New Guidelines for Forests & Beef Recalled

New Guidelines for Forests & Beef Recalled plus Food Forethought. I’m Greg Martin with today’s Northwest Report.

The nation's national forests and grasslands will soon have new guidelines to follow as they create plans for the use and care of those lands. Under Secretary of Agriculture Harris Sherman outlines some of the features of the new forest planning guideline.

SHERMAN: The final rule will provide strong protections for our land, water and wildlife. It supports jobs in vibrant communities. It relies on using best available scientific information and public input to inform the process. And it includes and it creates a modern 21st Century adaptive framework for managing our national forests and grasslands.

A Seattle firm has recalled approximately 16,800 pounds of ground beef patties imported from Canada because they may have been contaminated with E. coli. The recall was announced on Saturday. Sysco Seattle was contacted by the Canadian firm New Food Classics of Burlington, Ontario and were for distribution to restaurants in Arizona, Colorado, Texas and Washington. None of the beef was sold to grocery stores but some may have found it’s way into restaurants. The recall was launched after an Alberta man contracted E.coli.

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

Those involved with the nation’s ag industry need to pay close attention to what’s currently playing out in Nebraska between the HSUS, the state’s governor, and Nebraska’s farming community. After Nebraska Governor Dave Heineman threatened to kick the HSUS out of the state in a speech to cattlemen earlier this month the “furs been flyin”, so to speak. The HSUS has now started a “We Are Nebraska” campaign in retaliation, posting pictures of farmers and ranchers who supposedly support the HSUS campaign. Reportedly, the Nebraska Farmers Union, the second largest general farm organization in the state, has joined with the HSUS to form the Nebraska Agriculture Council, and this is what should really draw the most attention. Divide and conquer is an ancient political and military strategy, get your enemy to quarrel amongst themselves and they become easy to defeat. While Governor Heineman could have perhaps spoke less bluntly, he was sincerely defending the ag industry in his state from an organization that has not been shy in promoting their political anti-animal agriculture campaign.

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