Elm Bugs & Ag Week

Elm Bugs & Ag Week

Elm Bugs & Ag Week plus Food Forethought. I’m Greg Martin with today’s Northwest Report.

With Spring coming up this Thursday the warmer weather is bringing the unwelcome return of the elm seed bug to the northwest. The elm seed bug is a new invasive species that has caused considerable problems for home owners. The bug feeds primarily on the seeds of elm trees and does not do any other damage to tree, crops, livestock or humans but when disturbed or crushed, the bugs produce an unpleasant odor. Phew..

Well this is a National Ag week with today being National Ag Day and the Oregon Department of Agriculture Director Katy Coba says National Ag Week is an opportunity to celebrate the contributions of farmers and ranchers.

COBA: National Agriculture Week is a time we can all pause and reflect all things agriculture, which is very, very exciting. It’s just a great time of year. It’s spring, it’s planting season, and it’s time to give thanks and get ready for a new year. Based on a recent study by Oregon State University, we are up to about 15 percent in terms of our contribution to Oregon’s economy, 1 in 10 jobs, it’s growing and I only see the future continuing to be very bright for agriculture.

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

In many instances it’s not what people know that drives them, it’s what people don’t know. That certainly holds true in the case of genetically modified foods. Most people admit to not knowing a lot about the subject. Earlier this month a Washington state Representative admitted to being a “GMO novice” during legislative hearings in that state surrounding Initiative 522, which would require certain foods to be labeled as “partially produced with genetic engineering”. That Representative also went on to ask just what are the scientific health risks of consuming GMO products, and why should she care. Here in lies the rub. The dispute for most people over GMO foods isn’t whether there are actual health risks, it’s whether or not they believe there “might be”. Several states are considering biotech labeling. Those in favor of biotech labeling argue that it isn’t so much about the health dangers of genetically modified foods, but about the consumer’s right to know what is in their food. Consumers are pretty much split down the middle when it comes to really caring whether the foods they eat have been genetically modified; bottom line for most consumers is “what biotech labeling is going to cost me?”

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

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