07/17/06 Imports are strong

U.S. Ag Imports are Strong. I'm Greg Martin with today's Northwest Report. Nora Brooks, USDA economist , says that U.S. agricultural exports continue to be larger in value than imports, but the gap is closing. BROOKS: The fiscal year to date exports from October to May of 2006 leaves us with the exports at 46.6 billion which is about 3.5 billion higher than the same time in fiscal 2005. And imports are at 43.2 billion so far this fiscal year which is up about 4.6 billion from fiscal 2005. Currently the USDA is forecasting total U.S. exports to hit 67 billion dollars and with 46.6 up through May, Brooks seems to think we might be on track to see 67 billion dollars. Brooks says that several products have been moving well on the export market. BROOKS: The values of cotton, red meat, corn and fruit & nuts are all substantially higher than last year. Our corn shipments to South Korea have grown every month since January. Cotton to China has declined somewhat in the past few months but they continue to account for about half of our cotton shipments. Now with today's Food Forethought, here's Susan Allen. I have been like a broken record, ( of course kids today have no idea what that means) but for several years now I have been calling for farming communities to join the renewable energy bandwagon to become part of a rural renaissance. The community of Reynolds, Indiana is actually taking the bull by the horns and doing just that. Now dubbed as bio-town USA the community is paving a way for other rural townships to follow. By next July Reynolds aspires to produce its' own gas and electricity using waste from their farm animals, people and industry. Indiana's' Department of Agriculture is behind the venture that includes the construction of a large bio-mass center. Interestingly, most of the communities farmers are on board but even without total participation the number of hogs alone in the region will generate enough manure to produce 74 times the energy to light and fuel Reynolds each year. General Motors is offering incentives to residents to switch to flex-fuel vehicles and more than 100 new cars and trucks have been purchased under the program. Thanks Susan. That's today's Northwest Report. I'm Greg Martin on the Northwest Ag Information Network.