Hastings to Retire & Branding Time

Hastings to Retire & Branding Time plus Food Forethought. I’m Greg Martin with today’s Northwest Report.

Washington Congressman Doc Hastings announced yesterday that he will retire at the end of the year. Hastings was elected to Congress in 1994 after having served 8 years in the state legislature. Hastings has been a strong supported of agriculture in the northwest. He currently serves as ranking member of the House Natural Resources Committee. Hastings says that even though he is retiring, his job is not yet done. He added that over the coming year he intends to work as hard as ever on behalf of Central Washington and that there are a number of community priorities that he is dedicated to seeing achieved in the months ahead. 

Branding seems like a very low tech way of keeping track of cattle but even with all the new systems it can be very effective. Rodger Huffman of the Oregon Department of Agriculture says brands are the ultimate in determining ownership, but there are other tools that can help.

HUFFMAN: Yeah, this time of year because the weather and, I guess, the environment the cattle are in, it’s hard to see brands and sometimes they are impaired with mud and other things. So it’s real important producers have a strong backup identification system on their animals.

Now crop insurance closing date are coming up. Rod Bain has more.

(USDA Report)

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