2013 Year In Review Part 3

In April the Washington State Legislature got behind a push to acknowledge the National Day of the Cowboy which is being celebrated on July 27th. Washington State Senator Sharon Brown lent her support and got both Houses to sign a resolution.

BROWN: I jumped on this because this is something that is important to me especially because of the importance that cowboys are to our district. And cowboys and cowgirls are a very integral part still today of our district and our agriculture and just our values and so it was important to me that we get this out there.

Sequestration became a buzz word as the government slowly rolled over to play dead and Ag Secretary Tom Vilsack said the furloughs of meat inspectors as part of the sequester would not compromise the safety of meat and poultry products.

VILSACK: No matter how you slice it; no matter how you dice it, there is nothing you can do without impacting the front line inspectors. I think it's more about the supply and production of food and whether we are faced with higher prices or lower prices as a result of disruptions in supply and the impact it has on producers.

Fire season got underway and was expected to be a rough one which it indeed turned out to be. Interior Secretary Sally Jewell put in an appearance at Boise's National Interagency Fire Center and talked about the Federal Government's efforts to ensure collaboration in protecting Americans from wildfire.

JEWELL: The think that is most extraordinary about NIFC here where we are is that there are no barriers between the agencies in working together in the thoughtful management of wild land fire throughout this country.

That's today's Line On Agriculture. I'm Greg Martin on the Ag Information Network.