Washington – U.S. Senators Blanche Lincoln and Mark Pryor today announced that the Senate has approved the Fiscal Year 2010 Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, which contains funding for Arkansas priorities.
Pryor is a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee. His presence on this committee allows him the opportunity to shape the legislation both during the committee process and on the Senate floor.
“These projects significantly contribute to the development and growth of local communities throughout Arkansas. I am pleased that we are taking positive steps towards securing federal dollars to support the agriculture industry in our state,” said Lincoln, a senior member of the Senate Agriculture Committee. “I’ll continue my fight to ensure that much-needed funds reach Arkansas’s communities as I focus on issues that are critical for our rural communities.”
“This legislation makes a sizable commitment to rural development and to research that increases profitability, protects crops, and supports efforts to grow our own energy. These programs are 100 percent essential for the well-being of Arkansas farmers and the state’s economy,” Pryor said.
The following are critical state and local priorities for Arkansas included in the bill:
$1 million for the Animal Science Food Safety Consortium (AR, IA, KS) – The funding will be used to address food safety issues related to poultry, beef, and pork.
$500,000 for the Institute for Food Science and Engineering at the University of Arkansas – The funding will be used for research and education activities to improve the study of food science and human nutrition.
$175,000 for Enhancing Agricultural Profitability and Sustainability through Specialty Crops at the University of Arkansas and Arkansas State University – The funding will be used for research designed to help growers, producers, and processors to develop profitable production systems of specialty crops.
$58,745,000 for the National Center for Toxicological Research in Jefferson County – The funding will be used to predict the toxicity risk of regulated products, to evaluate the biological effects of potentially toxic chemicals or microorganisms, and to provide research for food safety and food defense.
$2,979,000 for the Delta Regional Authority – The funding will be used to award grants in the Delta region. Some grant recipients may be located in Arkansas.
Approximately $6.5 million for the Arkansas Children’s Nutrition Center in Little Rock – Funding will be used for investigations on optimizing the nutrition and health of children from conception through adolescence. Funding includes $135,000 for sorghum research.
Approximately $1.37 million for the Dale Bumpers Small Farms Research Center in Booneville. The funding will be used to develop scientific principles and technologies that enhance the profitability of small scale farms.
Approximately $994,000 for the Dale Bumpers Small Farms Research Center in Booneville – The funding will be used to conduct endophyte research.
Approximately $3,893,897 for the Dale Bumpers Rice Research Center in Stuttgart. The funding will be used to conduct rice research that will support higher yields, superior grain quality, and pest resistance.
Approximately $3,937,000 for the Delta Obesity Prevention Research Unit – The funding will be used to initiate community involved planning, implement interventions, and conduct research to assess the effects on health and nutrition status in counties throughout the Delta Region. This consortium consists of the Agriculture Research Service and universities located in Arkansas, Louisiana, and Mississippi.
Approximately $423,792 for the National Center for Agricultural Law Research and Information at the University of Arkansas. The funding will support the National Center for Agricultural Law Research and Information, which is a leading source of objective and scholarly agricultural and food law research and information.
Approximately $3,505,997 for the Harry Dupree National Aquaculture Research Center in Stuttgart – The funding will be used for research on the genetic improvement of hybrid striped bass. Arkansas leads the nation in raising hybrid striped bass, as well as in producing 80 percent of the nation’s baitfish and other food fishes.
$350,000 for the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff Aquaculture/Fisheries Center of Excellence. The funding will be used to evaluate and develop new components of aquaculture production systems to improve the efficiency of freshwater fish farming.
Approximately $1,741,052 for the Poultry Production and Product Safety Research Unit at the University of Arkansas. The funding will be used to research diseases and food borne pathogens which affect poultry and human health.
$2.8 million for the National Center for Appropriate Technology – The funding will be used for the Appropriate Technology Transfer for Rural Areas project to provide information and other technical assistance to farmers, ranchers, extension agents, educators, and others involved in sustainable agriculture.
Also, the Committee included language encouraging USDA Rural Development to give consideration to two grant applications. The first Arkansas project mentioned is the Arkansas Virtual Enterprise Center’s application through USDA Rural Business-Cooperative Service. The Committee also encouraged consideration for the Ozark Mountain Regional Public Water Authority for its application to USDA Rural Water and Waste Disposal Program.
