06/21/07 Farm Bill Extension & Buying a Ghost Town

Ever thought about owning your own town? That is something that recently popped into Michael Ciluaga's head. He saw that half of the historic Idaho mining town of Rocky Bar was for sale and knew he had to have it. Selling price: $250,000. Ciluaga plans to restore the old buildings dating back to the 19th century. He gets about nine acres of land in the mountains northeast of Boise, a rustic hotel building, a mine, leaky wading pool and the town jail, plus timber and mineral rights plus all the ghosts the town holds. Well Ag Secretary Mike Johanns isn't happy. He expressed disappointment with the Title I legislation put forth by the House General Farm Commodities and Risk Management Subcommittee Tuesday. He says the bill fails to recognize the need for greater equity and predictability in farm policy. According to Johanns - the legislation also fails to provide a more responsive safety net. But Jerry Moran - Ranking Member of the General Farm Commodities Subcommittee - called an extension the best outcome given the lack of additional dollars. MORAN: Particularly when it comes to the commodity title there is, at least to date, no additional money and the reserve funds if they materialize are apparently reserved for other titles of the Farm Bill. Now with today's Food Forethought, here's Susan Allen. If you buy organic foods to support our small "sustainable" farmers it's time for a wake up call and a closer look at those organic labels. You see the family with the lovely organic orchard, whose darling children work the fruit stand could be getting trumped by Latin American "organic" exports set to reach $250 million this year. While your neighbor must typically wait three years to become certified after farming with conventional chemicals, his counterpart in Peru can become certified almost immediately by virtue of being poor, do you trust who is doing the Certification? Check the labels on your next apples pears, cherries, nectarines and plums, odds are, they are coming from the leader of South American organic exporting; Argentina . These aren't always "small" substance farmers. Dole foods, among others now imports organic pineapple from Costa Rica and bananas from Colombia, Honduras and Ecuador. Our organic movement is moving a direction never intended but as consumers we have the power to bring it back on course Thanks Susan. That's today's Northwest Report. I'm Greg Martin on the Northwest Ag Information Network.