Unemployment claims drop sharply & Sage Grouse Initiative

Unemployment claims drop sharply & Sage Grouse Initiative. I'm Greg Martin with today's Northwest Report. Deputy Under Secretary for Natural Resources and Environment, Ann Mills was in Oregon yesterday touring the sage-grouse restoration project completed by the Hatfield High Desert Ranch in Brothers, Oregon. MILLS: As we came up on the ranch it was just clear that this is really an important part of the states cattle industry and certainly the Hatfield's have done a tremendous amount to promote conservation practices and of course we met with Travis Hatfield and I think again with these cost-share dollars we're able to work with him to accomplish what he needs to do to protect his pastures and also protect the sage grouse. Mills was announcing NRCS funding and program sign-up for this year's sage-grouse initiative. Fewer people applied for unemployment benefits last week, the second drop in a row and a hopeful sign the job market could be improving. The Labor Department said yesterday that initial claims for jobless benefits dropped by 21,000 to a seasonally adjusted 434,000 in the week that ended Oct. 23. It was the second-lowest number for claims this year. Stock futures rose after the report was released. Claims will need to keep falling to signal a widespread increase in hiring. The economy needs to grow by at least 5 percent for a full year to bring down the unemployment rate by a percentage point, economists estimate. Now here's today's Washington Grange Report. (GRANGE) That's today's Northwest Report. I'm Greg Martin on the Ag Information Network.