Ag Appropriations Passes & Immigration Being Discussed

Ag Appropriations Passes & Immigration Being Discussed plus Food Forethought. I’m Greg Martin with today’s Northwest Report.

Conservation, food safety, rural development and nutrition assistance would get substantial budget boosts under the Agricultural Appropriations Bill the House has passed by a vote of 266 to 160 according to Ag Secretary Tom Vilsack

VILSACK: Child nutrition, we think it is important for a variety of reasons not to mention national security and economic security. That we continue to invest in bio-energy and rural development.

The bill - as passed - will increase spending by nearly 11-percent over fiscal year 2009 to 22.9-billion dollars - with the bulk of the increase going to USDA’s Women, Infants and Children feeding program, the Food and Drug Administration and international food aid. There is no funding for the National Animal Identification System.

The immigration issue is starting to heat up on Capitol Hill. Last week Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano announced that starting in September - President Obama will require federal contractors to confirm the identities of four-million workers against federal databases. As for the 2007 rule that would have sent Social Security no-match letters to 140-thousand employers - warning them to fix discrepancies or fire suspect workers within 90 days to avoid facing criminal penalties - Napolitano says the department will overturn it. Analysts say this is the clearest sign of Obama’s efforts to plan a middle course on immigration enforcement so far.

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

There is nothing quite like spending a summer evening at your favorite ballpark watching one of America’s favorite pastimes, baseball. And the experience isn’t quite complete without that foot long hot dog with lots of mustard and relish. Except now if the Physician Committee for Responsible Medicine has its way, oh you know, they’re the group that doesn’t actually have any physicians, you’ll have to get your hot dog with a warning label similar to those found on packets of cigarettes; “eating this product is associated with increased risk of cancer.” I guess it’s a sign of the times and one we will have to get used to as more and more over the top activists groups fight for center stage. This group has actually been told that top Harvard researchers have studied the meat causes cancer theory and has concluded that there is no strong evidence supporting a link between eating meat and colorectal cancer. But then to acknowledge such facts wouldn’t be as much fun. They’re fun comes from using baseless scare tactics and fear mongering. Hey, would someone pass the mustard and hold the hotdog hooey.

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