National Grange on Snake River Dams and ESA Denied for Wolves
From the Ag Information Network, I’m Bob Larson with your Agribusiness Update.
**The National Grange wrote a letter to lawmakers expressing concerns over proposals to remove dams along the Snake River in Washington state.
It alleges dam removals would "totally disrupt an entire rural region of our country that depends upon this infrastructure for clean electrical power, agricultural irrigation, transportation, flood control, recreation, and jobs.”
The National Grange believes any plan to remove any dam in the Columbia/Snake River System must include equitable and robust economic transition plans.
**After an extensive assessment, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced it denied a request to list gray wolves under the Endangered Species Act in the Northern Rocky Mountains and the Western U.S.
Gray wolves are listed as endangered in 44 states, threatened in Minnesota, and under state jurisdiction in Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, and portions of eastern Oregon and Washington.
Environmental groups are weighing options.
**Farmer sentiment took a downturn as the January Purdue University-CME Group Ag Economy Barometer Index fell to a reading of 106, eight points below December.
Compared to year-end, producers had a more negative outlook of their farms' current situation along with a weakened outlook for the future.
The Current Conditions Index fell nine points, and the Future Expectations Index dropped seven points, both compared to December.
