Fall Weather & West Nile Death

Fall Weather & West Nile Death plus Food Forethought. I’m Greg Martin with today’s Northwest Report.

Yesterday was the first full day of fall and there is a definite change to the weather in the northwest but according to Brad Rippey, USDA meteorologist, the first days of fall are finding relatively warm conditions for crop maturation.

RIPPEY: Fortunately for September so far we have seen the jet stream at a very summer-like position far to the north across Canada and as a result we have seen highly favorable conditions across the plains in the Midwest for most of the month in terms of dry weather and until recently also very warm conditions.

It appears that the West Nile virus transmitted by mosquitoes has claimed its first victim in Sunnyside, Washington. 71-year old Ruth Rosalee died on Saturday and doctors told her husband that the cause was the West Nile virus. The CDC is testing samples for confirmation. This would be the ninth fatality nationally from the virus. So far 17 cases of West Nile have been confirmed in Washington State.

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

It is ironic to say the least that on so many occasions something we perceive as "bad happening will actually result in creating something good. Now, while most of you are scratching your heads and asking, "What did she just say, let me explain. The high price of gasoline has placed a crunch on most Americans pocketbooks, which means less money spent on extras; such as eating out two or three times a day which can add up to a hefty $500 to $600 dollars a month. As a result people are once again familiarizing themselves with their kitchens and finding out that they need some essentials in that arena, such as cookbooks and basic cooking utensils; both areas which report a double digit increases in sales. With the interest in eating at home comes the desire to make healthy meals from fresh local produce. In addition to eating at home people are walking or biking more, utilizing public transportation and overall saving energy. All things we can now add to the list of positives that have come from rising fuel prices.

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