Benefitting from Climate Change & Tragic Accident

Benefitting from Climate Change & Tragic Accident plus Food Forethought. I’m Greg Martin with today’s Northwest Report.

National Farmers Union President Roger Johnson recently told the Senate Agriculture Committee that America’s farmers and ranchers can - and want to be - part of the solution to global climate change.

JOHNSON: To state it simply, the cost of no action must become a legitimate part of the on-going climate change debate. Models of climate change scenarios demonstrate increased frequency of heat stress, droughts and flooding events that will reduce crop yield and livestock productivity.

You may have heard of the tragic accident that took place last week near Lynden, Washington where an infant was killed in a head on collision. The mother was holding the child in her arms in the front seat when the accident occurred. This has galvanized groups that stress keeping kids in infant and toddler seats. Seats must be appropriately installed in the rear seat and depending on the age of the child be the correct size. Many older folks can remember riding in cars without seat belts, standing in the seats or even riding in the space of the rear window deck. The mortality rates reflected that. If you have any questions regarding your child’s car seat, check with local authorities to avoid another tragic death.

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

The label wars are really gearing up as food marketers are stretching the limit to create labels for their products that will have them standing out from the crowd. In center ring right now there appears to be the “organic” versus “natural” label competitors. Products aimed at the green market are beginning to blur the lines between organic and natural. Confusion on the part of consumers seems to be the end result, but contrary to what some     believe, consumers are “smart enough” to know what they want; safe, nutritional food for their families that won’t break their pocketbook. Many people believe “natural” is regulated by the government and “organic” isn’t. In reality, it’s just the opposite. And while natural labels tend to mean produced without added hormones, artificial substances, or preservatives, it does not mean the products are produced without pesticides, antibiotics, or herbicides; factors that in addition truly define organic production. Consumers will just have to be more thorough and read the entire label and ingredient lists.

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