Plantings Report & Beer Tax
Plantings Report & Beer Tax plus Food Forethought. I’m Greg Martin with today’s Northwest Report.
The National Ag Statistics Service has released their 2013 Prospective Plantings report and USDA Chief Economist Joe Glauber talks about the total number of acres farmers say they intend to plant this spring.
GLAUBER: In terms of total principal crops planted, NASS is estimating 325.3 million acres. That’s down just slightly from last year at 326.3 million acres and remember the 2012 numbers were up around 11% from the previous year so we have again, high prices bringing in a lot of area and a lot of area will still be in production this year.
Last week we mentioned that some lawmakers have been toying with the idea of taxing emails and text messages and while that would surely bring an uproar the idea that Washington Governor Jay Inslee has proposed a permanent tax on beer in the state to fund schools may see a bigger outcry. Some brewers in the state think the would result in higher prices and possible layoffs. The current 50-cent tax is set to expire this summer and microbreweries were exempt. The new tax would be expanded to all beer sales.
Now with today’s Food Forethought, here’s Lacy Gray.
PETA pushes porn. Say that ten times real fast. On the other hand don’t. PETA has once again done an amazing job of sensationalizing a situation that would have otherwise gone pretty much unnoticed. I’m referring to the young teen in Louisiana who, in an attempt to raise money for a student ambassador travel program trip to Great Britain, decided to organize a Cow Raffle, where for $10 ticket, raffle participants can win a steer, either live or processed. Somehow this came to PETA representatives’ attention, prompting that organization to send the 14 year old boy a highly inappropriate and ridiculous letter spouting all kinds of innuendos and false claims, while offering the teen the help of their scantily clad PETA “Lettuce Ladies” to raise the money instead. It has been suggested by several people that, if PETA is serious about “saving” this particular cow, they should buy all the raffle tickets and feed, shelter, and nurture the cow for the rest of it’s natural life. Of course that would never happen as the point was to once again gain media attention, which worked, but not quite like PETA hoped. Thanks to their efforts the cost of the trip shouldn’t be a problem now, raffle tickets are selling like hot cakes!
Thanks Lacy. That’s today’s Northwest Report. I’m Greg Martin on the Ag Information Network.
