NW Rain & Celebrating Halloween

NW Rain & Celebrating Halloween plus Food Forethought. I’m Greg Martin with today’s Northwest Report.

Well today is Halloween. It’s also known as All Hallows Eve, Día de los Muertos and Samhain. It’s a day wrapped in mystery and often very misunderstood but historians tell us there are ancient agricultural ties to our present day Halloween observance. USDA Historical Expert Anne Effland.

EFFLAND: It’s the beginning of preparation for winter and the end of the growing season. It may have developed from the killing of animals at the end of the harvest period to reduce the number of animals you’re going to feed and you can prepare your meat to be available throughout the winter.

Many cultures use the day to pay tribute to family and friends who have died.

As the remnants of Hurricane Sandy slowly dissipate a strong system is moving on shore from the west bring considerable rain to western Oregon and Washington. The national Weather Service has posted a number of flood watches for counties on the coast an inland. There could be some general river flooding, but that is expected to be minor.
There is also a threat of urban flooding, especially in areas where storm drains are clogged by leaves. Kids of course are hoping the rain will not dampen their tricks or treats.

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

The serving of chocolate milk in school cafeterias has been a sore subject over the past few years. Many schools have even banned chocolate milk from their school menus. One particular school district in Oregon that banned chocolate milk last year has found out the hard way that dairy industry research stating that kids on average drink more milk if it is flavored is indeed true. Parents of students at Cascades Elementary School in Oregon took it upon themselves to do their own research on what was happening in the lunch room every day. They found that the students were dumping out more than eleven gallons of regular milk on a daily basis, which amounted to more than twice the amount of milk wasted before the school’s ban of chocolate milk. This eye opening reality check has prompted the school district there to reinstate chocolate milk on the school lunch menu. The fact that the federal school lunch regulations that went into effect this year allowing flavored milk as long as it is fat free should make the decision a little bit easier to swallow. This way it’s a win/win situation. The kids get the flavored milk they like with their lunches, and the school is serving a healthy drink choice approved by the USDA.

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