Going Too Far and Disaster Assistance

Going Too Far and Disaster Assistance plus Taking Ag to Urban Audiences. I'm Greg Martin with today's Northwest Report.

Several counties in both Idaho and Washington have been declared as primary natural disaster areas due to a recent drought. The designation allows farmers in those counties and contiguous counties to be eligible for low interest emergency loans from USDA's Farm Service Agency, provided eligibility requirements are met. Farmers in eligible counties have eight months from the date of the declaration to apply for loans to help cover part of their actual losses.

First Lady Michelle Obama hosted school food service directors Tuesday at the White House to discourage Congress from granting waivers from rules under the 2010 Healthy Hunger-Free Kids Act. As a mother and First Lady - Obama says she finds the efforts in Congress to roll back the rules objectionable since school meals cost taxpayers 10-billion dollars per year. Congressman Doc Hastings says for the government to micromanage what our kids eat is going too far.

HASTINGS: Every parent knows what is best for their child, what to feed their child and to be sure there are those that fall through the cracks but there are programs that help them but to talk overall about nutritional standards, I think, just goes a bit too far.

Now, connecting city consumers with how agriculture impacts them. Rod Bain has the report.

(USDA Report)

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