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DROUGHT ALERT PROJECT

This project demonstrated an excellent cooperative effort among several concerned groups including the Cooperative Extension Service, the Agricultural Stabilization and Conservation Service, various farmer organizations and the Western Livestock Market Information Service to do something about the drought conditions in the Western and Northern states.

The project was strictly a voluntary_effort among these groups and it did not involve any funding commitment from Extension. Initially the project was designed to help livestock producers in the affected areas in obtaining supplies and markets for hay. The project, however, expanded, and other efforts such as providing valuable information about range conditions and other useful information were eventually included.

Through the efforts of the Western Livestock Market Information Service, the information was circulated to users primarily from its computer information system AGNET. In all, 19 Western and Northern states affected by the drought participated in the project. Because of the success of the project, it has been incorporated in several state-wide task forces on drought conditions.

Mr. HIGHTOWER. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
Mr. TRAXLER. Mr. Robinson?

APPALACHIAN FRUIT RESEARCH STATION

Mr. ROBINSON. As you know, Dr. Kinney, I have an interest in the Appalachian Fruit Research Station in Kearneysville, West Virginia. In the fiscal year 1981 Appropriations Bill, $500,000 was provided for the third phase of the staffing plan at the fruit research station in Kearneysville. I do not find any request for funding for fiscal year 1982. What is planned for fiscal year 1982? Dr. KINNEY. There is a total of $2,027,700 planned for the Appalachian Fruit Research Station at Kearneysville, West Virginia, in fiscal year 1982, which includes the fiscal year 1981 increase of $500,000 for additional staffing. These funds will support 13 of the 24 scientist positions planned for this new regional research station. Our fiscal year 1982 budget does not include a specific increase for staffing at Kearneysville.

ANIMAL HEALTH AND DISEASE RESEARCH

Mr. ROBINSON. I am pleased to see the increase in basic agricultural research. I have been worried in the past few years that we have not kept up agricultural research at the level which was necessary. What effect has the hiring freeze had on USDA agricultural research? I notice that there is no funding included for animal health and disease research. Can you explain this?

Dr. KINNEY. At times, the hiring freeze has prevented us from hiring the needed expertise. However, our overall research core of scientists and technicians has remained about level over the years.

The SEA research budget for animal protection in fiscal year 1982 is $80 million, which includes specific program increases for SEA-AR and SEA-CR. SEA-AR proposes an increase of $1.150 million for animal health and disease research.

For SEA-CR, an increase of $5 million is proposed in fiscal year 1982 for selected Special Research Grants in animal health. Research will be initiated or intensified on highest priority animal health problem areas as identified by the Animal Health Science Research Advisory Board. Solutions will be sought to the cause, diagnosis prevention, control or eradication of these animal health

hazards. No funds are proposed in fiscal year 1982 for animal health and disease research under Section 1433, P.L. 95–113.

INCREASED OPERATING COSTS

Mr. ROBINSON. I notice an increase of $988,000 is provided for increased operating costs in human nutrition research. That seems rather substantial. Could you describe to me its necessity?

Dr. BERTRAND. These funds are requested to enable our human nutrition research activities conducted at various locations to continue unimpeded. The costs of laboratory equipment and other research materials continue to mount in relation to the price of commodities and other services in the market place. These funds are requested to provide an increase for these associated program needs. The amount requested does not provide increases for staff salaries.

WOOL AND MOHAIR RESEARCH

Mr. ROBINSON. Last year we provided $1,075,000 for wool and mohair research, and I notice that you are requesting only $524,000 for fiscal year 1982. What type of research will the $524,000 be targeted toward in fiscal year 1982?

Dr. KINNEY. The $524,000 budgeted for fiscal year 1982 wool/ mohair research will be used to maintain and operate the wool pilot plant, located at the Western Regional Research Center in Albany, California. Research involving this unique facility will be carried out in close cooperation with industry research groups, and will concentrate on improving the efficiency and lowering costs of scouring and processing of American grown wools. Emphasis will be placed on woolen system processing and on use of American wools on cotton system spinning blends with cotton and man-made fibers.

BEE DISEASE RESEARCH

Mr. ROBINSON. Last year $500,000 was provided in the HouseSenate conference for bee disease research. Can you tell me the status of any continuing bee disease research?

Dr. KINNEY. Honey bee disease research is being conducted at the Bioenvironmental Bee Laboratory at Beltsville, Maryland. We have just completed a study that demonstrated the most efficacious method of feeding chemotherapeutic agents to honey bee colonies. Last summer we determined that the stress of moving colonies many times did not influence the occurrence and incidence of European foulbrood-EFB-disease. This coming season we will be studying the influence of nutrition on the incidence of EFB. This may be a critical factor as EFB is endemic in areas where honey bees are used to pollinate apples, blueberries, and cranberries. Since 1975 two new diseases of adult honey bees have been isolated and described at the Bioenvironmental Laboratory. One is the so-called F-virus that has been found to be related to heavy adult bee mortality in isolated cases; the other is a spiroplasma disease.

Our search continues for safe and effective agents to control bee diseases and pests. We are currently testing a non-chemical Bacillus thuringiensis formulation to protect stored and "in use" brood

and honey combs from the damage caused by the wax moth. A label, based largely on our research, is now pending. We continue to screen promising agents as replacements or supplements for the relatively expensive chemical that is used to prevent and control nosema disease. Twenty-three agents were evaluated this past year. None compared favorably with fumagillin, the chemical presently being use.

A project to develop technical information on the efficacy of sodium sulfathiazole for the prevention and control of American foulbrood disease is continuing. We are presently sponsoring research in Tunisia under the auspices of the Public Law 480 program. One of the principal objectives is to develop methods and discover agents to prevent and control chalkbrood disease.

Personnel at the Bioenvironmental Laboratory provide a valuable bee disease and pest diagnostic service. Beekeepers, State Bee Inspectors, and Extension Specialists submitted almost 3,000 samples for diagnosis, an increase of 30 percent over the previous year. The threat of the two species of exotic honey bee mites being introduced into the country is presently taxing our diagnostic facilities.

Funds for chalkbrood disease research in leafcutter bees were recently allocated to the Western Region to study the biology of the pathogen and different candidate control chemicals. An effective method to decontaminate chalkbrood infected equipment is being tested at the Carl Hayden Bee Research Center, Tucson, Arizona.

REMOTE SENSING

Mr. ROBINSON. Could you describe the relationship between the World Food and Agriculture Outlook Board and the SEA in the AgRISTARS program?

Dr. KINNEY. The Science and Education Administration-SEAresearch in remote sensing is designed to meet the expressed needs of the Foreign Agricultural Service-FAS-and the Economics and Statistics Service-ESS-to improve commodity forecasting and the ability to monitor crop conditions. As SEA research is implemented into operational programs by FAS and ESS, their improved forecasts and outlooks are provided to the USDA's World Food and Agriculture Outlook Board, which coordinates commodity outlook and forecasting programs.

POTATO RESEARCH

Mr. ROBINSON. Do you plan to fund any research for potatoes in fiscal year 1982? Has there been any further varietal research on the development of a Mid-Atlantic variety that would grow in Virginia, North Carolina, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania on a competitive basis with Western varieties?

Dr. BERTRAND. We plan to continue our potato research program at Beltsville, Maryland, which involves developing new potato varieties for the Mid-Atlantic States. The level of funding for this research in fiscal year 1982 is $737,000, an increase of $29,000 over fiscal year 1981. The level of funding for all potato research for fiscal year 1982 is $4,325,000 which is an increase of $344,000 over last year. The BelRus variety was introduced in 1978 but is only

marginally adapted to the Mid-Atlantic production area. There are several new russet selections, however, that have potential promise for the States of Virginia, North Carolina, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania, and these are currently under test.

ORGANIC FARMING

Mr. ROBINSON. Has there been any research done on organic farming?

Dr. KINNEY. We do not have a research program in SEA-AR specifically on organic farming but many of our current programs relate to organic farming and the organic content of our soils. These include rather extensive programs on the effects of nitrogen fixation on crop production, the use of municipal organic wastes on crop lands, the effects of soil fertility and soil tilth on the production of economic crops, the relationship of organic matter content in the soil to soil moisture retention and soil erosion, the use of animal manures as a source of plant nutrients, and the use of crop rotation and crop management systems as a way to improve crop production efficiency.

Mr. TRAXLER. I recognize Mr. Akaka.

Mr. AKAKA. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

Dr. Bertrand, I am happy to see in your statement on agricultural research the national challenges you are addressing. I also take note the expansions in programs and new programs you are proposing.

STATUS OF BUDGET PROPOSAL

May I ask you this? Can you say that your proposed budget is a Reagan proposal or is it a Carter proposal?

Dr. BERTRAND. I am sorry; I did not hear the question.

Mr. AKAKA. What budget proposal is this? Is this Reagan or Carter?

Dr. BERTRAND. This is the current Administration's budget building on the previous Administration's budget. We are presenting today the revised budget as revised by the Reagan Administration. Mr. AKAKA. I see. There seems to be some difficulty in understanding where some of the budgets are coming from.

PESTICIDES IN AGRICULTURE

I am glad to see the focus of your program and also your aim of improving our national environment. I see you are asking for an increase of $500,000 for integrated pest management and $400,000 for pesticide impact assessment.

What pesticides are involved in this?

Dr. BERTRAND. I would like to turn, if I may, for the answer to that question to Dr. Fertig who answered our question relative to mirex a moment ago, and supervises our pesticide impact assessment. He may also wish to involve Dr. Ross who heads our minor uses of pesticides work.

Mr. AKAKA. Before he answers, I want to commend you on your statement that biological control is the cornerstone of the IPM program. I hope someday we will get close to eliminating the use of pesticides and do it by biological control.

77-802 0-81-10

Dr. BERTRAND. Our aim in all of our IPM work is to minimize the use of pesticides through good management.

Dr. FERTIG. The compounds involved in the pesticide program are those which have been issued a rebuttable presumption against registration by EPA.

Since 1976 there have been some 31 compounds RPAR'd. Completion of RPAR has taken a considerable amount of time. We probably at the moment have some eight or nine decisions on those 30 or so compounds. The regulatory options which they have proposed or decided upon would vary from restricted use to protective clothing and these types of things. We are working very closely with EPA and the states in developing the biological and economical aspects of the use of pesticides in agriculture.

Does that answer your question?

Mr. AKAKA. Yes; thank you very much.

Dr. BERTRAND. Dr. Ross is here if you have questions specifically about the minor use pesticide area.

TROPICAL-SUBTROPICAL PROGRAMS

Mr. AKAKA. Let me move on.

I also want to note that I am happy to see one of your challenges is to improve the nutrition and wellbeing of the American people. That leads me to the tropical and subtropical agriculture programs that are in place now.

I am glad to see that you are proposing $1.1 million for tropical and subtropical research and that you are strengthening existing programs in Puerto Rico and the Caribbean and are looking towards initiating programs in American Samoa, Micronesia, Guam, Northern Marianas, and the Pacific.

In doing so, so far as Micronesia and Northern Marianas are concerned, have you considered the future status of that particular area and whether this will be included in the agreements for that area?

Dr. BERTRAND. Yes, sir; we have. This tropical-subtropical program we have has been centered in the Caribbean, as you pointed out and in the Pacific largely cooperating with the Universities of Hawaii and Guam.

We are anticipating extending that activity in American Samoa. We are mindful of the fact that their status is changing. We will be aiming our research program and our education program towards helping them produce more food locally.

We anticipate that all of this work will be done on a cooperative basis involving the Universities of Hawaii and Guam.

Mr. AKAKA. I want you to be aware of my strong support for the Public Law 480 section 406 program in tropical agricultural research. I would like to see this approved and continued.

There was a question that was stated by my colleague from New York that had to do with nutrition. There have been some discussions about nutrition being removed.

My question to you is: Do you anticipate any changes in the nutrition portion of the Public Law 406 program?

Dr. BERTRAND. No, I do not anticipate any major changes in the section 406 program. It will remain about as it is now.

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