05/18/05 Quiet anniversary? Rains save wheat

Although it hasn't been afraid to garner much attention in recent months, for the most part, the lady known as Mt. St. Helens is expected to celebrate a very quiet twenty-fifth anniversary. It was on this date in 1980 that the mountain let the world know just how devastating a volcanic eruption can be & lending to months, even years, of clean up and study on the impacts it had caused. Some of that research, in the immediate blast zone, has become a testament to the abilities of recovery. For example, Spirit Lake, declared dead by biologists after the 1980 eruption has come back to life. Along and underneath the waters are several fish species, amphibians and small mammals sheltered in part by groves and thickets of various trees. It was over a week ago that much of the Northwest received much needed rains & to the point of flash flooding concerns and even a reported funnel cloud near Yakima. But according to U.S.D.A. meteorologist Brad Rippey, it has been that unsettled weather pattern in our region, one that has been in effect since mid March, that has provided the precipitation needed to save the Northwest's Winter and Spring Wheat crops. RIPPEY: It couldn't have been more timely in terms of the beginning of the rains, and wet snow, in mid March. So as a result, we're looking at really rather pretty good conditions for winter wheat and spring sown small grains all the way from Washington, Oregon, eastward from the Northern tier, into the Dakotas. Now with today's "Food Forethought", here's Susan Allen. ALLEN: I just returned from a week of industry seminars where I encountered forums like "Succeeding in Latin America's Powerhouse". Globalization is upon us and opportunities are "ripe" for big corporations to find "gold" beyond our borders. But I fear the American farmers and ranchers could be left in the dust. I fail to see how the apples growers in Washington State will compete with the onslaught of Chinese apples forecasted to arrive within ten years. I would like to be confident that my ranching friend will always have a market for his calves, but I have my doubts, given the fact that Brazil now exports beef to over 50 countries and has vowed to meet any consumer demand with low cost Brazilian meat. Free trade has become the new mantra. While it is commendable that Starbucks peddle "free Trade" coffee to aide African substance farmers where is corporate Americas' fervor for the small asparagus farmer in Washington State who has lost his market to Peru? Fareed Zakaria the editor of Newsweek International recently cautioned that while the US is quick to globalize the world, we might forget to globalize ourselves. I'm Susan Allen and this is Food Forethought.