09/17/07 Major court ruling for ag; the fun and sobering impact of high wheat prices

Washington Ag September 17, 2007 The Washington Farm Bureau is applauding the State Supreme Court for an 8-1 decision which said mandatory buffers are not required by the Growth Management Act. The Farm Bureau says another important clarification in the ruling is that the requirement to "protect" environmental conditions does not mean "enhancement" of those conditions. The court held that a county's requirement to avoid any new harm to critical areas meets the requirement to protect critical areas. All-time record high wheat prices have far surpassed levels many farmers thought they would ever see. Johnson: "All of us expected it at $6 it would quit. And then $7 and then its eight and you just have to stand back and shake your head." Eastern Washington grower and Wheat Commissioner Hal Johnson who says he finds himself more worried about making the right marketing decisions with these high prices, but it's fun too. Weather related production problems around the world have resulted in tight wheat supplies and higher prices and Johnson says this is all the more reason to make sure a new farm bill provides an adequate safety net to keep growers in business during price downturns. Johnson: "As a lot of foreign countries have discovered you need to have a pretty sound agricultural system to ensure that you have the food supplies and some of the other things that we get out of agriculture." I'm Bob Hoff.