Wine Tour & Helping Small, Socially Disadvantaged Farmers

Wine Tour & Helping Small, Socially Disadvantaged Farmers

Wine Tour & Helping Small, Socially Disadvantaged Farmers plus Food Forethought. I'm Greg Martin with today's Northwest Report.

The Washington Wine Commission recently hosted a group of 57 wine industry folks from around the country on a tour of Washington's wine country. Michaela Baltasar, Communications Director for the Commission.

BALTASAR: We started here in Seattle with a tasting focusing on Woodinville and the Puget Sound area and then moved east and ended up in Walla Walla and the idea was to give people a hands on experience of Washington State wine especially since it's harvest right now. So we had a lot of people who had a chance to go out into the vineyards, they got their hands dirty, they got to kick the dirt. It was a really great experience.

Agriculture Deputy Secretary Krysta Harden today awarded 17 grants in 12 states to help small, socially disadvantaged agricultural producers expand their operations and create jobs. Northwest Cooperative Development Center in Olympia, Washington is receiving a $160,200 grant, to help socially disadvantaged producers become sustainable cooperative businesses. The Small Socially Disadvantaged Producer Grant program is one of many USDA programs that help rural businesses.

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

After consulting with numerous food experts General Mills shareholders recently rejected a resolution that would have mandated that the company remove all genetically modified organisms from its products. In a news release the National Center for Public Policy Research reported that Harriet Crosby, a descendant of one of General Mills' founders, submitted Proposal 5 with the claim that "genetic engineering involves significant risks to the environment, food security, and public health." NCPPR Free Enterprise Project Director, Justin Danhof, replied to her claim stating that "GMO foods are a great gift to mankind. They lower food costs, allow farmers to produce food in more sustainable ways, and .....as the Gates Foundation has pointed out, show great promise for ending world hunger and malnutrition." In contrast to an announcement earlier this year General Mills CEO Ken Powell stated that they would be keeping GM ingredients in its remaining Cheerios cereals. Perhaps this marks the beginning of the end for food activists' intimidation tactics.

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

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