Oregon Governor to Iraq, Hispanic Farmer Help & New Wine Director

Oregon Governor to Iraq, Hispanic Farmer Help & New Wine Director plus Food Forethought. I'm Greg Martin with today's Northwest Report. Oregon is in the news today as a Silicon Valley executive has been named the new Executive Director of the Oregon wine industry. Jeanette Morgan will be responsible for strategic planning and administration of the Oregon Wine Board, the Oregon Winegrowers Association and the Trust for Oregon Wine Education and Research. The USDA is offering support to disadvantaged Hispanic farmers and ranchers through the "2501 program". Under Secretary for Marketing and Regulatory Programs, Ed Avalos. AVALOS: Working with Hispanic farmers and ranchers in the past I think it's money well spent and it's money that will be utilized to not only support the farmers and ranchers but it will really help stimulate the rural economies. Gov. Ted Kulongoski travelled to Iraq yesterday and announced that the state and OSU will be signing a memorandum of understanding with Iraq's minister of higher education and scientific research to help Iraq universities in a five-year agreement that will include faculty and student exchanges. OSU will help Iraq universities develop energy and water conservation, green construction and other sustainable engineering and design programs. Now with today's Food Forethought, here's Lacy Gray. Would any rational person consider milk a junk food? No, I didn't think so. And before you ask why I would even ask such a preposterous question I'll tell you. Because the PCRM, that phony physicians committee for supposed responsible medicine, and cover front for animal rights activists, included whole milk on their Halloween scare list of junk foods targeting kids. Other members of their list were foods normally considered as junk food, candy, pop, and chips, but milk? Perhaps they were sitting around one day throwing out possible ways to get themselves media attention and the idea to throw a nutritious food item under the bus as junk food seemed like the best way to accomplish that. While some nutritionists have suggested that schools serve one or two percent milk in place of whole milk, they have not, do not, and would not put milk in the junk food category. Milk is listed as a recommended daily dietary requirement with the USDA, due primarily to the simple fact that it's a nutrient rich food which provides calcium, vitamin A, D, protein, and potassium, just to name a few. That's one heck of a healthy junk food. Thanks Lacy. That's today's Northwest Report. I'm Greg Martin on the Ag Information Network.