10/04/06 Immigration & Grocery Prices

Immigration still needs more work & higher grocery prices. I'm Greg Martin with today's Northwest Report. Before adjournment - the U.S. Senate gave final approval to legislation that authorizes the construction of seven-hundred miles of fencing on the U.S.-Mexico border. According to Iowa GOP Senator Chuck Grassley - the bill is an important first step in securing the nation`s border. He says it will accomplish the goal of keeping illegal aliens out of the U.S. But he says it`s still not enough. He says there are other actions needed to put integrity back in the nation`s immigration system. He says that includes employee verification and employer sanctions - as well as a temporary guest worker program. According to the American Farm Bureau Federation`s latest Marketbasket Survey - consumers paid a little more for groceries in the third quarter of 2006 - following a slight dip in prices for the second quarter. The informal survey shows a $1.13 increase - to 41-dollars and nine-cents - from the previous year on the total cost of 16 basic grocery items. When compared to the second-quarter survey - consumers saw the biggest increase in the price for red delicious apples - up 33-cents per pound. Consumers were also paying quite a bit more for bacon, flour and mayo - which increased 32-cents per pound, 25-cents per five-pound box and 11-cents per 32-ounce jar respectively. Toasted oat cereal, whole chicken fryers, vegetable oil, eggs and cheddar cheese round out the items that increased in price. Now with today's Food Forethought, here's Susan Allen. Salmon Sanity might exist. It appears that Federal Officials are contemplating easing restrictions on harvesting Klamath River Salmon. This is quite astounding when you stop for a moment and think that Fisheries managers in the Pacific Fisheries Council could make a decision that would reflect positively on the lives of commercial fisherman who to date have lost up to 16 billion in last years harvest. So listen up because we don't get to hear this much in the Northwest&. If the Pacific Fisheries Management Council decides this upcoming November to adopt a new ruling allowing more flexibility in coping with the variety in numbers of wild runs of Fall Chinook, fisherman might able to harvest up to thirteen percent more fish than last year. Heaven to Betsy it would be really something if we could pass legislation in the Northwest that that would at least give a consideration to welfare of people when it comes to protecting fish and wildlife. Thanks Susan. That's today's Northwest Report. I'm Greg Martin on the Northwest Ag Information Network.