West Nile & the Cost of Raising a Kid

West Nile & the Cost of Raising a Kid

West Nile & the Cost of Raising a Kid plus Food Forethought. I'm Greg Martin with today's Northwest Report.

The first human case of West Nile virus has been discovered in Walla Walla, Washington. The infection was confirmed by the Washington Health Department and the man was hospitalized. West Nile is transmitted by mosquitoes and health officials are urging people to mosquito proof your home and yard by emptying any standing water and ultimately avoid being bitten. Southeast Washington has been a major source for the West Nile virus in the past several years.

Anyone who has raised a kid knows that it's not exactly inexpensive. USDA has come out with their latest edition of how much it currently costs to raise a kid...and that includes feeding them.

CONCANNON: If we project inflation, that amount will add up to $304,480 dollars but nonetheless it's a huge challenge for households and families.

That's USDA Under Secretary Kevin Concannon says that an increase over 2012. The report author, Mark Lino says teens are expensive.

LINO: They have higher food costs, they have greater nutritional needs and higher transportation costs. These are the years she they start to drive so you add them to your auto insurance even maybe buy them an automobile.

Now with today's Food Forethought, here's Lacy Gray.

Ag Information Network reporters have spoken with numerous people about Russia's one year ban on U.S. agriculture imports - from ranchers, to orchardists, to wheat farmers, to Senators, and a common thread runs through every dialogue - it's unfortunate and will affect some more than it will others, but in the overall picture it won't have a major impact on U.S. farmers and ranchers. Experts say that exports to Russia have been slowly dwindling over the last several years, making Russia an unreliable trading partner in even the best of times. So who is hurting the most with the ban - that would be Russian citizens. A White House spokesperson has pointed out that "Russia's central bank has stated that banning imported food will boost inflation there and erode Russian citizen's purchasing power". Putin's ban does put a stop to roughly $1.6 billion in trade with the United States, but while that sounds like and is a large number, it affects just 1% of all American ag exports. So, much like when a toddler falls off their bike and skins a knee, the ban will hurt a little, but it won't really hurt that much. U.S. farmers and ranchers will just keep right on pedaling.

Thanks Lacy. That's today's Northwest Report. I'm Greg Martin on the Ag Information Network.

Previous ReportHandling Poultry & Russian Ban
Next ReportFood Prices & West Nile Found