Gas Prices & Snowpack

Gas Prices & Snowpack plus Food Forethought. I’m Greg Martin with today’s Northwest Report.

The price of a gallon of gasoline has been inching back up over the last month or so. In fact it is about .20 cents higher but the question is being asked…why? The barrel price has come down so what is the reason for the increase? It seems that the people who take that barrel of oil and turn it into petrol have cut back on their production to make more money. When the barrel price dropped so did their profits. By cutting back production they drive the cost up. Where is the FTC when you need them?

A mixed bag of water storage levels are being reported throughout the West as the winter snowpack season moves into its final months. Meteorologist Brad Rippey.

RIPPEY: Just the western reservoir situation at the end of 2008 was looking like this. We had above normal storage in Arizona, Washington State and in Wyoming and we were pretty much right at normal in Colorado.

Both Idaho and Oregon are in the below normal range going into the 2009 growing season.

Now with today’s Food Forethought, here’s Lacy Gray.

The state of the economy has slowed down sales in many different areas, including organic produce. The key word here is slowed, but not “stopped”. Any industry that continues to grow, however slowly, is probably in good shape. Occasional buyers of organic produce do appear to be cutting back, but regular buyers, while admittedly are trying to stretch their grocery dollar, are cutting back in the processed food area in order to purchase organic fruits, vegetables and meats. With global sales of organic foods nearing 23 billion and the United States accounting for 45 percent of that total it’s safe to say that the organic industry isn’t going away anytime soon. One of the most notable factors in the organic industry is that organic food with a “local history” is actually withstanding the recession. Organic foods are no longer considered a fringe market. There are a great number of shoppers who stand firm behind the organic ideal and their numbers are growing; shoppers who are not willing to sacrifice that ideal in order to pinch pennies.

Thanks Lacy. That’s today’s Northwest Report. I’m Greg Martin on the Northwest Ag Information Network.