Santorum Bows Out & La Nina is Dead

Santorum Bows Out & La Nina is Dead plus Food Forethought. I’m Greg Martin with today’s Northwest Report.

So let me ask you...if I ran for President...would you vote for me? If things continue on the present track the Republican party may soon be out of potential candidates as one of the big frontrunners bowed out yesterday. Rick Santorum cited his daughters health as one of the reasons for suspending his campaign.

SANTORUM: We made the decision to get into this race at our kitchen table against all the odds and we made the decision over the weekend that while this presidential race for us is over, for me, and we will suspend our campaign effective today - we are not done fighting.

I kind of think President Martin has a ring to it...

Well the weather here in the northwest has been a surprising mixed bag. Heavy snows in some mountain areas and 70 plus degrees in others. What is going on? One meteorologist says the La Nina pattern which brings cooler than normal weather is dead...as is the El Nino pattern of warmer than normal temps. USDA Meteorologist Mark Brusberg says current temperatures are completely neutral.

BRUSBERG: The trends and models have it staying neutral to going into an El Nino by the end of this calendar year. IT still can be anybody’s guess.

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

There’s an old proverb - "If you give a man a fish you feed him for a day. If you teach a man to fish you feed him for a lifetime." Basically, it’s better to teach someone how to do something than to do it for them. In the long run they’ll be able to take care of themselves. This same principle is being put to work through several food bank garden projects around the country where low income people are learning to grow their own food in small, raised-bed gardens. In fact, gardening advocates have reported that more and more people from all walks of life are showing a strong interest in growing their own food. Thankfully, the majority of gardeners are more than happy to share their knowledge and enthusiasm for gardening with others, leading to a whole new crop of home gardens, school gardens, and community gardens. There are numerous garden workshops, master gardener classes, and university extension resources out there to help the beginning gardener. The upsurge in gardening has been attributed to food safety concerns, poor economy, and the desire for sustainability, which I’m sure are all contributing factors. But for me, it’s the sheer pleasure and beauty of growing plants.

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