Future Policy Planning & Biodiesel Plant Fire

Future Policy Planning & Biodiesel Plant Fire plus Food Forethought. I’m Greg Martin with today’s Northwest Report.

A long available strategic conservation planning tool is now receiving public comment on how it should be used for future policy planning. Natural Resources Conservation Service Chief Dave White explains the history and renewal of this part of the 2008 Farm Bill.

WHITE: This bill was actually published, way, way, way back in 1977 and its intent was to guide USDA’s actions of conservation, where we wanted to go to meet the short-term and long-term needs of the nation. It kind of fell into disuse over the years, people kind of forgot about it until last year, 2008 when Congress was reauthorizing the 2008 Farm Bill. There was a group of people who said this would really be very useful to have good cogent information the next time we do a farm bill so we could have scientific information that could inform the process and we could make good decisions.

A suspicious fire heavily damaged a biodiesel manufacturing plant in Burbank, WA over the weekend. The fire started outside the Gen-X Energy Group's 18,000-square-foot warehouse and spread throughout the building. The biodiesel plant, which opened in May 2007, was running at about half capacity, producing about 7,200 gallons a day. The company had just received a three-year contract to produce over 1 billion gallons of biodiesel and hopes to be back up and running in a few days.

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

How often have we all heard, or actually been the one making the statement, “Well, if it was me, I would do this. Too many times to even count I’m sure. It’s always easier to see how things should be done when you’re not the one having to do it. Case in point, well meaning but uninformed or misinformed individuals who claim to know more about the happenings within the agricultural industry than the farmers, ranchers, and producers who are actually in the business. A large majority of consumers do not understand the extensive process it takes to get food from the field to the table. And too often the finger of blame over higher food prices is pointed in the wrong direction. Ethanol producers are accused of being at the root of most food production or pricing evils, but they’re not the devil in disguise as they’re so often made out to be. They just happen to be a rather large and easy target. The ag industry needs to get their side of the story out to the people who need to hear it, the American consumer. Oh my gosh, did I just say what I think I did? Ah, well, it is easier said than done.

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