10/23/06 Russia Lifts Ban & EPA Clarification

Russia Lifts Ban & EPA Official Offers Clarification. I'm Greg Martin with today's Northwest Report. The Russian Federation has agreed to lift its ban on Canadian breeding cattle imports and some beef products. Director of Government and International Relations for the Canadian Cattlemen's Association John Masswohl says this is great news. MASSWOHL: Particularly welcomed by a lot of the folks in the dairy genetics industry that have not had access to the U.S. market for those animals. My understanding is the Russians are really impressed with the dairy genetics in Canada and they see that as very high value and they're actually very eager to get a lot of those animals. So I think this is something that's going to produce real trade results very soon particularly in the dairy genetics industry. During a visit to Iowa last week, Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Stephen Johnson stressed that new EPA regulations on coarse particulate matter are not intended to penalize farmers for dust emissions from crop fields - something he says he'll clarify in a letter to the states. Johnson assured farmers that language in the rule`s preamble says agricultural sources will not be held accountable for dust. That`s why Johnson says no new rules have been imposed on agriculture. But Iowa GOP Senator Chuck Grassley noted that farmers could still be exposed to lawsuits if state agencies decide to disregard EPA`s intent and enforce the rules differently. Now with today's Food Forethought, here's Susan Allen. On a recent trip to my supermarket I was confronted with displays of Halloween goodies&. and Christmas decorations. What ever happened to Thanks Giving? But that's another story. Today the market for pumpkins mimics that of Christmas trees, you've got the white ones, big ones, little ones, decorated ones, exotic ones and I hate to admit it &the fake ones. The fake tree can be decorated the fake pumpkin carved. What is this world coming to? Isn't it enough of a travesty that little children now think Christmas trees come in boxes, let alone that a jack-o- lantern made from molded plastic? And how is it really carving if you are not up to your elbows in seeds and goo? Thankfully, the orange pumpkin pile in the store parking lot proves that pumpkin purists remain, they do, and for those of us who demand that our pumpkins be real, we are in luck there is no shortage of good pumpkins here in the great Northwest. That isn't true for the East though this season, there are slim pumpkins picking at the pumpkin patch attributed to a fungus that has caused a moldy crop. Thanks Susan. That's today's Northwest Report. I'm Greg Martin on the Northwest Ag Information Network.