CRP Sign Up Now Open & Delivering Meals During the Summer

CRP Sign Up Now Open & Delivering Meals During the Summer plus Sealing the Home. I'm Greg Martin with today's Northwest Report.

The Conservation Reserve Program is one of the largest voluntary conservation programs in the country - says Ag Secretary Tom Vilsack. The initiative helps farmers and ranchers lead the nation in preventing soil erosion, improving water quality and restoring wildlife habitat. He announced Wednesday general sign up for CRP is now open. Continuous sign up begins June 9th. For more information - visit www.fsa.usda.gov.

Well school is out or just about out in most places around the U.S. but you still may see some school buses traveling the roads as Kevin Concannon, Under Secretary for Food, Nutrition and Consumer Services, tells the story of how school buses have been repurposed.

CONCANNON: We've seen those yellow school busses literally converted where they rip the seats out of the bus, an older bus and put in coolers and deliver meals to specific sites. Meals on Wheels is another model that we've tracked in this regard so we've partnered up with them in a couple of locations to see whether that is another model that can be worked. There's no question that the distribution of low income kids in rural areas presents a particular problem with this central feeding model.

Now some simple ways to check your home for air leaks that allow energy and money to escape. Rod Bain has the story.

(USDA Report)

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