Cutting Benefits & EPA Penalties

 Cutting Benefits & EPA Penalties plus Food Forethought. I’m Greg Martin with today’s Northwest Report.

Millions of food assistance recipients are holding their breath as Congress debates possible deep cuts to nutrition benefits. The 2012 Farm Bill is already getting plenty attention as some lawmakers are vowing to cut back on the nearly two-thirds of the bill dedicated to nutrition programs. Ag Sec Tom Vilsack says now is not the time.

VILSACK: 16 to 17 million children in this country live in households that are food insecure. That means at some point in time during the month moms and dads in those households have to determine to scrimp, to cut, to change diets and in some cases to eliminate meals in order to make ends meet. Research shows that youngsters who are either obese or who are hungry simply do not learn as well as they ought to learn.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency says it assessed $4.9 million in penalties in the Northwest and Alaska in 2010. The total amount for Idaho, Oregon, Washington and Alaska is up from 2009, when roughly $3 million in penalties were assessed. The EPA said Monday that companies performed about $107 million worth of pollution control and cleanup as a result of its enforcement actions in the region.

Now with today’s Food Forethought, here’s Lacy Gray.

Ask an elementary age child where the milk in his or her refrigerator comes from and the answer you will probably receive is, “from the store”.  Surprisingly, most young school children not raised in rural areas are unaware that the milk they see in the dairy department at their local grocery store actually comes from a real animal. Thank goodness then for the Mobile Dairy Classroom.  Created in the 1930’s by dairy farmer Clarence Michel and the Dairy Council of California the mobile classroom’s soul purpose was to teach children how milk and dairy foods are produced. Needless to say, the wealth of learning from these mobile dairies and their fascination for children has not lost it’s appeal over the last seventy plus years. Children instinctively have a natural curiosity and love for learning new things. The importance then of reaching out and teaching them the role agriculture plays in supplying the food they eat and the benefits of including milk and dairy foods in a healthy diet at an early age can not be downplayed. The Mobile Dairy Classroom presentation lasts 30 minutes, the memories and information gained by the children lasts a lifetime.

Thanks Lacy. That’s today’s Northwest Report. I’m Greg Martin on the Ag Information Network.