01/08/09 Back In Action & Flooding

Back In Action & Flooding plus Food Forethought. I'm Greg Martin with today's Northwest Report. Not too many days ago it was 30, the number of U.S. meat packing plants delisted by Mexico. But, Mexico has resumed imports from all but one of those plants. According to the USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service, the remaining plant is Vin-Lee-Ron Meats based in Mentone, Indiana. So far, an FSIS spokesperson says, we need - corrective action information from the company before we can submit it to Mexico for approval to be relisted. Residents of the Pacific Northwest may have a new weather problem to cope with this week as snow melts and rains come -----flooding. Meteorologist Brad Rippey has the insight. RIPPEY: The combination of melting snow and heavy rain could produce flooding over the next several days. We are looking at the possibility of as much as 4 to 8 inches of rain west of the Cascades, lesser amounts as you head east of the mountains but nevertheless the deep snowpack in eastern Washington combined with some rain over the next several days could produce some flooding conditions in the interior northwest. Now with today's Food Forethought, here's Lacy Gray. The increase of the minimum wage in Washington and Oregon may at first seem like a good thing, but the fact is the increase puts the two states at the top of our nation's minimum wage scale, which puts a great strain on small business owners and farmers. The increase is supposedly based on inflation measured by the Consumer Price Index, but that is based on price changes in major U.S. cities. The formulas used to calculate economic conditions however don't take into account rural areas conditions. And unlike large businesses that can adjust their prices to compensate for the increased wages, farmers and small business can't. Federal minimum wage is currently at $6.55 an hour, and is scheduled to increase again in July, 2009. While Washington and Oregon voters approved minimum wage adjustment measures, the inequity of the measures was unforeseen. Farmers and business owners are hoping that a workable solution can be found as lawmakers begin their new session. Cheap labor isn't the objective; easing the burden created by annual wage increases is. Thanks Lacy. That's today's Northwest Report. I'm Greg Martin on the Northwest Ag Information Network.