Equine Herpes Outbreak & Using Coupons

Equine Herpes Outbreak & Using Coupons plus Food Forethought. I’m Greg Martin with today’s Northwest Report.

Last week it was announced that a couple of horses from Washington that attended the National Cutting Horse Association event in Ogden, Utah has tested positive for a highly contagious animal disease, Equine Herpes Virus 1 or EHV-1.Washington State Veterinarian Leonard Eldridge has not issued a quarantine on the animals, WSDA’s Jason Kelly says they are urging some caution.

KELLY: We’ve been contacting those folks and asking them to isolate their animals from other horses that they may have on their facilities and asking them also to maybe hold off for a couple of weeks on sending their horses to other events in Washington State or other states. And then also we’re asking them to report other horses that cutting horses may have interacted with after coming back from Utah. Because one of the concerns is in a highly contagious disease like this we may be seeing secondary cases, animals that are infected after the event in Utah.

With food prices on the rise more and more people are turning back to clipping coupons and discount shopping in a big way to cut costs. There are even TV programs about extreme coupon shoppers and websites devoted to help you find those bargains. Social media has even gotten involved with something called Groupon which negotiates huge discounts—usually 50-90% off—with popular businesses. Good luck hunting!

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

June is National Dairy Month, and while most of us enjoy dairy foods throughout the rest of the year as well National Dairy Month provides an opportunity for the dairy industry to educate the general public on the nutritional benefits of consuming dairy products and where those dairy products at the local supermarket really come from. Perhaps not surprisingly, a large percentage of school age children believe the milk and other dairy products they enjoy originate from the grocery store. More surprisingly though, is the number of adults who, while well aware that milk comes from a cow, are not entirely knowledgable of how dairy products are produced, and how they’re transported from dairy farms to the markets. There’s a definite science involved in the producing, collecting, and processing of milk and other dairy products that children and grownups alike can appreciate and enjoy learning about. The most important message though that the National Dairy Council conveys during National Dairy Month and all year through is the importance of keeping dairy products as a part of our daily diets. There’s no tastier way to get your daily requirement of calcium.

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