RMA Sign Up & Not Letting Up

RMA Sign Up & Not Letting Up plus Food Forethought. I'm Greg Martin with today's Northwest Report. The Risk Management Agency is reminding producers of their expanded coverage availability for the Forage Seed Pilot Multi-Peril Crop Insurance program to all qualifying producers in Idaho, Oregon, and Washington. For the 2014 crop year, producers outside the county pilot area may request protection for their alfalfa seed crop. The Federal Crop Insurance Corporation Board approved the conversion of the pilot to a permanent regulatory program and extended coverage was made available through the written agreement process. It seems we are still have trouble with wildfires here in the northwest and meteorologist Brad Rippey says we are not out of the woods. RIPPEY: We have a fairly strong low pressure system approaching the Pacific Coast and unfortunately in advance of that system winds will most likely pick up across parts of California and the Northwest. So before things get better they may actually get a little bit worse as we expect an increase in wind and potentially some low humidities as well as the continuing heat in some of the wildfire affected areas. Rippey says we may see some moisture moving into the northwest but not pushing to the east of the Cascades. Now with today's Food Forethought, here's Lacy Gray. I receive hundreds of e-mails on a daily basis from several different government agencies. One, a retweet from the USDA Farm Service Agency, caught my eye the other day. It simply stated, "Julia Child Was Wrong: Don't Wash Your Raw Chicken Folks". Ok, now my curiosity was peeked - the Queen of Culinary wrong about something that seems so common sense basic? Of course I quickly clicked on the link, which took me to a very enlightening and informative article relating to the reasons why cooks should not wash raw poultry - reasons that would make even Julia Child sit up and take notice. The "Don't Wash Your Chicken Campaign" is the brain-child of food safety researcher Jennifer Quinlan and graduate student Shauna Henley and was developed upon their realization that few educational materials were available to inform people that washing raw chicken is unsafe. The campaign's four video mini-dramas are punctuated with the sound of shattering glass, "signifying the shattering of the commonly held illusion that washing raw chicken prior to cooking is safe, or even prevents food-borne illness". To find out why this is true visit drexel.edu/dontwashyourchicken. But be forewarned, the Germ-Vision will send chills down your spine. Thanks Lacy. That's today's Northwest Report. I'm Greg Martin on the Ag Information Network.