Minimum Wage Fallout & Cherries Are Picking

Minimum Wage Fallout & Cherries Are Picking

Minimum Wage Fallout & Cherries Are Picking plus Food Forethought. I'm Greg Martin with today's Northwest Report.

The northwest cherry crop seems to be sizing up rather nicely even though some of the fruit size is a bit smaller. Oregon Cherry Growers, Gip Redman says that growers are trying not to get too excited.

REDMAN: I think it's an eager anticipation with one eye looking at the sky and the other eye looking straight ahead with their head down and their backs bowed and ready to go. This is the one crop, other than hail that can really be severely affected by a couple of days of that wet stuff that comes out of the sky. I don't say that four-letter word anymore.

Now that Seattle has passed a massive minimum wage hike, what will be the implications for the rest of the state and on across the country? The Seattle City Council passed a $15 minimum wage ordinance that will gradually raise the wage to the $15 level over several years. It is the highest minimum wage in the nation. Small businesses are keeping a close eye on the increase and many others are concerned as well. According to the plan, small businesses will have a more gradual increase. No doubt some small businesses will find it difficult to make ends meet with the increase.

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

It has been a mixed bag of reactions when it comes to the President's proposal to reduce the carbon emissions from the country's power plants by 30% by 2030 - everything from this is the best thing since sliced bread to the President's plan is just plain nuts is being thrown about the internet. Even those within the ag community are torn between thinking that the plan will severely hurt farmers and rural electric co-ops to commending the Administration for its leadership on climate change mitigation. Republicans are united for the most part against the plan, while Democrats seem to be torn between their desire to push for climate change solutions and believing that "singling out one part of the energy sector is wrong". Are the negative reactions to the plan purely political? Will it bring higher electricity costs and kill jobs, or will the plan be as successful in cleaning the air we breath, helping to slow climate change, spur innovation and create jobs as the Administration claims? Only time will tell, but even that is said to be in dwindling supply when it comes to addressing climate change.

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

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