Labor Reform & Lifting a Ban

Labor Reform & Lifting a Ban plus Food Forethought. I’m Greg Martin with today’s Northwest Report.

As he wrapped up his trip to Guadalajara, Mexico, on Monday, President Obama seemingly put immigration on the back burner, saying – efforts to change the immigration system would have to wait until next year. He wants to focus on health care reform, energy legislation and financial regulatory changes. Still, the President indicated his administration will begin working on a comprehensive overhaul of the U.S. immigration system this year - but that no action on legislation will happen before 2010. Washington State Farm Bureau’s Dan Fazio says farmers need reform now.

FAZIO: President Obama is hopeful that he’ll start the immigration reform process next year, early next year and Senator Schumer says that he’ll have a bill ready to go by just after Labor Day so that is hopeful because we need comprehensive immigration reform because farmers need a legal and stable workforce.

Last April South Korea banned the importation of live hogs from North America. This ban was put into place when the H1N1 virus became a problem. Tuesday brought word that South Korea has lifted its ban. South Korea's agricultural ministry issued a statement saying it would allow imports of live hogs from the United States, Canada and Mexico to resume with stepped-up quarantine checks. The ban was first put in place as a protective move when the H1N1 virus was mistakenly tied to – swine flu.

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

With all the farmer and rancher bashing that’s been going on lately one could easily be led to believe that farmers and ranchers are the equivalent to the notorious “hole in the wall gang”. Nothing could be further from the truth. But those doing the bashing are generally politically driven and misinformed. Consider the “dirt”umentary film “Food Inc.” which besides being obviously one sided champions Wal-Mart of all things and lumps all food production under a blanket of mistruths about the U.S. agriculture business. American consumers are fortunate to be blessed with the most affordable, abundant, and yes one of the safest food supplies in the world. And yet farmers and ranchers are earning the lowest income since the Great Depression. Contrary to popular opinion, America’s farmers are not living high on the hog while the rest of us suffer with the struggling economy. They are however continuing to do a thankless job while trying to make ends meet and take care of their own families. Let’s finally give some thanks and credit where credit is due, and I’m not talking about Wal-Mart!

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