Beef & Pork Recovery & Wal-Mart Chooses Washington Apples

Beef & Pork Recovery & Wal-Mart Chooses Washington Apples plus Food Forethought. I’m Greg Martin with today’s Northwest Report.

U.S. beef and pork exports should start to recover next year - after a rough 2009. That’s according to USDA’s World Ag Outlook Board. Weak global demand for beef has marked 2009 - and led to tighter fed cattle supplies. But World Ag Outlook Board Chair Gerry Bange sees some recovery in 2010 for both beef and pork.

BANGE: Looking to 2010 we’re seeing an expected recovery in beef exports back to the 1.8 billion pound mark that’s an increase of a little over 7% and we’re looking for pork exports actually to increase in 2010 also.

There is a lot of scuttlebutt going on around the water cooler about the possibility that Wal-Mart will start buying apples directly from Washington growers and may even open an office in Yakima, Washington to facilitate purchasing. What that may mean for other commodities is yet to be seen but an anonymous industry source claims Wal-Mart will purchase up to 15 million cartons of apples. If true, this may mean a dramatic change in the way Wal-Mart buys other fresh produce.

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

Proposition 2 last November. I don’t think it was their intent to try and put all egg producers out of business any more than it was to make it impossible for consumers in their state to have inexpensive shelled eggs, but as the song goes, the road to hell is paved with good intentions. California egg producers are working to establish an objective standard for a cage that will meet the requirements of this vague and impractical initiative. Problem is, the Humane Society of the United States who played a major role in getting Proposition 2 passed in California has no intention of backing any proposed caging system; cage free is the only system they will agree to. Producers are not evil doers set on torturing the animals they farm, anymore than the HSUS are angels in disguise with only animal welfare on their minds; their agenda goes far deeper than mere animal welfare reform. Tragically, the political agenda of the HSUS will continue to bog down our legal system and could result in forcing our nation’s food producers out of business.

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