Governor Otter and Stimulus Money

 The Obama stimulus package is almost 800 billion. What’s the impact on Idaho’s ag sector going to be? Who better to answer than Governor Butch Otter. “Through the research and development, David, there are several opportunities for us to access R&D funds to the university level that we could probably focus on some of the agricultural problems that R&D would help us overcome. That would be the first reflection I would have on it. Other than that, most of it’s going to be directed at the services that are provided through health and welfare, a lot of money for education, of course that’s where I think we might be able to access those for the university level for ag research. The rest of it’s going to be for infrastructure. So, roads and bridges and building buildings and things like that. One of things I’ve already got our administration looking at, we’re about $10 million short on the total funding that we need for the livestock R&D center down in Twin Falls. Because it’s a shovel ready project, and all we need is a nod of the head and a get-go, I suggested to administration yesterday that they see if we can’t focus $10 million part of that infrastructure money on the livestock center so we can get that built.”