Former Secretary On Farm Bill, Snow is Here & Idaho Investigates Poaching

Former Secretary On Farm Bill, Snow is Here & Idaho Investigates Poaching plus Food Forethought. I'm Greg Martin with today's Northwest Report. Former Ag Secretary, now Nebraska Senator Mike Johanns says work has already begun on the next Farm Bill slated for 2012, but Johanns says the question of the federal budget still remains. JOHANNS: It's just going to be a very tight baseline, a very tight budget and that means that new priorities are going to be difficult, but not impossible to fund. The Idaho Department of Fish and Game is investigating a pair of poaching incidents, one involving a bull elk illegally killed on the Montana-Idaho border and the other a moose that was left to rot south of Lewiston. People with information are urged to call the state's poaching hotline. A Fish and Game conservation officer based in Lewiston, says "hunters should be outraged" by these illegal killings -- doubly so because the moose population in the Craig Mountain area is already low. Snow has come to the Cascades and because of the challenging conditions ahead in the mountains, WSDOT officials decided to allow drivers to install studded tires starting today, prior to the Nov. 1 seasonal tire restriction lift. Now with today's Food Forethought, here's Lacy Gray. Grandpa always said, "A cow pile is a cow pile no matter what color you paint it". I can't help thinking that when I read about Wal-Mart cutting out the middle man when it comes to purchasing fresh produce for their stores, opting to buy directly from the growers. First knee jerk reaction is to wonder what the catch is. Wal-Mart has never been one to do things simply for the benefit of others, they're a major corporation and will behave as major corporations do, towing the bottom line. So when Wal-Mart executives hold meetings to spout their new policy of "global food sourcing" is it any wonder it's met with both cautious skepticism and optimistic, yet nervous, enthusiasm. Struggling growers dealing with the mega smiley face chain would be wise to keep a close eye on that wide grin and not get too comfy in the relationship; remembering that removing the middle man removes the safety net. Generally, I'm an over the top optimist, choosing to look for and see the good in just about anyone and any situation. In this case however I'm having a hard time getting over that creepy, crawly feeling one gets up the back of one's neck when something just doesn't feel right. Thanks Lacy. That's today's Northwest Report. I'm Greg Martin on the Ag Information Network.