Mexico Trucks Roll & National Ag Library

Mexico Trucks Roll & National Ag Library plus Food Forethought. I’m Greg Martin with today’s Northwest Report.

In high school I worked in the schools library while my then girlfriend, now wife worked at the towns public library so I guess you could say we both believe in libraries. Now USDA is partnering with US and world scientific organizations to provide data for a new internet search engine. Eleanor Frierson of USDA's National Agricultural Library explains the purpose of this research and information based entity.

FRIERSON: One of the important differences about the National Agricultural Library as opposed to the Library of Congress and the National Library of Medicine is that the National Agricultural Library has two mandates that were set up by Congress. One is that we seerves as the library of the Department of Agriculture and the other is that we serve as our nations National Agricultural Library.

Friday morning brought the first Mexican carrier to deliver goods in the U.S. interior under a long-delayed free-trade provision. The truck was hauling construction equipment to Garland, Texas. With that delivery comes the end of the punitive tariffs which began back in 2009. Despite a protest rally from Teamsters, a speech from Jim Hoffa Jr. and bi-partisan Congressional members the truck rolled across the border. Teamsters fear the program will make U.S. highways more dangerous and cost American jobs.

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

Who doesn’t enjoy a good rub down now and then? We humans have our masseuse on speed dial, cats tolerate humans for that elusive head rub, and dogs take it wherever they can get it. Seems that dairy cows are the next in line for the “stress relieving rub down”. A Swedish industrial designer partnered with a Swedish agricultural company have came up with an award winning design they’ve named Care For Cows, which is frankly nothing much more than a rubber wall mounted massage brush for dairy cows. What it lacks in intricate design however, it more than makes up for in health benefits by providing not only a good old fashioned back scratch, but the additional perks of removing parasites while improving blood flow to the head and neck regions. Plus, the cows have to physically move to and from wherever the massage brush is mounted. Sometimes it is the simplest of designs that work the most effectively and efficiently. As they say in the dairy industry, a happy cow is a productive cow. Funny, that pretty much applies to we humans as well. I can definitely vouch for it at my house anyway.

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