Florida Weather & Airport Scanners

Florida Weather & Airport Scanners plus Food Forethought. I’m Greg Martin with today’s Northwest Report.

I just got back from an ag conference in sunny Orlando, Florida where the temperatures rivaled ours here in the Pacific Northwest. My wife considers it poetic justice since she was unable to go along. It was very surprising and it appears that ag producers across the entire U.S. are dealing with the cold but especially in Florida where they are unaccustomed to such severe temps. Meteorologist Brad Rippy explains.

RIPPEY: Temperatures will plunge back down into the 20’s and 30’s across Florida’s peninsula again raising the risk of significant crop damage. We may also have to concern ourselves with scarring due to high winds blowing sand scarring some of the tender vegetables across south Florida.

And speaking of traveling, Sea-Tac airport will be installing full-body scanners sometime this year. Nineteen other U.S. airports are now using the controversial full-body scanners which can "see" through clothing but only six of those airports are using the scanners as a primary screening method. The others, according to the Transportation Security Administration, are using the scanners as secondary screening, meaning that if someone arouses suspicion or screeners want to take a closer look the person sent to the full-body scanner.

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

If you have a passion for gardening or farming than you know the healing power they can yield. I call gardening my therapy and for good reason, troubles seem to disappear while I am working and tending to my plants. No wonder then that the Farmer-Veteran Coalition is such a success. The Coalition works to connect returning veterans with employment, training, and a chance to “heal” while working on America’s farms. Many war veterans find themselves suffering from post traumatic stress and feel unable to connect with their lives back home away from the war zone. That’s where the Farmer-Veteran Coalition steps in. A large percentage of American veterans were raised in rural communities and for them farms or ranches offer a more comfortable and less stressful setting than an office or factory. Overcoming the experiences of wartime can often seem to take a lifetime. Thankfully for many veterans returning home the Farmer-Veteran Coalition is there ready to help them receive the training, support, and healing they need in order to reconnect with themselves and the world around them.

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