Salmon Runs Best in Years & Mapping Switchgrass

Salmon Runs Best in Years & Mapping Switchgrass plus Food Forethought. I'm Greg Martin with today's Northwest Report. The recent genetic mapping of switchgrass could determine how favorable traits for biofuel production could be reproduced through breeding. Christian Tobias of USDA's Agricultural Research Service explains. TOBIAS: It has a lot of nice properties because it is high yielding and drought tolerant, widely adapted but it still doesn't yield as much as we'd like and every incremental increase in yield of course means that we lower the transportation costs because it has a low grade density. Not like pumping very energy dense petroleum out of a well and by improving yields and by improving the feedstock composition we can extract more energy per acre on the lands devoted for ... In the grand scheme of things, I'm not quite sure where this fits but Columbia River sockeye salmon runs are at the highest rate since 1938. Washington and Idaho Fish and Wildlife experts have seen significant increases this year. Although dam operations have improved and court-ordered springtime spills over the dams have helped, biologists who studied Columbia River sockeye say the biggest factor in the strength of the run is favorable ocean conditions the past two years. Now with today's Food Forethought, here's Lacy Gray. State fairs, county fairs, and fairs of all shapes and sizes are once again in full swing. When asked, most people will tick off a list of reasons why they enjoy going to the fair; the exhibits, the shows, the rides, or the crowds of people. But we all know the number one reason most of us get excited when fair time rolls around each year, the food! Fair foods are an art form all their own and some have even mastered what would seem like a culinary impossibility, such as deep fried ice cream, candy bars, or Twinkies, and add to that nearly anything and everything served on a stick. Ever tried spaghetti and meatballs on a stick? It can prove to be challenging and addictive to say the least. And for those of you that remain health conscious while at the fair, they even have salad on a stick. The food police are always on their soap box, but even more so during fair time. But come on folks, the majority of us spend fifty-one weeks of the year watching what we eat and counting calories; for just this very short time let us eat with abandon and zeal. Trust me, we'll all be back to being on our best "eating behavior" soon enough; that is until next year. Thanks Lacy. That's today's Northwest Report. I'm Greg Martin on the Ag Information Network.