Overreaching Bounds & Grape Production Down

Overreaching Bounds & Grape Production Down

Overreaching Bounds & Grape Production Down plus Food Forethought. I’m Greg Martin with today’s Northwest Report.

US grape production will be down for this season due to declines in two major grape growing states according to economist Agnes Perez.

PEREZ: The National Ag Statistics Service forecasts a 2011 U.S. grape crop at 14.4 billion pounds. California and Washington which are the top producing states, they expect lower production. California is the primary producer accounting for about 90% of the total crop and for them production is forecast at 12.9 billion pounds, down 4% from a year ago.

Idaho Senator Mike Crapo says it’s just overboard. He is talking about overregulation by the EPA that is hurting not only Idaho farmers but ag across the U.S. He and others are sponsoring legislation to curtail EPA. This comes after the EPA announced plans to treat manure as a hazardous substance under the Superfund Act. He added that the EPA is also planning to require a Clean Air Act permit for dust produced by farm equipment in the field or on the road. Crapo says, "We still have the Clean Air, and the Clean Water Act, and the Safe Drinking Water Act, and the Superfund Act, as Congress originally enacted them, which provide very significant protections for the quality of our air and our water."

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

It’s a little of “cutting your nose off to spite your face”, and a little bit of blackmail all rolled into one. Some of Alabama’s legal immigrant workers are threatening to quit their jobs and return to their native country in retaliation over illegal immigrant workers being afraid to go to work or even shopping for fear of being arrested after the state’s new immigration law was put into effect. Perhaps there will be a few that will actually carry through on that threat, but there will no doubt be several more to step in to take their place in the work force. As Republican Senator Scott Beason stated, “I expected initial short term problems, but have received thank you calls from two people replacing illegal immigrants who fled their jobs”. There are sure to be many more in the weeks to come who will finally be able to find employment by replacing illegals. Stories of illegals in the US who are just trying to work to save money to go back to their home country may wring sympathy from the masses, but the fact remains that they are here illegally. There are thousands of American citizens in desperate need who would love to find work in their own country.

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

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