01/22/09 Ethanol Hiccup & Ag and the New Administration

Ethanol Hiccup & Ag and the New Administration plus Food Forethought. I'm Greg Martin with today's Northwest Report. No one said that producing alternate fuels would be easy. The nation's second-largest ethanol producer has filed for reorganization and will open bids for the seven plants on March 16th. The seven plants have a combined capacity of about 640 million gallons per year, were all part of VeraSun's purchase of US BioEnergy holdings in November of 2007. As Barak Obama was sworn in as the 44th President you could see the hopes and dreams in the eyes of those attending. And with his swearing in came the hopes of American agriculture that the new President and the nation will meet the challenge of very tough economic times. American Farm Bureau's Mark Maslyn. MASLYN: The economy is the number one challenge facing the incoming President and I think that everyone is hoping that he will do well in meeting that challenge. Now with today's Food Forethought, here's Lacy Gray. Years from now many will reflect on where they were as they watched the 44th American President sworn in on a bitterly cold January day in 2009. Hopefully they will be able to look back on that day as the first of many which showed great promise and hope for the American people. President Obama gave forth with his inaugural speech a figure of honesty and strength, not unlike the figure of a man 148 years ago who accepted the same office and all the trials and tribulations that went with it. As it was for President Lincoln, President Obama is facing a nation and world in chaos. In stating what America must do to restore trust, not only between her own people and their government, but with other nations, he succinctly stated what he must do as well. No one knows more than he that he will now have to earn the respect that the position of the President of the United States imbues. Our new Commander in Chief and his cabinet, from the Secretary of State to the Secretary of Agriculture, will hopefully make their mark on history by making a better and brighter future for America. Thanks Lacy. That's today's Northwest Report. I'm Greg Martin on the Northwest Ag Information Network.