02/05/07 An ag show & a spud conference

Washington Ag February 5, 2007 Spokane's Ag Expo and Pacific Northwest Farm Forum begins tomorrow in Spokane and runs through Thursday. The event draws several thousand farmers from across the inland northwest. Show manager Myrna O'Leary says the new Convention Center will house all the exhibits. O'Leary: "Once they get in the door they are inside the show. Don't have to go another building. Everything will be under one roof. We will still have our free parking at the Arena as always. Shuttle people downtown so they can look at the show and go back to their car when they are through. One ticket sees all. Ten dollars." Speakers at the Pacific Northwest Farm Forum Tuesday at the DoubleTree Hotel beginning at 9 a.m. are Art Douglas of Creighton University with a weather outlook and Tim Galvin an agricultural and trade policy specialist. Wednesday USDA Under Secretary Thomas Dorr will talk about the USDA farm bill proposal in the Convention Center Complex Theater. Also this week is the Washington State Potato Conference and Trade Show in Moses Lake. The Trade Show runs Tuesday and Wednesday at the Grant County Fairgrounds. Most production sessions are Wednesday and Thursday at the ATEC Center at Big Bend Community College along with keynote speakers. The Potato Bar is Wednesday at the Trade Show. I'm Bob Hoff.