05/21/07 What happened & Immigration Fallout

What happened? And Immigration Fallout plus Food Forethought. I'm Greg Martin with today's Northwest Report. We have been hearing a lot about the contaminated pet food and how some of that wheat gluten has made its way to hog, chicken and fish food. But where did the chemical melamine come from in the first place? Investigators in China have found that the chemical was intentionally added to wheat flour to make it look like the higher priced wheat gluten and rice protein concentrates. This issue is causing people like the FDA's Dr. David Acheson to ask the question: ACHESON: What other ingredients or products should we be thinking of that may be subject to a deliberate act that could harm public health in the United States? Last Thursday's announcement of a bi-lateral immigration deal has received both good and bad reviews. In the northwest where immigrant labor has severely curtailed some crop production, people are asking whether this really is the answer. Mike Gempler with the Washington Growers League GEMPLER: I'm really encouraged by the agreement and the fact that I think at this point the AgJobs provisions are within the agreement. The details on the agriculture program will be hammered out over the weekend but I'm greatly encouraged. Now with today's Food Forethought, here's Susan Allen. If space can be called the final frontier, the ocean should be known as the forgotten one. With all the emphasis on global warming and the environment it is unbelievable that there hasn't been any true in-depth sea research completed since the 1870's. Last week a group of prominent scientists announced that the National Science Foundation will spend 335 million dollars to build a major research facility over the next six years right here in our back yard, oops ocean. An important facet of this research will fall to the University of Washington earmarked to receive 170 million of the funds to study how to measure changes on the Juan de Fuca Plate. Dubbed the "Neptune study"; (North East Pacific Time-integrated Undersea Networked Experiments) our university students will be using undersea internet video and underwater robots. The best part of all is that the general public will be invited to go along via live internet feeds. The National Science Foundations lab will mean our coastal waters will help the rest of the world understand more about tsunamis, salmon runs and even weather patterns. Thanks Susan. That's today's Northwest Report. I'm Greg Martin on the Northwest Ag Information Network.