Northwest Grows & Biomass Market

Northwest Grows & Biomass Market plus Food Forethought. I'm Greg Martin with today's Northwest Report.

According to the latest Census Bureau figures both Oregon and Washington's populations are on the rise. Oregon gained about 42,000 people while Washington saw nearly 88,000 more people from July 2013 to July 2014. Washington grew by 5 percent between 2010 and 2014, while Oregon grew by 3.6 percent in that time. The problem with these figures is that most of that population growth is going into metro areas and away from the rural communities. Nationally, the population grew to 318.9 million people. North Dakota was the nation's fastest-growing state over the last year. California remained the nation's most populous state with 38.8 million residents.

Biomass is the leftover part of a crop after it's been harvested and in the past it was either tilled back into the soil or burned off the field. PacificAg out of Hermiston, Oregon has been helping producers see increased profits and better soil health. PacificAg founder and CEO, Bill Levy explains.

LEVY: I think for growers PacificAg is an easy solution for managing residue. The grower doesn't need to invest in the capital in both people and equipment necessary to perform the harvest. They can really just focus on their primary harvest and let PacificAg come in with the latest equipment and mange that residue to the right level and make sure that it's performed sustainably as well.

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

The holidays are just about over and many of us find ourselves trying to figure out what to do with the leftovers from all those holiday get togethers, or we just decide to pitch it all, which is particularly disturbing when considering the fact that between a third and a half of all food grown on the planet goes to waste. Yes, according to the UN Food and Agriculture Organization that's the amount of food produced worldwide that is wasted after production. So what can we do as individuals to reduce food waste? Well for starters, use up, freeze, or share those holiday leftovers. Once the leftovers are gone and things get back to normal bone up on food labels so you're not throwing away perfectly edible food, and try not to prepare meals that end up being far more than you will eat at one sitting. When you go out to eat ask for smaller portions instead of the super sized portions served at many restaurants; you'll be reducing not only food waste but your waist. And remember, if you have good food items in your cupboard that you don't think you will get around to using, donate them to your local food bank.

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