Dr. BERTRAND. Since 1978 over 60,000 acres of state land have been sold to farmers in the Delta Junction area of Alaska. Over three-fourths of this land has already been cleared and is ready to go into production. Another 20,000 acres just north of Anchorage is also expected to be opened for increased dairy production. In addition to this, approximately 300,000 acres at Nenana are being scheduled for development. By 1990 the State expects to have 500,000 acres in agricultural production. Alaska's ability to meet the challenges of expanded agriculture production in an environmentally and economically sound manner will depend, to a large extent, on how well the soil and water resources of the State are managed. In order to meet these challenges, the research program at Palmer, Alaska, must be expanded immediately to develop management systems that will enable the farmers of Alaska to utilize the vast acreages in an environmentally and economically sound

manner.

Mr. WHITTEN. What have you accomplished to date with the funds provided for this research?

Dr. BERTRAND. Soil and water research in Palmer, Alaska, has been directed toward an understanding of fertility requirements of forage and vegetable species. The soils and climatic conditions of Alaska are sufficiently different from those in the contiguous 48 states that fertilizer requirements and fertility practices developed for this region of the country are not directly applicable to Alaskan conditions. Past research identified the major fertilizer requirements of nitrogen, potassium, and phosphorus of crops important to Alaskan agriculture. It has also identified the requirements for both sulfur and boron on certain forage species. The results of this work are being used as the basis for more basic research approaches to investigate plant nutrient stresses associated with the cold soil conditions in Alaska.

Mr. WHITTEN. How exactly do you plan to use the $300,000 increase?

Dr. BERTRAND. The increased funding will be used to develop conservation tillage or other residue management or soil and water conservation practices to protect soils being brought into production from water and wind erosion. It will also be used to develop fertilizer and plant nutrient management systems that result in optimum fertilizer use efficiency; and to develop soil and water management practices for the cold soil conditions in Alaska that allow optimum production of crops and maintenance of soil fertility and tilth without increasing potential soil erosion problems.

HUMAN NUTRITION RESEARCH CENTERS

Mr. WHITTEN. Would you please provide for the record a complete description of each of the six human nutrition research centers, showing their principal areas of research, their current staffing and their current funding levels?

[The information follows:]

Facility: CHILDREN'S NUTRITION RESEARCH Center at Baylor College of MEDICINE. Program Area: This center, located in Houston, Texas, plans and conducts research to develop a scientific basis for standards of nutrient intake and assessments of nutritional status.

Program:

Nutrient requirements in infants, children, and pregnant and lactating women.

Relationships between nutrition and physical and mental development.

Role of diet for optimum growth and development.

Facility: GRAND FORKS HUMAN Nutrition RESEARCH CENTER.

Program Area: The center in Grand Forks, North Dakota, plans and conducts research related to human nutrient requirements with emphasis on trace minerals.

Program:

Nutritional requirements for zinc, nickel, copper, and other minor elements and their relationships to optimal health, function, and performance.

Physiological and biochemical factors influencing minor element requirements in all age groups.

Biological availability of minerals and effects of non-nutritive factors in foods and availability of minerals.

Facility: WESTERN HUMAN NUTRITION RESEARCH CENTER.

Program Area: This center in San Francisco, California, plans and conducts research related to intervention programs and nutritional requirements.

Program:

Identifying the factors resulting in suboptimal nutritional status.

Developing reliable, efficient, and inexpensive methods for defining nutritional

status.

Planning and conducting research on human nutritional requirements.

Developing nutritional criteria for design and evaluation of intervention pro

grams.

Facility: HUMAN NUTRITION RESEARCH CENTER ON AGING AT TUFTS UNIVERSITY. Program Area: This center in Boston, Massachusetts, plans and conducts research on nutrient needs of the elderly and the relation of dietary factors to the aging process.

Program:

Nutritional needs for optimal health, function, and performance throughout the lifespan.

Physiological and biochemical factors associated with aging which influence dietary requirements.

Dietary factors which influence the aging process.

Facility: BELTSville Human NUTRITION RESEARCH CENTER.

Program Area: The center in Beltsville, Maryland, plans and conducts research related to nutrient requirements of proteins, carbohydrates, lipids, vitamins, and minerals for optimal health and disease prevention.

Program:

Composition of foods for those nutrients required by and biologically useful to humans.

Human requirements for proteins and amino acids, carbohydrates and energy intake, lipids, minerals, and vitamins and with the identification of the forms of these nutrients in food that may be useful in meeting human requirements. Facility: CONSUMER NUTRITION CENTER.

Program Area: This center in Hyattsville, Maryland, plans and conducts nutritional and dietary intake assessment surveys of the total U.S. population and selected groups to define food use and consumption.

Program:

Develops techniques to assist consumers in selecting nutritionally adequate diets. Develops suitable and safe procedures for food management and preparation for home and institutional consumers.

Compiles a Nutrient Data Bank on the composition of all important foods for nutrients required by and biologically useful to humans, and develops these data into reliable standard reference tables for use by consumers, dietitians, nutritionists, health professionals, food technologists, and others involved in the food chain.

Mr. WHITTEN. Would you also provide for the record a detailed description of the construction history of each of these facilities? In terms of funding, this chart should show not only the amounts appropriated to date, but any known or anticipated future require

ments.

[The information follows:]

Beltsville Human Nutrition Research Center.-Operates from facilities at the Beltsville Agricultural Research Center, Beltsville, Maryland. The Center's programs have been accommodated at Beltsville over the years without any special construction. We anticipate a need for improving the animal room facilities of this Center during fiscal year 1981. A feasibility study is being conducted to determine how best to do this job and to estimate costs for various options.

Consumer Nutrition Center.-Operates from facilities leased by GSA at Hyattsville, Maryland, and one laboratory at the Beltsville Agricultural Research Center, Beltsville, Maryland. The Center will continue operating from these facilities and we do not anticipate any major construction requirements in this area.

Grand Forks Human Nutrition Research Center.-Construction of an addition contiguous to the present facility is underway and on schedule. The four floor addition is expected to be completed late in 1981. Due primarily to increased inflation levels additional funds must be added as shown below to complete the facility. Construction history for this facility is as follows:

1970 Original building was completed

1975 $225,000 appropriated for planning an addition of 55,000 square feet to the facility

1976 $3.5 million appropriated for construction of addition

1980 $522,000 of Agency funds were added to construction funds for the addition 1981 $550,000 of Agency funds to be added for a minimum fourth level

1982 or later years $2.1 million needed to complete the shelled floors and to provide adequate instrumentation.

Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging at Tufts University.-Construction is underway and on schedule. The 15 floor facility with 208,000 square feet is expected to be completed the Fall of 1982 except for the 3 floors which will only be shelled. Due principally to increased inflation levels, additional funds as shown below are needed to complete the facility. Construction history for this facility is as follows: 1978 $2.0 million appropriated for planning

1979 $21.1 million appropriated for construction

1980 $2.2 million of Agency funds were added to construction funds for the building 1982 $7.7 million needed to complete these shelled floors of the facility.

Children's Nutrition Research Center at Baylor College of Medicine.-The projected full program will require a new facility devoted exclusively to research. Temporary space is now being leased in a commercial building not designed for research purposes. Important considerations in determining the facility needs in Houston are: A facility feasibility study is being completed.

$6.6 million planning funds would be needed if appropriated in fiscal year 1983. $66 million for construction needed in fiscal year 1985.

As an alternative to federal construction, the Texas Medical Center is interested in constructing a facility and leasing it to the Federal Government.

$7-12 million additional funds would be needed to fund the full anticipated program in a new facility.

Western Human Nutrition Research Center. -About 20,000 square feet of space was made available to USDA at the Letterman Army Institute of Research (LAIR). This space is being modified for use as laboratories and a metabolic unit. Any program expansion beyond the present authorized staff would require additional facilities. No additional space is available to us at LAIR. Full staffing of 40 scientists and support staff would require an additional 55,000 square feet of space and a total of $8,000,000 of continuing research program funds.

RESEARCH CENTERS FUNDS AND PERSONNEL

Mr. WHITTEN. Would you please provide for the record a table showing the current funds and personnel assigned to each of these locations, as well as the total amount of funds and personnel required once each of these six centers become fully operational? [The information follows:]

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