Corn Syrup Lawsuit & Russian Roadblock

Corn Syrup Lawsuit & Russian Roadblock plus Food Forethought. I’m Greg Martin with today’s Northwest Report.

We have not heard much out of the World Trade Organization lately. USDA Agricultural Attache Scott Reynolds says an agreement resolving bilateral issues between Russia and the European Union is the latest roadblock removed in Russia's bid to join the WTO.

REYNOLDS: They probably are just months away, maybe the end of this year from joining the WTO. There’s a lot of energy and interest among the Russian government and other governments around the world including the United States in Russia’s desire to join the World Trade Organization.

A U.S. District Judge issued a ruling Friday that says a lawsuit can go forward as sugar makers seek to stop the corn industry's use of the term "corn sugar" for high fructose corn syrup.Corn refiners have been using "corn sugar" in advertisements in an attempt to rebrand high fructose corn syrup, the sweetening agent found in most sodas and many processed foods. The judge is allowing the false advertising suit against the Corn Refiners Association to go forward. But granted a motion to drop individual corn companies as defendants, and dismissed a claim that the industry violated California law.

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

My husband is a whizz in the kitchen; he whizzes around, getting in the way mostly. No, not really. He’s actually quite skilled in the kitchen and will often times come up with some tasty edibles all on his own. Fall seems to be his time to shine when it comes to cooking. It must be all the wonderful in season produce he has to work with. One of our family’s favorites is a butternut squash soup recipe that is scrumptious and incredibly easy to make. It also lends itself to yet another speciality of his, seasoned and toasted squash seeds. We have a countertop composter in which we put our organic waste but the squash and pumpkin seeds never make it there, instead my hubby cleans them, rinses them, and then soaks them in salt water over night. Next day he drains the water off and puts them out to dry on paper towels. Once he decides the seeds have reached the right measure of dryness he scatters them on a baking sheet and pops them in the oven. Needless to say they never last long, which gives me all the more reason to pick out the biggest pumpkin I can possibly find for Halloween this year! Now if I can just get him to carry it to the car.

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