Vilsack On Ag Economy & No Wolf Kills
Vilsack On Ag Economy & No Wolf Kills plus Food Forethought. I’m Greg Martin with today’s Northwest Report.
Ag Secretary Tom Vilsack appeared before the House Committee on Agriculture on Thursday to discuss the farm economy. According to Vilsack farm household debt levels appear to have stabilized despite increasing land values. While prospects generally look bright, recent sharp increases in prices for major crops are generating a range of concerns.
VILSACK: As we enter 2011, the farm economy continues to remain strong with U.S. agricultural exports, farm cash receipts and net farm income projected at or above previous record levels.
Montana Gov. Brian Schweitzer turned heads when he announced he was sending out state wildlife agents to kill wolf packs any time they attack livestock or drive down elk numbers. Yet there's been no immediate change in how the state deals with problem wolves. An official from the Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks said Friday the agency is awaiting a response from federal officials on a petition to shoot packs blamed for hurting elk herds in the Bitterroot Valley. Schweitzer declared on Wednesday the state would not wait and instead "take action" on its own. Schweitzer also said any wolf attacks on livestock would prompt the removal of entire packs. But a state study last year showed such actions would quickly reduce wolf numbers below sustainable levels.
Now with today’s Food Forethought, here’s Lacy Gray.
What is quickly becoming the most sought after and priceless commodity in the world; gold, silver, diamonds, grain, oil? How about water? No longer just the plot of a fictional James Bond movie, water wars are a very real threat in today’s world. For most of us who have grown up in the United States, water is something we have long taken for granted. It is available twenty-four seven for whatever particular need we have at any given moment throughout the day, washing dishes, brushing our teeth, getting a drink, watering the yard. But for more than a billion people across the globe being without clean water and being thirsty is something they have to face on a daily basis. Now across the U.S., water for domestic use, and agricultural use is in crisis, with states like California, Idaho, Oregon, and Washington finding themselves in legislative battles involving environmentalists, farmers, and tribal leaders. As one of the regional directors involved in these on-going water negotiations so aptly stated, “Everyone has a legitimate claim to the water. There’s just not enough water to go around, so compromises will have to be made”.
Thanks Lacy. That’s today’s Northwest Report. I’m Greg Martin on the Ag Information Network.
