02/28/07 Financial Tool & Goose Trouble

New Financial Tool & Geese Problem. I'm Greg Martin with today's Northwest Report. eXtension has established a web site designed to help Americans make sound financial decisions. Using self-paced on-line lessons - eXtension provides Internet visitors with reliable, up-to-date financial security information. Visitors can use the site to find research-based, peer-reviewed answers to a knowledge base of commonly asked questions - which will aid in learning more about specialized areas of personal finance. Administrator of USDA's Cooperative State Research, Education, and Extension Service Colien Hefferan - says USDA is pleased to support the great work of eXtension to build knowledge and - in this case - wealth - within families throughout the nation and around the world. The web site address is www.extension.org and then follow the link to Personal Finance. The number of snow geese wintering in Skagit and Snohomish counties has doubled in recent years to 100,000 birds. They`ve spread from Port Susan and Skagit bays and have been eating grass on nearby pastures. One farmer says the snow geese consumed $10,000 worth of grass intended for his cows. To help thin the flock this winter the Fish and Wildlife Department started a hunting program. It pays farmers around $60 an acre to allow hunters to use their fields to hunt snow geese. Around 330 hunters were issued permits. Biologists believe warmer temperatures on the nesting ground in the Russian Arctic is boosting the snow goose population. Now with today's Food Forethought, here's Susan Allen. So who do you believe? The last couple years the food police in the US have convinced the American media that fish is dangerous for pregnant women, so out of fear for their children, pregnant American women have cut their fish consumption considerably. Across the very ocean responsible for these dietary waves comes a study of over 14,000 women and 13,000 children published in the British Medical Journal that found that pregnant women who limited their fish consumption to the recommended US amount of three or less servings of fish per week had had children with lower verbal IQ's, higher rates of behavioral and social problems and less fine motor skills then children of mothers who consumed at or less then US amounts. The EPA isn't back peddling on their original recommendation for pregnant women to refrain from eating fish that could have high mercury levels until they have a chance to review the study. Something is fishy? Maybe fish consumption contributes to the fact that students in countries like Japan, consistently outperform US University students! Thanks Susan. That's today's Northwest Report. I'm Greg Martin on the Northwest Ag Information Network.