Cold for the Holiday & Watch Out for Animals

Cold for the Holiday & Watch Out for Animals plus Food Forethought. I'm Greg Martin with today's Northwest Report. Not sure about a white Christmas but Meteorologist Brad Rippey talks about the snow that's fallen across the northwest. RIPPEY: We even see accumulations at this very early date in some near sea-level cities in the Northwest including 1 inch on the ground in Seattle, Washington and Eugene, Oregon. That's highly unusual for any time of year. The interior Northwest we see 6 inches in Pocatello, Idaho; 8 inches in Spokane, Washington so a real early start to the winter across the Northwest. The Idaho Transportation Department is warning drivers on the road during the holiday to be aware of the strong possibility of encountering migrating deer and elk on Idaho 21 between Boise and Idaho City. Extreme weather conditions recently have dumped a significant amount of snow in the higher elevations of the Boise mountains, forcing foraging mule deer and elk lower in search of food. Officials caution motorists to slow down and be attentive when traveling this corridor. Now with today's Food Forethought, here's Lacy Gray. The future of biofuels sometimes reminds me of a chapter from the Back to the Future movie series; with Doc Brown taking off into the sunset in his byproduct fueled car. A byproduct fueled vehicle isn't farfetched anymore; in fact, it's downright plausible and inevitable. Researchers and scientists have been working diligently to encompass the full capacity and benefits of biotechnologies in regards to biofuels. Biocatalysts, which include yeasts and bacteria produced using biotechnology should soon make it possible to make ethanol from nearly any organic matter. The expansion of raw material use could then include an even larger variety of plants, grasses and even agricultural byproducts such as cornstalks. The result will be a new and improved biofuel that offers a better performance and fuel economy. America's farmers are working hand in hand with our nation's top companies and scientists to alleviate the world's fuel shortage. Thanks Lacy. That's today's Northwest Report. I'm Greg Martin on the Ag Information Network.