Immigration Changes & High Hay

Immigration Changes & High Hay plus Food Forethought. I’m Greg Martin with today’s Northwest Report.

Livestock producers are aware that hay is a precious commodity this year. USDA Livestock Analyst Shayle Shagum notes alfalfa production is down five-percent from last year - while other hay production is the lowest in 18 years - down 14-percent. Shagum says it all adds up to high hay prices.

SHAGUM: There’s hay up north but what’s happening is producers normally collect that hay to over-winter their animals. You have very strong demand from the southern part of the U.S. It doesn’t magically transport itself from the northern tier to the southern tier, you have to have transportation costs to being a truck full of hay from the northern tier to the southern tier.

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services Director has announced the launch of an enhanced Employment Authorization Document and a redesigned Certificate of Citizenship with new features to strengthen security and deter fraud. USCIS began issuing the new EADs yesterday and will begin using the redesigned certificates on Oct. 30. The agency anticipates that more than 1 million people will receive the new documents over the next year. The new features of the EAD will better equip workers, employers and law enforcement officials to recognize the card as definitive proof of authorization to work in the United States. 

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

What’s more romantic than rich dark soil with new green sprouts shooting up through the earth? Nothing, if you happen to be a farmer. And what better way to find farmers of the opposite sex who feel the same way you do than to try out “weed dating”. It’s hard for any single to meet someone new, but even more so for farmers who start work at the crack of dawn and often times find themselves still working long after their urban counterparts have called it quits for the day. Weed Dating, which by the way does not involve an illegal substance, was the brainchild of a farm couple back East who felt drawn to help one of their favorite young farm hands find romance. Instead of meeting in bars, as is typical with speed dating, weed dating takes place on farms between rows of sprouting produce. Those participating weed a row with a potential love interest, then move on at the sound of a bell to the next partner. As one young weed dater attested, “It’s better to meet people over a shared interest and even be doing something practical.” Weed dating - where you can get plenty of fresh air, do something productive and perhaps find love all at the same time.

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