Calls to Congress & Hops Destroyed

Calls to Congress & Hops Destroyed plus Food Forethought. I’m Greg Martin with today’s Northwest Report.

Ag leaders are calling on the public to send a message to Congress. As part of the Farm Bill Now rally last week they are launching a Calls from the Combine campaign. It’s going to take everyone working together to get this done. Pick up the phone, dial 202-224-3121 and ask to speak with your Representative today. Tell them you need a Farm Bill NOW. But House Ag Ranking Member Collin Peterson doubts there is time to get it done.

PETERSON: The importance of this is that if we can get it through the House and into conference we can work on this in October and when we come back after the election we can be ready to go to move this thing and get it done before the end of the year.

Officials in Wilder, Idaho are trying to determine the cause of a fire that has destroyed and estimate $2-million worth of hops and machinery. The fire ignited in a hop drier and spread quickly forcing firefighters to contain it quickly before it spread to other buildings. Hops grow all across southwestern Idaho and are a key ingredient in the brewing of beer, lending bitterness and aromatic qualities.

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

Food labeling has undergone vast changes over the last several years, and for good reason. Consumers want to know and should know what is in the foods they eat. At the same time, there are many ingredients listed on food labels that have consumers scratching their heads, wondering what the heck is that. It’s estimated that nine out of ten Americans now read food labels, but it is also estimated that a large percentage of us aren’t quite sure what we are reading. Along with requiring proof of their food safety, the Food and Drug Administration requires any additives in foods to be listed by their scientific names. No problem if you’re a scientist, but the majority of us have a hard time wrapping our lips around such names as dihydrogen oxide, which is simply water, or polydextrose, and diglycerides. Thankfully, the International Food Information Council has come to our rescue. The IFIC has developed a guide to help take some of the “mystery” out of reading food labels. To view the guide and find out exactly what these and other such “chemical sounding” names really are, and what they do for foods go on line to foodinsight.org.

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