MISSISSIPPI AGRICULTURE PROJECTS FUNDED
IN SENATE AGRICULTURE APPROPRIATIONS BILL
Cochran Highlights Agriculture Research, Rural Development Funding in Bill
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Thad Cochran (R-Miss.) today announced Senate Appropriations Committee passage of the FY2010 Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration Appropriations Bill, a measure that will continue funding for agriculture research and rural development in Mississippi.
“This legislation is important to Mississippi. It continues federal investments in projects to improve and expand the agricultural base in our state. In addition, the bill supports rural development and farm loan programs, which are useful in an era when commercial credit can be hard to obtain for producers and rural Mississippi residents,” said Cochran, the ranking Republican on the Senate Appropriations Committee.
The bill is now available for consideration by the full Senate. The following are highlights of funding for Mississippi in the measure:
- Jamie Whitten Delta States Research Center, Stoneville -- $4.0 million in USDA Agriculture Research Service funds to continue repairs and renovations to this ARS facility, which was built in 1965
- National Center for Natural Products Research, University of Mississippi -- $3.49 million for Phase II construction, and $1.6 million in Food and Drug Administration (FDA) funds to support dietary supplements research
- Alcorn State University -- $1.5 million in USDA Agriculture Research Service (ARS) funds for a facility to support research on applying advanced technologies to environmental and agriculture challenges
- Mississippi Valley State University -- $1.0 million in USDA National Institute for Food and Agriculture (NIFA) funds to support curriculum development, university research, education and outreach programs
- University Center for Biomass-Based Energy, Mississippi State University -- $839,000 in NIFA funding to support development of a plant-based gasification process to produce liquid fuel, a program that also involves the Oklahoma State University at Stillwater
- Genomics for Southern Crop Stress and Disease, MSU -- $797,000 in NIFA funding to continue the study of crop genomics to improve agriculture production
Overall, the legislation includes a $692 million increase (10 percent) for the Women, Infants and Children nutrition program, and a $299 million increase (15 percent) to improve FDA food and medical product safety.
The committee-passed measure also provides $67 million in additional funding to modernize the Farm Service Agency’s computer systems nationwide in order to improve the delivery of commodity and disaster payments producers. The legislation also increases agriculture credit loan levels (21 percent), as well as the USDA Rural Development single-family housing loan (80 percent) and rental assistance (8 percent) programs.
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