Lower Prices & Sound Science
Lower Prices & Sound Science plus Food Forethought. I'm Greg Martin with today's Northwest Report.
Farmers and ranchers, as a whole, saw prices for their goods decline during December. Rod Bain with USDA has more.
BAIN: The final USDA agricultural prices report for 2013 show a decline in the overall prices farmers and ranchers receive for their commodities. The report indicates a 2.2% decrease in prices received in December when most of that decline centered on the crop index. Prices for crops were down over 3% month-to-month due to decreases in corn and wheat prices. And the most significant decrease coming in the fruit and vegetable sector. Livestock producers overall say a .6% decrease in prices received for their products in December. A 1.8% decrease month-to-month in meat animals countered a 1.2% rise in dairy prices in the same time period.
Thirteen senators have written a letter to Senate Ag Committee leaders about concerns regarding the Sound Science Act provision in the House Farm Bill. Massachusetts Senator Edward Markey says this provision would stifle high-quality science and decision-making across the federal government - and undermine protections for public health, safety and the environment. A section of this provision would even require federal agencies to have guidelines to ensure and maximize the quality, objectivity, utility and integrity of scientific information the agencies rely on.
These 13 Senators believe the provision would block federal scientists from using new techniques and technology, prevent the use of standard scientific tools and open the door for lawsuits from special interest groups.
Now with today's Food Forethought, here's Lacy Gray.
Do you blog? Do you plan to start in 2014? Blogging started out as personal on-line diaries shared with a few close friends or family members. Today blogging has gone mainstream with everyone from the teenager down the street to Fortune 500 companies and even the agricultural community keeping a running blog. To mimic an old comedy routine, that can be a good thing and that can be a bad thing. Not all blogs are created equal. Unfortunately, there are a lot of bloggers out there who seem to be engrossed in a more narcissistic approach to blogging, offering up the internet's very own version of "people talking just to hear themselves talk". Because many blogs are based on anonymity, a vindictive and often viscous streak can run through them. Being a successful blogger is all about making a connection with your audience, and blogging can definitely enhance a companies public relations, branding and marketing purposes. So if you blog or plan to blog in the new year - keep it fresh, keep it civil, and keep it short!
Thanks Lacy. Happy New Year from the NW Ag Information Network. That's today's Northwest Report. I'm Greg Martin on the Ag Information Network.
