04/20/07 SB 5108 could sink Columbia channel deepening

Washington Ag April 20, 2007 A bill which has cleared the Washington legislature to create an office of Farmland Preservation has language in it that could negatively impact the Columbia River Channel Improvement Project. According to the Columbia River Channel Coalition, if Governor Gregoire signs Senate Bill 5108 into law as it now stands, it will not be possible to acquire the mitigation lands needed for the channel deepening project to continue. Language in the bill prevents the acquisition of agricultural land for mitigation through eminent domain. The Coalition is requesting project supporters to contact the governor by April 25th and urge her to veto Section 6 of Senate Bill 5108. The USDA continues to foresee a smaller increase in U.S. milk output this year, only 1.1 percent compared to three percent in 2006. USDA Outlook Board Chairman Gerry Bange says that means higher prices for producers with the all milk price expected to shoot up to $15.80 a hundredweight, a 22 percent increase. Bange: "The problem of course is, is that does not necessarily translate into improved net returns because the milk producers will be quick to tell you they are facing higher production costs." Not just feed but energy costs too. Meanwhile USDA reported this week that Washington's milk production during March was down 4/10s of a percent from March of 2006. I'm Bob Hoff.