Beef Plant Closes & Columbia FTA Hopeful
Beef Plant Closes & Columbia FTA Hopeful. I’m Greg Martin with today’s Northwest Report.
XL Four Star Beef announced last Friday that it will close its Nampa beef processing plant in early June, eliminating about 500 jobs in the process. The closure will affect cattle producers across southern Idaho, but the impacts are hard to gauge. At peak capacity, the plant could process 1,000 to 1,100 head per day of primarily mature, culled cows. Officials said the plants age was a primary reason for the closure, shrinking herds also was a factor.
Washington Congressman Doc Hastings is very optimistic about the pending free trade agreement with Columbia.
HASTINGS: Well listen, I am very pleased that the President has now agreed to send that agreement up to Congress. He can’t send it up soon enough as far as I’m concerned but I haven’t heard when he’s going to do it, I’ve only heard that he is going to do it and I applaud him for that. And of course we need to take up the South Korean Free Trade Agreement also, that too has a benefit for agriculture and of course the last one that’s pending that should also be taken up is Panama.
Oregon Public Health officials remind you that baby poultry may be soft and cuddly, but they also could make you very sick. Many birds carry salmonella bacteria that can cause serious illness, especially in children. Always wash your hands after handling birds or their cages, and never nuzzle or kiss a chick.
Now here’s today’s Washington Grange report.
(Grange)
That’s today’s Northwest Report. I’m Greg Martin on the Ag Information Network.
