Ag bill benefits area's specialty crops

Bill restores research funds, aids local farmers

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Critical agriculture research programs the Bush administration had proposed to reduce will have their funding restored by the final spending bill for next year.

According to a press release from the office of Congressman Doc Hastings, R-4th District, the research funds were included in the Fiscal Year 2006 Agriculture Appropriations bill. Congress recently acted on the bill, which now awaits President George W. Bush's signature. Hastings said he was not certain when the president would sign the bill, but called it a matter of timing.

"There's nothing in this bill that would cause a veto," he said.

Hastings said that there are two components to the bill that will prove beneficial to central Washington growers — marketing and research.

"We are increasingly becoming more and more in a global economy," he said. "To access markets worldwide takes a lot of funds."

It's particularly difficult for those products considered specialty crops, which are the most prevalent crops grown in central Washington, the congressman added. He introduced the market access program, or MAP, several years ago to authorize full funding of accessing markets for specialty crops.

"This bill fully funds MAP, and a number of commodities have used these funds to market overseas," he said. "That's a big part of this bill and it's especially important for specialty crops."

There's also a lot of expense associated with research, and Hastings said providing research dollars for specialty crops is also a big part of the bill.

"We don't tell (farmers) how much to grow and at what price," Hastings said. "We assist them in research and in marketing, and I think that's a pretty good combination."

According to the release, the final bill restores $205 million to the Agriculture Research Service (ARS) that the Bush administration had proposed to reduce. With centers in Wenatchee, Wapato and Prosser, the ARS has a "significant presence" in central Washington, the release states.

The bill also includes $677 million provided for research and education activities under the Cooperative State Research, Education and Extension Service (CSREES) — including Hatch Act, McIntire-Stennis and Animal Health Disease programs. This represents an increase of $22 million over last year.

Other highlights of funds Hastings secured in this year's bill include:

— $248,000 for Washington asparagus growers to reduce manual harvesting costs through the development of mechanical harvesting technology, which is currently being field tested.

— $322,000 to expand and maintain the wine foundation grape block in Prosser, critical to providing virus-free rootstock for Washington state vineyards.

— Millions of dollars for other priorities at the Prosser, Wapato, Wenatchee and Pullman ARS Centers and at facilities throughout the region including research for potatoes, tree fruits, pesticides, viticulture, hops, temperate fruit flies, barley, small fruits and legumes.