Broadband Means Rural Jobs & Fish Released

Broadband Means Rural Jobs & Fish Released plus Food Forethought. I’m Greg Martin with today’s Northwest Report.

Two Georgetown University School of Business professors recently released a study that examines the evolution of telephone demand in rural America - and the need to invest in the deployment of universal wireless broadband to meet growing consumer demand. John Mayo - Professor of Economics, Business and Public Policy - is one of the authors of the study. He explains the opportunity increased broadband holds for rural America.

MAYO: My research partner and I here at Georgetown concluded that increased wireless broadband access can help overcome the economic challenges of both geographic isolation and economic specialization for small businesses, farmers, ranchers, local governments and others in rural America.

The Department of Fish and Wildlife will release nearly 3,000 fish weighing from 3 to 18 pounds from the Roaring River hatchery near Scio, its primary trout propagation facility. They're to be released in nine and possibly more locations.The hatchery uses their eggs to produce millions of smaller trout for release at 96 Northwest Oregon locations from March through early December. At age 4, though, the brood trout are past what hatchery managers consider the point of diminishing returns.

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

Prison inmates are being used this year to pick prized variety apples in Washington state. The reason, not enough regular harvest workers to be found to do the job. The federal crack down on illegal immigrants has led to the shortage of workers, as its estimated that roughly seventy percent of seasonal workers are illegals. Using prison work crews is nothing new but in today’s politically correct world it can lead to controversy, with cries of “slave labor” being tossed about. In reality, prisoners chosen to do this type of work are model prisoners who welcome the chance to get outside the prison setting and enjoy the opportunity to give back to the community while getting some fresh air, pay, and actual sunlight. Is it an ideal situation? Perhaps not, but farmers need to be able to get their fruit off the trees before a hard frost or face devastating losses; while federal and state governments need to be able to address the illegal immigrant issue rather than turn a blind eye. Immigration reform is something that has to happen soon in this nation. In the mean time, using inmates to harvest produce just might remedy a situation that could otherwise turn into an economic disaster.

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