Blood Donations Lagging & Trade Boost

Blood Donations Lagging & Trade Boost plus Food Forethought. I’m Greg Martin with today’s Northwest Report.

Normally you think of the holidays as a time of giving. But that doesn’t seem to be the case when it comes to blood donations. The Inland Northwest Blood Center says donation have fallen off recently due to snow and holiday vacations. Blood donations are especially important at this time of year due to more weather related accidents happening. The Center is asking people to roll up their sleeves and donate a little of themselves this holiday.

A top USDA official says US agribusinesses in a recent ag trade mission to Russia were, and still are, making deals. Ag Under Secretary Michael Scuse says they are still seeing benefits from that trade mission earlier in December.

SCUSE: We know that there were some deals that were struck while we were there. There are deals currently being done after we returned back here to the United States and the prospects for future business really did look good. This was the fourth trade mission that I personally have led and I think that this may end up being the very best and most successful trade mission because of the enthusiasm.

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

Yesterday was Boxing Day for those living in the U.K. and other Commonwealth countries, and according to some historical accounts is a holiday focusing on making sure that those who were not able to have Christmas Day off, received a box of gifts, money, and in some instances, even left over food. The clergy even got into the act by opening alms boxes and giving the contents to the less fortunate. In other words, it was a way to take care of the “servants” or service people. You were supposed to box up and give away what you had excess of, or didn’t need. Quite a good idea really. Of course, many of our English cousins would tell you that their Boxing Day has turned into nothing much more than a version of our own “day after Christmas sale extravaganzas”, where consumers continue to snatch up store bargains while still trying to figure out how to store all the newly acquired goodies from the day before. Ah well, I suppose it was inevitable really. It would have been nice though, if Americans had adopted the true spirit of Boxing Day, instead of the other way around. Now, its just another day to stand in line searching for yet another elusive bargain.

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