Funding Water Projects & Wolf Populations

Funding Water Projects & Wolf Populations plus Food Forethought. I'm Greg Martin with today's Northwest Report.

The key to funding a water projects development bill in Congress has always been an industry-backed barge fuel tax hike. But tax bills seem to be going nowhere in a hurry in this election year. Senate Democrats want more taxes on the wealthy than Republicans - a key fact standing in the way of comprehensive tax reform in an election year. That doesn't bode well for a barge fuel tax hike that would raise millions for locks modernization as part of the pending Water Reform and Resources Development Act. Waterways Council Senior Vice-President Debra Colbert agrees - but adds House Ways and Means Republicans have now raised the barge tax issue for the first time.

COLBERT: Just about 2 weeks ago a discussion draft came out from House Ways and Means Chairman Dave Camp talking about the things he'd like to see be part of a tax reform bill ahead. Now the prospects for getting that done certainly this year are probably dimming quite a bit.

The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife have released the official annual count for gray wolves living in Washington state; this year's count tallied 52 wolves, up one from the last year. The count also tallied five successful breeding pairs, the same number reported in the 2012 annual count. Wolves in eastern Washington were federally delisted a few years ago, but they are still protected under state endangered species laws and managed by WDFW statewide.

Now with today's Food Forethought, here's Lacy Gray.

It's a sad day indeed when companies who depend on our nation's farmers to supply them with their inventory start throwing those same farmers "under the bus" to protect their own skin. I'm referring to the fast growing restaurant chain Chipotle Mexican Grill that's created a four part comedy series running on Hulu called "Farmed and Dangerous", which portrays modern farmers as evil mad scientist types bent on exploiting and torturing the animals under their care. Chipotle says this type of stealth marketing strategy isn't about products but about values and sustainable agriculture. Well, that sure sounds nice in print. In reality though, it's probably more about protecting itself from such groups as the HSUS who have given other companies such as McDonald's all kinds of grief. Interestingly, if you look closely at Chipotle's not so distant past you would find that McDonald's had a controlling stake in the company clear up until 2006. So, like a child trying to distance themselves from the supposed sins of a parent, Chipotle's newest unconventional marketing strategy isn't about "product integration" or "values integration"; it's really about self-preservation.

Thanks Lacy. That's today's Northwest Report. I'm Greg Martin on the Ag Information Network.