10/25/06 Johanns Unsure & FFA takes Action

Johanns unsure and FFA takes action. I'm Greg Martin with today's Northwest Report. As Congress prepares to write a new farm bill, several farm groups and farm-state lawmakers have proposed including a permanent disaster aid title to the bill. U.S. Ag Secretary Mike Johanns agrees that a change is necessary. But he isn't sure yet of the correct solution. JOHANNS: Whether we do that through a crop insurance plan or a different approach to farm policy I think is the debatable point but I strongly feel that we have to have something other than this annual ad hoc political battle about who supports disaster relief and who doesn't. While attending the National FFA Convention in Indianapolis this week, hundreds of the organization's members will put civic learning and leadership into action during the first-ever National FFA Day of Service on Thursday, Oct. 26. More than 800 FFA members will take part in a service activity at one of four sites in the Indianapolismetro area. The National FFA Organization developed the Day of Service in conjunction with Indianapolis civic leaders and corporate sponsors Timberland PRO and Toyota to promote civic engagement and service learning through agricultural education. Event organizers say that by learning and leading on this day, FFA members can take the experience back to their hometowns and make a difference in their communities. Now with today's Food Forethought, here's Susan Allen. Despite the brew a surrounding country of origin labels most farmers and ranchers I know don't have a problem with them, you see they are proud to slap a sticker or a tag on something they have grown or raised. Couple this with the fact that Japan has reopened its US beef market with very specific guidelines demanding that US beef be from cows not more than 20 months old and traceable to its origins and this simply has created a climate ripe for an animal id system. The USDA and the Florida Department of Agriculture are test marketing a voluntary tracking system that will tag cattle, following the critter from the farm to the slaughter house. Slated to be fully up and running by 2009 the program would be voluntary with ranchers involved receiving about aprox. a $20 premium per animal. Naturally the Japanese are demanding the labeling be customized to their persnickety standards so each cow will sport an ear tag containing a little Japanese style computer chip, kind of makes you wonder makes you wonder just who is manufacturing the chips? Thanks Susan. That's today's Northwest Report. I'm Greg Martin on the Northwest Ag Information Network.