WASHINGTON  -  U.S. Representative Jo Ann Emerson (MO-08) joined members of the House in approving language for the FY 2005 agriculture spending bill.  The $100 billion legislation primarily funds the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the programs it administers, including several projects Emerson advocated for Missouri’s Eighth Congressional District.  The conference report now moves to the Senate for a vote before it will be signed into law by the president.

 

Emerson is a member of the House Subcommitee on Agriculture Appropriations and was a conferee who helped reconcile differences between House and Senate versions of the legislation. 

 

Emerson stated, “We need to make sure funding is in place to support the farmers and ranchers who live and work in rural America.  This bill identifies some of the agricultural priorities of Southern Missouri’s economy and benefits hardworking producers across the country.  There is literally no way to quantify the importance of agriculture to our rural economy and way of life, but this bill will meet many needs for our agricultural community in the coming fiscal year.

 

“In Southern Missouri, we have a long tradition of getting the most agricultural value from our arable lands and even those which are not so fertile.  As fortunate as we are, however, we do not take our good fortune for granted.  I am proud to support the continuing commitment of Southern Missouri to research in agriculture,” Emerson said.  “This bill is Congress’ way of recognizing the vast resources Southern Missouri has to offer, from our fields to our labs to our agribusinesses, and extending the fruits of our
labors to the entire nation.”

 

The appropriations bill contains funding for a number of projects related to Missouri agriculture, including funds for three research projects at the Delta Center in Portageville: $802,000 for Soybean Cyst Nematode research, $250,000 for Rice Agronomy, and an estimated $631,000 for Mid-West/Mid-South Irrigation research, all of which are increases over FY 2005 funding levels. 

 

Other projects include:

 

Missouri State University                    Vitus Gene Discovery                        $608,000

(Mountain Grove Campus) 

 

Food and Agricultural Policy Research Initiative (FAPRI)                            1,612,000

 

Rural Policy Research Institute                                                                        1,205,000

 

Product Verification Protocols Pilot                                                                     500,000
(Grain Inspection Service)