Secretary Glickman Will Visit On Friday

Secretary of Agriculture Dan Glickman will visit Spokane and a Rockford wheat farm Friday as part of a tour of Northwest agriculture and forest lands, officials said Tuesday.

Larry Albin, state executive director of the Farm Service Agency in Spokane, said Glickman will travel from Portland to spend about four hours in the Spokane area.

Albin said Glickman will hold an informal meeting with local farmers at Larry Gady’s ranch near Rockford from 11:45 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Members of the Washington Wheat Commission, Washington State Farm Bureau, and Intermountain Grass Growers also will meet with the secretary.

The Spokane visit is a first for Glickman since his Senate confirmation earlier this year to head the U.S. Department of Agriculture, one of largest federal agencies.

The visit comes at a time when agriculture programs are being targeted for major cuts by Congress.

Glickman, a former Kansas congressman who lost his reelection bid last November, was invited to visit Washington by U.S. Sen. Patty Murray.

, DataTimes