Agribusiness Update for Tuesday 5/28/13

Agribusiness Update for Tuesday 5/28/13

This is the Agribusiness Update...I’m Greg Martin...

The mystery of the Irish potato famine has been solved and it appears the 19-century disaster was caused by a newly identified strain of potato blight that has been christened "HERB-1," according to a new study. Over a million deaths were attributed to the famine. Researchers studied preserved potato leaves that still had intact DNA.

The USDA’s final rule on the country of origin labeling has received a lot of mixed reviews. Some say that the decision to bring the law into compliance with the WTO’s ruling is a win-win situation for all interested parties. Still other groups feel that the USDA’s ruling is short-sighted.

On June 1st, Northwest Farmers will launch the “Fighting Hunger Cash/Food Drive.”  The goal is to raise $100,000 and 100,000 lbs. of food to benefit Feeding America affiliates; Food Lifeline, 2nd Harvest, and the Oregon Food Bank during June Dairy Month.  This month-long Washington/Oregon drive is supported by each state’s Department of Agriculture.

That’s today’s Agribusiness Update from the Ag Information Network. 

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