Killer Quake & Specialty Crop Caucus

Killer Quake & Specialty Crop Caucus plus Food Forethought. I’m Greg Martin with today’s Northwest Report.

A new report from the Oregon Seismic Safety Policy Advisory Commission paints a very grim picture of the aftermath of a monster earthquake and tsunami that they predict will happen. The report says the devastation will stretch from Northern California to British Columbia and could see more that 10-thousand dead with billions of dollars in damages. The report shows Oregon and Japan as mirror images geologically and that it is just a matter of when, not if, this will occur.

Washington Congressman Doc Hastings is continuing to serve as co-chair of the House Specialty Crop Caucus. The caucus is intended to help educate and unite Members of Congress from across the nation to address challenges and promote key policy initiatives that affect fruit and vegetable growers.

HASTINGS: We have very diverse agriculture in central Washington and in the northwest and so this caucus is designed to discuss the issues particularly as it relates to the farm bill on issue relating to specialty crops. Now we were successful in the last farm bill and thus far in this bill although it’s not become law, there is a provision there for specialty crops and research.

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

A revision to the USDA’s Country of Origin Labeling program was published in the Federal Register last Tuesday. Since then the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association has spoken up to say that the new proposed rule will create more problems for their industry, and in a classic trickle down effect, increase costs for processors, retailers and consumers. However, the United Stockgrowers of America, US Cattlemen’s Association and Ranchers-Cattlemen Action Legal Fund all support the new rule, stating that it will bring the US into compliance with the global trade body. The new rule will require that each production step of the animal be printed on the labels of muscle cuts of meat, and will also stop the packaging facility practice of mixing together livestock from multiple countries and labeling the meat from those with the same label. USDA representatives stated that the proposed rule grew out of findings by the World Trade Organization that the current COOL regulations are not up to its standards. COOL’s original author, US Senator Tim Johnson, says he is glad the USDA put forward the proposal so that “Americans can be further informed about the origin of the meat they feed their families.”

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