's mission. VILSACK: It must be about the work of improving profitability for farmers and ranchers and expanding opportunities in the rural communities in which they live. It must aggressively promote policies and programs that support sustainable practices to conserve and preserve our precious natural resources; our land, our water and our forests. It must work in concert with other federal departments, state and local governments and the private sector to promote American leadership in response to global climate change. And it must place nutrition at the center of all food assistance programs administered by the department. Her mantra during the campaign was no new taxes and Washington Governor Christine Gregoire yesterday released her plan to cut a nearly $6-billion dollar state deficit. The plan cuts spending, suspends voter initiatives and includes some borrowed money. The program will not be well received since cuts will include K-12 and higher education, social services, prisons, health programs, state parks and state government. Now here's today's Washington Grange Report. (GRANGE) That's today's Northwest Report. I'm Greg Martin on the Northwest Ag Information Network.