AAA Report & Woody Biomass Grants

AAA Report & Woody Biomass Grants plus Food Forethought. I’m Greg Martin with today’s Northwest Report.

Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack yesterday announced the award of nearly $3 million in grants to 17 small businesses and community groups to develop wood-to-energy projects that require engineering services and will help expand regional economies and create new jobs. Four of those projects are here in the Pacific Northwest including 2 in Idaho and one each in Oregon and Washington. These projects will use woody material removed from forests during projects such as wildfire prevention, and that woody biomass will be processed in bioenergy facilities to produce green energy for heating and electricity.

Expect fewer people on the road this Fourth of July weekend. AAA reports forecast a 2.5 percent decline from the 40 million people who traveled a year ago. AAA’s Dave Carlson.

CARLSON: Even with the easing of pump prices here in the last 6 weeks or so, we’re still paying significantly higher prices than we were a year ago - .78 in Idaho - on average nationally it’s about .90 so for those that plan to travel they’re making adjustments so we expect that we’re going to see about a million fewer travelers overall.

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

With an alarming number of proposed legislation coming out of Washington over the last several months seeming more than a little anti-agriculture, the approval by House lawmakers of an ag funding bill preventing the USDA from finalizing and implementing its GIPSA Rule was met with surprise and welcome relief from livestock and poultry producers this past week. The proposed Grain Inspection, Packers and Stockyards Administration marketing rule literally stomps all over Congress’s original intent and even goes so far as to include previously rejected provisions. Contrary to USDA’s estimated cost to producers and consumers, a study by Informa Economics found that the overall costs suffered if GIPSA passes would run in the billions; with nearly $362 million to the poultry industry, $400 million to pork producers, and a staggering $880 million to the beef industry. If implemented as is the GIPSA Rule would more than likely result in overwhelming and devastating costs to livestock and poultry producers, not to mention catastrophic job losses in these ag industries.

Thanks Lacy. For great buys on Farm Equipment visit BigIron.com’s internet auctions. Every second and fourth Wednesdays. That’s today’s Northwest Report. I’m Greg Martin on the Ag Information Network.