Russian Trade Relations & Idaho Hay Burns

Russian Trade Relations & Idaho Hay Burns plus Food Forethought. I’m Greg Martin with today’s Northwest Report.

Normal trade with Russia was the topic of a Senate Committee heating last Thursday and how it would benefit the US ag sector. US Trade Representative Ron Kirk.

KIRK: It is important to note this legislation is not about giving Russia any special trade privileges but it is about making sure that the agreement applies between the United States and Russia so that American farmers or ranchers or manufacturers will reap the full benefits of Russia’s WTO membership.

A massive haystack fire burned itself out last Thursday night into Friday morning near a rural dairy three miles south of Kuna, Idaho. It was the third large haystack the fire department had dealt with in 24 hours. Due to the fire's enormous size, estimated at about 256 tons, firefighters couldn't simply extinguish it. They had to monitor the fire until it completely burned out. Firefighters had to busy themselves moving burning hay bales away from wood pallets, dry grasses, and other sources of fuel nearby. Haystack fires are thought to occur when wet hay is heated by the sun and burns due to a combination of chemical and physical reactions.

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

Do you suppose Bank of America realizes their partnering with the Humane Society of the United States is a “slap in the face” to all their customers that make their living within the agricultural community. Recently, B of A announced the release of a new HSUS-themed credit card. This new credit card provides the radical animal rights organization $60 for every new account opened, and an additional 25 cents for every $100 spent. B of A also offers an HSUS checking account. This account generates contributions with every debit card purchase.  People have already spent thousands of dollars using these “exclusive” HSUS cards, with the misdirected thought that their spending is helping local animal shelters. Ironically, the Animal Agriculture Alliance is a Bank of America customer. The AAA wrote a letter to B of A requesting the bank stop funding animal rights organizations that seek to eliminate animal agriculture, and that “it would reconsider its relationship with Bank of America if it continued to support groups that unfairly attack the way of life of America's farmers and ranchers”. Not surprisingly, a response has not been received.

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