Recovery Act & WTO Update

Recovery Act & WTO Update plus Food Forethought. I’m Greg Martin with today’s Northwest Report.

It has been on year since the Obama Administration began the Recovery Act and Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack says while a great deal has been accomplished through investments by the Recovery Act, by no means is the effort done.

VILSACK: The next act is even better yet. We’re going to see a significant job generating effort into our broadband internet program. We think it will expand broadband internet access to over 1.2 million households, to almost a quarter of a million businesses and 78-hundred anchor institutions like hospitals and schools around America. At the same time we’re probably going to help at least 300 rural businesses grow and expand to create new jobs. We’re going to improve and construct hundreds of community facilities to benefit rural residents and we’re going to look at constructing and rebuilding water and waste water systems for over 200 communities affecting 1-million rural Americans.

WTO agriculture negotiations continue and progress is being reported by New Zealand Ambassador David Walker, who chairs the talks. Walker termed the talks - an informal agriculture negotiations meeting of the full membership. The present consultations began on February 1^st and according to Walker, - these consultations provided some useful opportunities for discussion, and in each case there’s on-going work to be done of one form or another.

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

The Farmer’s Almanac says today is a good day to prune for growth, I therefore set out to do just that to the numerous roses, ornamental grasses, trees and shrubs taking up root in our front, side and backyard. My neighbor obviously doesn’t put much stock in the gardening advice of the Farmer’s Almanac as he was out doing his pruning last week. Of course this is the same neighbor that mows his lawn three times a week beginning in February and running through November!  Interestingly as I watched my neighbor working laboriously in the top of his maple tree I noticed he wasn’t wearing safety gear of any kind other than a pair of work gloves, which got me to thinking about safety and health in regards to gardening and farming. Eye and hearing protection as well as wearing the right clothing for the right job could save your eyesight and hearing as well as your life. My neighbors may get a good chuckle as I walk out in my pruning gear, consisting of safety goggles, leather gloves, long sleeved shirt, knee and elbow protection and hat, but at least I know I will more than likely have the same number of digits I was born with in order to go on and prune another day.

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