DOT Reaches Out & 2012 Farm Bill

DOT Reaches Out & 2012 Farm Bill plus Food Forethought. I’m Greg Martin with today’s Northwest Report.

Members of the House Ag Committee are busy looking at what the 2012 Farm Bill just might look like and of course there are plenty of spending cuts on the table and House Ag Committee Chairman Frank Lucas says it depends on the plan you’re looking at - as each one has a different ag target. He’s telling members of the committee that if he has a choice - they will write the farm bill next summer under regular order.

LUCAS: But if we have to do an accelerated process then - (sigh) - cinch up your belt, get ready to go, we’re going to do what we’ve got to do. And it will mean, in effect, writing the next farm bill early if they make dramatic cuts in these negotiations to our programs.

U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood is trying to straddle a fence when it comes to finding the right balance between highway safety and regulations. He says well-meaning regulations can be burdensome if the government isn’t thoughtful about how they’re put in place and what effect they can have on ag operations. A recent notice published in the Federal Register has not been taken well by ag leaders and LaHood reiterated they are not proposing new regulations but seeking input and solutions from the community on several important issues.

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

Here in the Pacific Northwest we’ve been fairly fortunate in that we have for the most part avoided the extreme high temperatures that the rest of the nation seems to be suffering from. In fact, we have had an unusually cool summer so far. But the weatherman says that is about to change here shortly. Something we need to remember as we experience summer heat waves is that we aren’t the only ones who feel the heat, our animals becomes stressed out with hot weather too. If you have pets or livestock, remember to give them extra water and plenty of shade; just because these animals may be used to being outdoors doesn’t mean they are immune to extreme changes in temperature. In hot weather never, ever leave an animal alone in a vehicle; even with the windows open, a car or truck can quickly become a furnace. Also, just like it’s not a good idea for humans to do strenuous exercise in the heat of the day, domestic animals should not be exercised, and livestock should not be transported in heat over eighty degrees. Remember, our animals’ needs reflect our own in hot weather; if you need shade, more water, and rest, so do they.

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