02/16/05 Salmon numbers; P.G.I. request

It is a mixed bag of numbers for salmon recovery efforts under the Bush Administration's proposed fiscal year 2006 budget. The proposed $571 million dollars in spending for salmon recovery efforts is down from $600 million approved for this fiscal year, and $641 million dollars from the year before. However, the Administration proposed an $8 million dollar increase in the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers budget to conduct salmon recovery along the Columbia and lower Snake Rivers. The Administration is also asking for a two million dollar increase in the Pacific Coastal Salmon Recovery Fund, which provides grants for salmon recovery efforts in the three Northwest states, California, and Alaska. All these numbers come at a time when biologists are predicting that 650,000 adult fall Chinook salmon will arrive at the mouth of the Columbia River this year. If that prediction holds up, that would make it the fourth largest return of fall Chinook since 1964. The Potato Growers of Idaho Incorporated will get its hearing. U.S.D.A.'s Foreign Agricultural Service has scheduled a March Second public hearing on P.G.I.'s petition that imported French fries are in direct competition with fresh Idaho potatoes. The petition comes under F.A.S.'s Trade Adjustment Assistance for Farmers program. And what that means is if F.A.S. agrees with P.G.I.'s petition, the organization and its farmers would be eligible for technical assistance and cash benefits. Now with today's "Food Forethought", here's Susan Allen. ALLEN: PETA is again on the band wagon having recently enlisted Dennis Rodman and now the Reverend Al Sharpton to urge the black community to boycott Kentucky Fried Chicken until they adopt more human treatment of chickens. PETA could actually be on target with this one, for the founder of the highly successful natural grocery store chain Whole Foods also believes that farm animals must be treated more humanly and has made efforts within his organization that he hopes will raise the bar for both the grocery and restaurant industries. In a recent magazine article John Mackey, founder and CEO of the highly successful Whole Foods chain says their organization has already adopted more human standards for ducks with pigs and lamb to follow. Farmers who now raise ducks for Whole Foods must allow ducks access to the out of doors and most importantly for ducks, water to swim in. To comply, farmers will have to change production facilities and that could result in something consumers don't like, higher prices. I'm Susan Allen and this is Food Forethought.