Census Of Ag & Gas Prices Crash
Census Of Ag & Gas Prices Crash plus Food Forethought. I’m Greg Martin with today’s Northwest Report.
The 2012 Census of Agriculture is getting underway and the National Ag Statistic Service is pulling out the stops to make all ag producers aware of it and its importance. Katy Coba, Oregon’s Director of Ag along with dozens of other state ag directors have recorded public service announcements on the subject.
COBA: Local and national leaders use the census to make decisions that directly impact your business, you community and your industry. By participating in the census you help show the nation the value of your contribution to our country and to our world. Remember the Census of Agriculture is your voice, your future and your responsibility.
Here’s one crash you won’t be complaining about. Gas prices have fallen 46 cents over the last 2 months as crude oil prices have also been dropping. Gas prices at the pump should keep dropping even a bit more in the next week. The average price of a gallon of regular gasoline is $3.38, down nearly a dime over the past three weeks. But, the national average is still about 8 cents higher than the average a year ago. Might be time to top off that tank.
Now with today’s Food Forethought, here’s Lacy Gray.
The ‘Know your farmer, Know Your Food’ initiative was launched in 2009 by the USDA as a way to help the average consumer understand how their food gets from the farm to his or her plate. As the vast majority of the country’s population continues to distance themselves away from “the farm”, it becomes more and more apparent that farmers and ranchers need to become more adept at answering the frequent and persistent questions from consumers about how their food is raised, and not just on the technical side of things. While scientific facts are extremely important, they do not tell the whole story of agriculture. The agriculture industry needs to help people understand not only the future importance of agriculture, but its dignified history as well, to reconnect them with their own ancestral heritage, if you will, as every family tree includes a farmer in it somewhere. In 1871 Horace Greeley wrote, “My practical knowledge of agriculture is meager - I only lay claim to an invincible willingness to be made wiser today than I was yesterday”. That’s a message still being conveyed by consumers 141 years later.
Thanks Lacy. That’s today’s Northwest Report. I’m Greg Martin on the Ag Information Network.
