AMS Awards & Visiting Ag Industry Leaders

AMS Awards & Visiting Ag Industry Leaders plus Food Forethought. I'm Greg Martin with today's Northwest Report.

Producers of specialty crops and supporters of farmers markets will know soon if they are receiving grant monies from a set of USDA programs. Agricultural Marketing Service Administrator Anne Alonzo says in addition to specialty crop block grant awards there are a couple others about to be announced.

ALONZO: In May of this year we announced the availability of $30-million dollars. $15-million focused on direct farm-to-consumer marketing including farmer's markets, commodity supported agriculture and then another $15-million, a little bit up on the supply chain that helps with aggregation and processing and distribution such as food hubs.

The fruit industry is spending quite a bit of time as tour guides lately. The Washington State Fruit Commission recently was host to a group of contest winners from Korea. The Commissions, BJ Thurlby, said these winners were part of one of the large retailers in Korea who took part in a merchandising contest based on best display and volume. The winners received a trip to the northwest. The Washington Apple commission will be host to all their reps from around the world in early October. All these trips are designed to show off the great fruit available this time of year.

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

Long before I was even a twinkle in my Dad's eye he worked as a custom wheat harvester, traveling around the Midwest, parts of the south and even up into the Pacific Northwest harvesting wheat. I always found his stories about those times interesting and entertaining. I was amazed that my Dad had done this. "The Great American Wheat Harvest" is a documentary film that tells the story of five hard working families and crews who travel the country harvesting that golden grain that as the film's producers say, "feeds our Great Country and the World". Produced by award winning director and producer Conrad Weaver, the film was four years in the making and is now touring the nation since its premier at the National Museum of the American Indian in D.C. on National Ag Day this past spring. Weaver says that the response he has received from the thousands of people who have viewed the film has been "overwhelmingly positive". For those unable to attend a film screening a coffee table book is available which contains beautiful photos of the numerous harvest scenes he and his crew shot while making the documentary. For more information on the film visit greatamericanwheatharvest.com.

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