Lowest Jobless Rate & Farm Bureau Fires Back

Lowest Jobless Rate & Farm Bureau Fires Back plus Food Forethought. I’m Greg Martin with today’s Northwest Report.

The U.S. jobless rate, 7.8 is the lowest point in the last three years and Ag Secretary Tom Vilsack says a lot of the credit for the improved economy should go to farmers.

VILSACK: I think part of the reason we are seeing an improved economy is of course the continued work of America’s farmers and ranchers. Even in drought stricken times we’re seeing yields from our farmers and ranchers because of the extraordinary work they do in raising new technology and using new techniques.

Vilsack also said that ag exports have been a big boost the U.S. economy.

The Washington Farm Bureau is firing back at a recent letter in the Statesman Examiner that according to WFB was full of half-truths and flat out lies about the organization, staff and one of their members. The letter was about Wes McCart, a WFB board member and candidate for Stevens County Commissioner and also about the recent Wedge wolf pack issue in NE Washington. WFB President Mike LaPlant’s rebuttal says lethal removal of this problematic wolf pack would not have been possible without the hard work of the Washington Farm Bureau and the local leadership of Wes McCart.

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

Again I find myself asking the question, “they needed to fund a study for this why”? This time it relates to the first ever study examining the fact that kids easily recognize and respond more favorably to the McDonalds logo than they do to logos for BMW or FedEx. Let’s examine this for a moment. Children find the bright yellow double arches and friendly clown of McDonalds more appealing and more memorable than sleek logos aimed at adults. Hmm... Could this subject really have been the focus of months of research, probably costing millions of dollars? Even though it seems to be a “well duh” result, researchers defend the study on the grounds that childhood obesity is on the rise and that food marketed to children is high in calories, fat, sugar, and sodium. That being said, the research also went on to show that “many areas implicated in normal food motivation are hyper responsive in obese groups”; bringing us back full circle. Obese children are not the result of mere food ads or logos. To say that would be once again be ignoring the root cause. Perhaps money would be better spent educating children and parents on the benefits of regular exercise and healthy food choices, rather than searching for scapegoats.

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