Y 4.AP 6/1: AG 8/2000/ PT.3 AGRICULTURE, RURAL DEVELOPMENT, FOOD HEARINGS BEFORE A SUBCOMMITTEE OF THE COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS ONE HUNDRED SIXTH CONGRESS FIRST SESSION SUBCOMMITTEE ON AGRICULTURE, RURAL DEVELOPMENT, FOOD AND DRUG ADMINISTRATION, AND RELATED AGENCIES JOE SKEEN, New Mexico, Chairman JAMES T. WALSH, New York JAY DICKEY, Arkansas JACK KINGSTON, Georgia MARCY KAPTUR, Ohio ROSA L. DELAURO, Connecticut ALLEN BOYD, Florida GEORGE R. NETHERCUTT, JR., Washington SAM FARR, California HENRY BONILLA, Texas TOM LATHAM, Iowa JO ANN EMERSON, Missouri NOTE: Under Committee Rules, Mr. Young, as Chairman of the Full Committee, and Mr. Obey, as Ranking Minority Member of the Full Committee, are authorized to sit as Members of all Subcommittees. HENRY E. MOORE, JOHN J. ZIOLKOWSKI, MARTIN P. DELGADO, and JOANNE L. ORNDORFF, Staff Assistants PART 3 CONSERVATION PROGRAMS AND MARKETING AND REGULATORY PROGRAMS Natural Resources Conservation Service ..... Marketing and Regulatory Programs Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service Grain Inspection, Packers and Stockyards Page 1 359 Printed for the use of the Committee on Appropriations AGRICULTURE, RURAL DEVELOPMENT, FOOD HEARINGS BEFORE A SUBCOMMITTEE OF THE COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS ONE HUNDRED SIXTH CONGRESS FIRST SESSION SUBCOMMITTEE ON AGRICULTURE, RURAL DEVELOPMENT, FOOD AND JOE SKEEN, New Mexico, Chairman JAMES T. WALSH, New York JAY DICKEY, Arkansas MARCY KAPTUR, Ohio ROSA L. DELAURO, Connecticut ALLEN BOYD, Florida GEORGE R. NETHERCUTT, JR., Washington SAM FARR, California HENRY BONILLA, Texas TOM LATHAM, Iowa JO ANN EMERSON, Missouri NOTE: Under Committee Rules, Mr. Young, as Chairman of the Full Committee, and Mr. Obey, as Ranking HENRY E. MOORE, JOHN J. ZIOLKOWSKI, MARTIN P. DELGADO, and JOANNE L. ORNDORFF, For sale by the U.S. Government Printing Office Superintendent of Documents, Congressional Sales Office, Washington, DC 20402 COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS C. W. BILL YOUNG, Florida, Chairman RALPH REGULA, Ohio JOHN EDWARD PORTER, Illinois JOE SKEEN, New Mexico FRANK R. WOLF, Virginia RON PACKARD, California CHARLES H. TAYLOR, North Carolina ERNEST J. ISTOOK, JR., Oklahoma JOE KNOLLENBERG, Michigan JAY DICKEY, Arkansas RODNEY P. FRELINGHUYSEN, New Jersey GEORGE R. NETHERCUTT, JR., Washington ZACH WAMP, Tennessee TOM LATHAM, Iowa ANNE M. NORTHUP, Kentucky JOHN E. PETERSON, Pennsylvania DAVID R. OBEY, Wisconsin ALAN B. MOLLOHAN, West Virginia MARCY KAPTUR, Ohio NANCY PELOSI, California PETER J. VISCLOSKY, Indiana NITĄ M. LOWEY, New York JOSÉ E. SERRANO, New York CARRIE P. MEEK, Florida DAVID E. PRICE, North Carolina ROBERT E. "BUD" CRAMER, JR., Alabama JESSE L. JACKSON, JR., Illinois AGRICULTURE, RURAL DEVELOPMENT, FOOD AND DRUG ADMINISTRATION, AND RE JAMES R. LYONS, UNDER SECRETARY, NATURAL RESOURCES AND ENVIRONMENT PEARLIE S. REED, CHIEF, NATURAL RESOURCES CONSERVATION SERVICE DANNY R. SELLS, ASSOCIATE CHIEF, NATURAL RESOURCES CONSERVATION SERVICE ANNE M. DUBEY, DIRECTOR, BUDGET PLANNING AND ANALYSIS DIVISION, NATURAL RESOURCES CONSERVATION SERVICE DENNIS KAPLAN, OFFICE OF BUDGET AND POLICY ANALYSIS, DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE Mr. SKEEN. Good afternoon. Today we have with us the Natural Resources Conservation Service, as led by Chief Pearlie Reed and Mr. Jim Lyons, the Under Secretary for Natural Resources and the Environment. This subcommittee appreciates the work that NRCS accomplishes in preserving and maintaining the health of our Nation's soil, and you are under a lot of pressure by a budget request that seeks significant funding increases and adds new programs, while at the same time proposes significant staffing decreases. We have read your prepared statement. So we would ask that you include possibly the highlights. Your written statements will be appreciated and will be printed in full for the record. I would like for you now to go ahead and introduce your panel. OPENING REMARKS BY UNDERSECRETARY LYONS Mr. LYONS. Thank you very much, Mr. Chairman. It is a pleasure to be here today. Mr. SKEEN. It is a pleasure having you. Sorry we were holding you up. Mr. LYONS. Not a problem at all. I want to thank you for this opportunity to be here, and I want to apologize in advance for a cold that is beating me in this battle, but we will do the best we can today. We have with us today, of course, Pearlie Reed, Chief of NRCS; Danny Sells, Associate Chief, Anne Dubey, who heads up our budg (1) |