Questions for Andrew Schneider

1. How do you get sources to sit down with you and answer your questions? Especially when you are asking what are classified as 'tough questions'?
2. You cover so many different things, how do you get your story ideas and how do you go about getting sources?
3. I notice you have written a lot of series, how do you keep each story fresh, interesting and newsworthy even though you are writing about the same topic?
4. When you are in the middle of huge investigative projects, that take several month, how do you still handle your day-to-day stories and keep them separate from the investigative projects you are working on?
5. How did you get to where you are in the journalism world? Do you have any advice for students just starting out?
6. Having won prestigious awards, do you feel like you are under more pressure when you are writing now?
7. You are always traveling around the country to do your stories, how have you balanced having a family with being a journalist?

News Story - As milk prices drop, dairy farmers struggle

Plummeting milk prices could cause dairies to shut their doors.  

The U.S. Department of Agriculture sets the price each month that dairy farmers will get paid for their manufacture-grade milk. With a lower demand, and milk being brought in from Europe, farmers are seeing this number continue to drop.

Knott Dairy, in Pullman, will be less affected than other national dairies, but not by much, said dairy director John Swain. Currently home to around 170 cows, Knott Dairy produces all the milk that goes to the creamery on campus, to create ice cream and the Cougar Gold cheese WSU is famous for.

The Knott Dairy is the only dairy within about 100 miles, said senior animal science and Spanish major Chris Blaschko, who works at the dairy. Also, since the dairy is here at the university, it is used mainly for education and experiments. Therefore it is not as influenced by national prices as much.

John Swain said that many dairies are closing right now as a result of two factors: record high costs of feed and record low costs of milk. 

In 2007 milk was priced at $19 for every 100 pounds of milk, but in the next month the price is projected at $10 for every 100 pounds of milk, said Joe Harrison, a professor in the Livestock Nutrient Management Program and dairy specialist at WSU-Puyallup.

“Milk prices were good last year, so there was high priced feed,” Swain said. “The prices are starting to come down, but there are a lot of high price commodities in the inventory.”

In fact, it is estimated that some states are going to see a decline of more than 10 percent in the number of dairies that they have, said WSU extension economist Shannon Neibergs.

“It is a really difficult time right now,” Harrison said.

Swain said that although the dairy business is constantly fluctuating, this is a new low. 

“In this business there are peaks and valleys,” he said. “It is about supply and demand. The cow numbers are increasing but with the economy the demand is down.”

He said that he hopes that none of the cows at Knott Dairy, but he does not know what will happen.

“Cows need to leave somewhere in the nation,” he said. “We hope it is not from us.”

Knott Dairy itself is split into two parts, said Blaschko said.

One part is the student-run dairy, completely operated by student volunteers, and the other is owned by the university, she said.

Blaschko said that although the impact is not incredible large for Knott Dairy, for other dairies, it is going to have a large affect.

“It is going to be huge,” Blaschko said. “It is going to be hard on a lot of farmers; they are going to have to be bought out because they can’t make money.”

This will end up having an affect on consumers, Blashko said.

“There will be less dairies producing milk, so the price of milk will go up,” Blaschko said.

While this problem is very clear at farms and dairies, it is not yet showing on supermarket shelves, Swain said. “It could be a while before students feel anything.”

Harrison said that shelf prices are much more static than the prices that farmers get paid. 

“Store prices are inelastic, they don’t bounce around like at dairies,” he said. “There is still milk on the shelf for now.”

He also said that if milk prices are down for long term, consumers could see more changes in the price of all dairy products, including milk and cheese.

“These changes are happening, but they are not immediately passed on to the consumer,” said Harrison.

Story Proposals

1. The Environmental Protection Agency has suggested a tax on cows, to help offset their contributions to greenhouse gasses.  While no official proposal has been made, many farmers are worried that the gas will be become a reality.  With taxes of up to $175 per cow, WSU could be affected greatly by this proposed tax.  Not only that, but things like prices of beef and dairy would go up, affecting college students greatly.  If the EPA did decide to put this tax into effect, it would affect people nationally.  Some sources on this story would be members of the agricultural program, particularly the animal sciences program, here at WSU, and other local farms. 

2.  Peanut butter snacks are incredibly popular with students of all ages. Recently, it was discovered that salmonella was being caused by bad cases of peanut butter.  Just when the problem was thought to be isolated, it turns out that the cause in many  cases was in not just peanut butter, but in snacks that involve peanut butter.  A recall has been called, and then expanded.  This will affect many people in the area, because it affects the grocery stores in the area, as well as people who may have purchased the snacks.  Six people have died since the outbreak began, and hundreds more have been sick.  Local people I could talk to include the managers at grocery stores and health officials.

Beat Note

The beat I have chosen to follow is agriculture, which will include the local food and organic food movement that is currently sweeping the nation.  In the news there has been more and more coverage of going green, and one of the main parts of this movement is buying more local and organic food.  In fact, organic food stickers can be found almost anywhere, which could not be said just a few years ago.  More people are giving more thought to the agriculture programs of their home areas than ever before.  This topic is especially relevant in Pullman, and the rest of the Palouse, which is agriculturally based.  So, although there are many things happening on a national scale that affects this ever changing field, there are also many things that are happening in the town of Pullman and surrounding areas. Organic food growth is one of the biggest issues in agriculture today.  Organic food has been around for a long time but it was not until the 90s that it began to become popular in the mainstream.  

However I will describe the agricultural beat to consider all stories on farming and agriculture in general, organic growers, regulations on crops and livestock and weather challenges that are facing local farmers.  Also what could be included in this beat, which is happening in Pullman is the rise of things like food co-ops where normal people are put into contact with local farmers and are able to get fresh, local food directly to their kitchens.  Another interesting things to include in this beat would be the purchase of fresh produce by grocery stores and how this has changed with a rising demand for organic and local food.

Like many things in this country, it will be interesting to see what changes come to the agricultural beat with a new administration.  A new Secretary of Agriculture was recently elected, and with a new person brings change, no matter what else is true.  Right now may seem like a slow season for agriculture, because the snow on the ground means that no farming can be achieved, but now is the time to focus on policy making and regulations, which is what this class is all about.

Story ideas:

1) Proposed cow gas tax by environmentalists. Real or fake?

2) Till-only farming.  It is on the rise is this area: what is it and what does it mean?

3) The food co-op in Moscow recently wrote a 'strategic plan' which outlines some of their goals and rewrites how the co-op works and will function in the future.  What changes are coming, and what does that mean to the area?

4) Community gardens: what do they mean to the communities in which they are functioning? Are more people using them, with the recession?

Recent Stories:

1) Biofuels: "Idaho Oilseed Conference Addresses Global to Local Issues" - Ag Weekly (Idaho)

2) 31% budget cuts for the Idaho department of agriculture: "Attrition, federal grants make up ISDA budget cut" - Capital Press: The West's Ag Website

3) Salmonella peanut butter scare: "Peanut Butter Probe Focuses on Georgia Plant" - Wall Street Journal

Possible Sources:

General Information about Pullman: City Supervisor John Sherman (509) 338-3212 

Moscow co-op general manager: Kenna Eaton (208) 882-8537

Koppel Farms (community garden): koppelfarm@pullman.com