Partnering for Biofuels & Stink Bug Update

Partnering for Biofuels & Stink Bug Update plus Food Forethought. I’m Greg Martin with today’s Northwest Report.

The Departments of Agriculture and Energy, along with the U.S. Navy, are partnering to provide funding for commercial scale biofuel investments. Deputy Assistant to the President for Energy and Climate Change Heather Zichal.

ZICHAL: Domestic biofuel production is at the highest level ever. In fact monthly product has increased more than 40% in the last 3 years. That means that biofuels are reducing our dependance on oil, cutting pollution and creating jobs across the county. EPA has helped pave the way for E-15 to be used more broadly in the marketplace. The administration’s provided resources to tackle key infrastructure challenges that prevent greater use of biofuels as well.

The Chinese-exported stink bug crisis that has ruined apple, peach and grape harvests up and down the East Coast has now reached a frightening 38 states and the Pacific Coast, prompting Congress to push the Agriculture Department to speed up the search for an assassin of the "brown marmorated stink bug."Agriculture officials are studying the use of a minuscule Chinese bee to control the stink bug population. The bee lays its eggs in stink bug eggs, killing them. Not only do the sink bugs bit ruin fruit but if they are crushed in with wine grapes, it will ruin the juice.

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

Three brothers from Kansas and their little sister have done more for the face of farming in the last couple of weeks than any ag group has been able to do in a very long time. I’m referring to the Petersons who in their spare time from working the family farm created the new viral video YouTube sensation “I’m Farming and I Grow It.” After having enough of being looked down upon by their “city cousins” Greg, Nathan, and Kendel decided they would take it upon themselves to show the world the very real face behind agriculture. And they thought it didn’t hurt to show consumers what actually happens on a real working family farm. Since it was first posted on June 25 they’re video has been viewed by more than a million people. For the most part the video’s reception has been very good, with even the occasional comments of the boys’ “hotness” thrown in. This video was a shot of good news that the agricultural community so desperately needed during these hard times of fighting anti-ag activists, while trying to defend the right to farm. Let’s all learn from the Peterson brothers and keep the momentum going.

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