WASHINGTON  -  From the moment pioneers first sowed seeds on the Missouri plain,  our land has been a source of agricultural life.  In the past 200 years, we have certainly come a long way from oxen-power to horsepower, from fallow fields to winter wheat, from saving seed to buying it already resistant to disease and pesticide.

A few things, however, have remained constant.  We keep the farms in our families, and our wealth is measured in what we may pass on to the next generation of farmers in terms of knowledge as well as land.  Our heritage is built around our silos, and our celebrations are tied to the bountiful harvest.

But the greatest consistency by far is our continued spirit of innovation and progress. 
 Just as we invest in our own lands, we also invest in agricultural research.  The work product of our public universities and private companies increases per acre yields, decreases the possibility of massive crop loss from diseases or pests, and enables us to plant crops (such as melons and rice) that you might not expect to find north of
Arkansas.

More often, the hardiness of our crops is coming pre-installed in the genetic machinery of the seeds themselves.  Though the world has been slow to understand and accept the benefits of genetic engineering on agriculture, whole populations of hungry nations are well aware of the salvation carried in those genotypes.

Here in Southern Missouri, we are carrying on our research and continuing to make progress in agricultural production.  There are several continuing research projects I am advocating in this year’s agricultural appropriations bill, which funds the programs and operations of the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Pests are still a formidable adversary in the farm field, and the soybean cyst nematode is one of their toughest combatants.  A microscopic roundworm, the nematode infests and eats the roots of soybean plants.  They are tough to eradicate and can lead to severe yield losses – the pest cost U.S. producers an estimated $780 million last year
alone.  Through continued investment in a battle plan, we can learn to control the nematode and minimize the damage it can cause. 

Rice agronomy is another continuing priority as we spread the production of rice in
Southern Missouri and open new markets for it all over the globe.  A staple crop on every continent, rice is a crop that truly can feed the world.  By increasing its viability in our climate and advancing its feasibility in the field, we can create large-scale production of a valuable nutritional commodity.

Finally, irrigation research is a project that can benefit nearly every producer in our region.  Many farmers shy away from the decision to irrigate because of cost and land management issues.  But any producer who has suffered through one of our recent drought years can tell you that not irrigating can be a costly gamble, too.  By further investigating the viability of irrigation and the benefits it can provide, we can assist our
farmers with the decision to irrigate, as well as HOW to irrigate.

All of these projects have had the consistent support of Congress.  They all focus on
research that is done here at home, in Missouri’s Eighth Congressional District.  Who better to study and develop the technologies and techniques that shape our agricultural livelihoods?

Do not forget, either, about one more thing we are growing with these funds: jobs.

At my recent slate of economic round tables throughout the district, I heard again and
again about the agricultural foundation of our economy.  I also discovered the many opportunities to take new ideas and good research out into our fields.  Grapes, forest products, livestock, and fisheries represent major areas of production in which Southern Missouri is already taking agriculture beyond the arable land.  When we move
the cultivation that occurs in our laboratories and test plots into the vast acreage of our family farms, then we are truly innovating.

It only makes sense we should sow that research and development like any other
commodity, nourish and nurture it, and reap its fruits at the end of the season.  We have been blessed with fertile land, and the fertile minds to make the most of it.

As fortunate as we are to have good arable land, we must not take our good fortune for
granted.

As long as there is a scientific frontier to conquer, we in Southern Missouri will always be pioneers.