1/16/09 Strong Ag Advocate & Peanut Butter Death

Strong Ag Advocate & Peanut Butter Death. I'm Greg Martin with today's Northwest Report. President-elect Barack Obama's pick for U.S. Ag Secretary Tom Vilsack - expected to be easily confirmed - told the Senate Ag Committee Wednesday he will be a strong advocate for all of U.S. agriculture - advanced biofuels - and will implement the new farm bill the way Congress intended. The 58-year old former Iowa Governor repeatedly assured ag Senators he'll represent all ag sectors and regions - not just Midwest crops. Still - Vilsack vowed to be aggressive in helping the renewable fuels industry - struggling with thin margins - develop advanced biofuels and improved distribution. VILSACK: The margins are very, very small and frankly you're going to have to be a very efficient manager over the course of the next several years to do well. We can help, with our research and development component by figuring out ways in which the processing of ethanol can be more efficiently done in a less energy intensive way and getting more out of whatever feedstock we use. Idaho Department of Health and Welfare officials say 10 people who became ill with salmonella in recent months -- including one person who died -- are believed to have eaten peanut butter before they got sick. The peanut butter in question is only available commercially and has been recalled. 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.