Madam Speaker, in accordance with the policies and standards put forth by the House Appropriations Committee and the GOP Leadership, I submit a listing of the congressionally directed projects I…
Madam Speaker, in accordance with the policies and standards put forth by the House Appropriations Committee and the GOP Leadership, I submit a listing of the congressionally directed projects I requested in my home state of Idaho that are contained in the report of H.R. 2997, the FY2010 Agriculture Appropriations bill.
Project Name: Aquaculture Research Initiative
Amount Received: $529,000
Account: USDA/CSREES
Recipient: University of Idaho
Recipient's Street Address: 875 Perimeter Drive, Moscow, ID 83844
Description: Research and development of strains of barley for the production of high-value protein concentrates from barley and oats that can be used as fish feed. Increasingly, fish that are consumed worldwide originate from aquaculture. This increase has taxed global supplies of marine protein and oil traditionally used in aquafeeds resulting in record prices for these commodities. Idaho is a leader in the national aquaculture industry, producing over 70% of the nation's commercially grown rainbow trout and generating $100 million per year. Funding would support innovative research to develop new ways of addressing problems in the industry.
Project Name: Barley for Rural Development
Amount Received: $514,000
Account: USDA/CSREES
Recipient: University of Idaho
Recipient's Street Address: 875 Perimeter Drive, Moscow, ID 83844
Description: Funding for this program would support research directed at the continued development of improved malt, feed, cellulosic ethanol and food barley varieties for growers and value-added end-users in rural Idaho, Montana, and North Dakota communities. This research is starting to expand and meet market opportunities, addressing the critical need of growers in production agriculture to increase economic yield, enhance domestic and international market access, improve production technologies, better compete with Canadian imports and reduce dependence on government subsidies. Research supported by this project will increase the manufacture and sale of value-added barley products (malt, beer, fuel, food, livestock) in these states, having a substantial positive impact on their economies, supporting jobs, generating business activity, and federal, state, and local tax revenue. Maintenance of the strength of barley in the Idaho economy requires continual efforts to improve crop quality and productivity. This can only be accomplished by investing in strong research programs that keep the industry at the forefront.
Project Name: COOL Season Legume Research
Amount Received: $235,000
Account: USDA/CSREES
Recipient: University of Idaho
Recipient's Street Address: 875 Perimeter Drive, Moscow, ID 83844
Description: This program is an aggressive cooperative research program between the USDA, the University of Idaho, and the University of Washington that seeks new, high-yielding, high-quality, nutritious dry pea, lentil, and chickpea varieties to meet producer and consumer needs. This research focuses on the breeding of new, superior varieties of legumes; management of nematodes, insects, plant diseases and weeds that can limit production; and reduction of soil erosion and water degradation associated with production, as well as the development of value-added new products. The technology being generated through the research is essential for the pea, lentil, and chickpea industries to remain competitive and profitable. Funding would be provided to the University of Idaho through the USDA ARS facility located at 29603 U of I Lane, Parma, Idaho 83660.
Project Name: Greater Yellowstone Interagency Brucellosis Committee
Amount Received: $650,000
Account: USDA/APHIS
Recipient: Idaho State Department of Agriculture
Recipient's Street Address: 2270 Old Penitentiary Road, Boise, ID 83712
Description: Idaho, Montana, and Wyoming are each required by law to manage brucellosis-infected wildlife within their borders in order to prevent the spread of brucellosis to non-infected wildlife, cattle, or domestic bison. The Committee is coordinating with federal, state, and private actions in eliminating brucellosis from wildlife in the Greater Yellowstone Area and preventing transmission of this disease from wildlife to livestock. The funding will be used to develop and implement brucellosis herd unit management plans; to perform functions and duties of Idaho relative to the Greater Yellowstone Interagency Brucellosis Committee; to conduct brucellosis prevention, surveillance, control and eradication activities in Idaho and the Greater Yellowstone Area.
Project Name: Increasing Shelf-Life of Agriculture Commodities
Amount Received: $603,000
Account: USDA/CSREES
Recipient: University of Idaho
Recipient's Street Address: 875 Perimeter Drive, Moscow, ID 83844
Description: In order to prevent serious food safety issues, this project will fund research and development of bio-electronic sensors that can detect the presence of microbial pathogens in food and food products. Preventative detection and treatment at the agricultural commodity level and fast, accurate detection of biological pathogens and dangerous food toxins is an important element for ensuring safety and shelf life. The research being conducted in this area at the University of Idaho will advance and expand previous work on biosensor systems to further enhance preventative detection and treatment of biological pathogens and dangerous food toxins.
Project Name: Nez Perce Bio-Control Center
Amount Received: $176,000
Account: USDA/APHIS
Recipient: Nez Perce Tribe Bio-Control Center
Recipient's Street Address: 102 Agency Road, Lapwai, ID 83540
Description: The Nez Perce Bio-Control Center is authorized by the Noxious Weed Control and Eradication Act of 2004 and manages and establishes nurseries to increase biological control organism availability, distribute
biological control organisms, monitor their impacts, and provide an increased number of annual technology transfer workshops to Cooperative Weed Management Areas and other landowners and managers regionally. This funding will continue the partnership between USDA and the Nez Perce Tribe to maximize the effectiveness of implementing a complete bio-control of weeds program in an Integrated Weed Management strategy. The Center will increase the availability of agents for landowners and managers throughout the region. Biological control offers long-term management of invasive weeds and can be used with other integrated pest management approaches.
Project Name: Potato Cyst Nematode Research
Amount Received: $349,000
Account: USDA/CSREES
Recipient: University of Idaho
Recipient's Street Address: 875 Perimeter Drive, Moscow, ID 83844
Description: This funding would be used by the University of Idaho for research and development of means to eradicate and better protect the Idaho potato crop from the soil-borne pathogen potato cyst nematode, hardened nematode bodies filled with eggs which can persist in the soil for up to 25 years. Current eradication depends upon methyl bromide, which is not totally effective and which may be banned because of its ozone depleting properties, as well as other chemicals which are even less effective and several of which may also be banned. The funds will be used to maximize the efficiency of methyl bromide while it is available and develop new ``green'' replacement eradicants (such as green manure or biologically derived nematicides) and procedures (advance hatching frequency), as well as to improve planting material screening procedures and to study plant-vector-virus relationships, which may also lead to new ways to fight potato viruses. Previous funding established the groundwork and prepared the University of Idaho to fully implement the needed research. This project will work, in concert with the ongoing USDA eradication program by providing new methods of treatment. This crop pest can result in 80% yield reductions and has negatively affected agricultural trade. There is a good chance that if this threat is addressed with adequate research and treatment it can be eliminated.
Project Name: Potato Research/Multistate Potato Variety Development Program
Amount Received: $1,037,000
Account: USDA/CSREES
Recipient: University of Idaho through CSREES
Recipient's Street Address: 875 Perimeter Drive, Moscow, ID 83844
Description: This funding would be used to support an on-going research program that provides critical support to the potato industry through the development of new potato varieties and resistance to disease and pests. The ARS research station at Aberdeen, Idaho, has produced eight new potato varieties, and it has participated in the development of twelve other varieties nationwide. With the increasing threat of disease and pests, new varieties are crucial for America's agriculture community. Research will be performed at USDA's Pacific West Area ARS facility, located at 1691 S. 2700 W., Aberdeen, Idaho 83210.
Project Name: Small Fruit Research, ID, OR, WA
Amount Received: $307,000
Account: USDA/CSREES
Recipient: University of Idaho
Recipient's Street Address: 875 Perimeter Drive, Moscow, ID 83844
Description: The Small Fruits Initiative--Plant Improvement project will build upon the strengths of existing cooperative research programs aligned through the Northwest Center for Small Fruits Research. This ongoing tri-state program supports the development of small fruits as an alternative agriculture crop in the Pacific Northwest. The funding will strengthen existing programs throughout the region and add key programs to fill in critical gaps that are not met by the existing infrastructure associated with the Center, providing key resources for Idaho scientists to address problems that negatively impact the emerging berry, grape, and wine industries in the Northwest.
Project Name: STEEP III--Water Quality in the Northwest
Amount Received: $444,000
Account: USDA/CSREES
Recipient: University of Idaho
Recipient's Street Address: 875 Perimeter Drive, Moscow, ID 83844
Description: Soil erosion affects 10 million acres of cropland in the Inland Pacific Northwest, reducing farm productivity. STEEP is a coordinated research and technology transfer program designed to develop and implement erosion control practices for agriculture. Emerging environmental and human health concerns also require control of erosion and other environmental impacts of agriculture. New strategies and cropping systems for the protection of soil, water, and air resources are being developed and assessed through collaborative research conducted by scientists in the Pacific Northwest. The STEEP program continues to provide Pacific Northwest farmers and supporting agribusiness entities the new conservation technologies, tools, and understanding to meet evolving demands of agriculture, the environment, and Pacific Northwest residents.
Project Name: Tri-State Predatory Control
Amount Received: $926,000
Account: USDA/APHIS
Recipient: USDA Animal Plant Health Inspection Service
Recipient's Street Address: 9134 West Blackeagle Drive, Boise, ID 83709
Description: This project would continue assistance to Idaho, Montana, and Wyoming to control wolves and other predators. The Yellowstone wolf population has reached levels 3 to 4 times the initial recovery goals, leading to a delisting from the ESA earlier this year for the wolves in Idaho and Montana and leaving states responsible for managing the increasing wolf populations. As a result, ranchers are facing increasing threats from these predators. The continuation of this program will ensure that the tri-state area will be able to address predator management.
I appreciate the opportunity to provide a list of congressionally- directed projects I requested that have received funding in the Agriculture Appropriations Act for FY2010 and provide an explanation of my support for them.
