Pushing ACRE & Protecting From Fire

Pushing ACRE & Protecting From Fire plus Food Forethought. I’m Greg Martin with today’s Northwest Report.

The USDA is reminding producers that the sign-up deadline to elect the new Average Crop Revenue Election program is August 14. ACRE was created in the 2008 Farm Bill, and offers a revenue-based alternative to the traditional Direct and Counter-Cyclical Program. Producers may elect to participate in ACRE even if they have already received an advance DCP payment for 2009. Some commodities eligible for ACRE are wheat, corn, grain sorghum, barley, oats, peanuts, sunflower seed, canola, flaxseed, safflower, rapeseed, sesame seed, dry peas, lentils, small chickpeas and large chickpeas. Once a farm is enrolled in ACRE, that farm must continue to be enrolled in ACRE through the 2012 crop year.

Fire season is here and if you live in fire prone areas, Ed Smith of the University of Nevada Extension says debris like pine needles and cones collected in rain gutters in homes near forests and rangeland could be the kindling needed to start a fire if a wildfire ember lands inside.

SMITH: Rain gutters are probably the perfect contraption for trapping embers. Unless they are maintained they tend to accumulate pine needles, leaves, twigs, that type of material. Embers can hit a steep roof, roll off and accumulate in the rain gutters and ignite the debris that’s in there or they can land just directly in the rain gutters themselves and so it’s important to keep your rain gutters clean.

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

It’s that time of year again, fair time! Everyone is gearing up for their local fairs from Timbuktu to Kalamazoo. As in years gone by the routine for getting livestock ready to show at the fair and their  daily upkeep and care while at the fair remains pretty standard and unchanged. But there is an exception this year regarding pigs. With the H1N1 virus still capturing media attention fair boards are being asked to issue certain guidelines when it comes to the showing of swine. It has been recommended that fair goers be kept six feet away from pigs and that hand washing stations be provided. Surprisingly, this precautionary stance is being taken in order to protect the swine from any person who may be carrying the virus. Those showing pigs are also being cautioned to quarantine any pigs from the rest of their herd after returning home from the fair. The U.S. pork industry has suffered a tremendous blow in the aftermath of a disease that was originally mislabeled “swine flu”. They could certainly use a fair break.  

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