Maize net audience: please note that the following press release from the
National Corn Growers Association should have included a proposed $3 million
increase for the Agricultural Research Service (USDA) for genomics.
>>>>CONTACT: Kevin Aandahl
>314-275-9915 Ext. 112
>>Ellen Dougherty
>202- 628-7001, Ext. 5
>>>FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
>>> PRESIDENTIAL `99 BUDGET REQUEST REFLECTS INCREASED
> FUNDING FOR MAJOR CROPS RESEARCH
>>>SAINT LOUIS, MO (February 20, 1998) =BE The $56 million dollars included
>in the Clinton Administration's 1999 budget request for plant genomic
>research is welcome news for the corn growing industry according to
>National Corn Growers Association (NCGA) officials.
>>"We're elated the President's proposed budget request increases research
>funding in the strategically vital area of plant genome research which
>is money well spent as an investment in America's agriculture efforts
>to meet the challenges of the next century," says Ryland Utlaut, NCGA's
>president and a corn grower from Grand Pass, Mo.
>>NCGA officials indicate that the requested funding for the following
>research programs, if approved, will be beneficial to unlocking
>valuable plant DNA knowledge for potential use by the corn industry:
>>* $40 million for the National Science Foundation (NSF) Plant Genome
>Initiative. Last year, the NCGA worked closely with Senator Kit Bond
>(R-MO) to successfully gain an initial $40 million appropriation for
>this program. If approved, this budget request will ensure the
>continuation of this valuable initiative.
>>* $10 million for a new food genome competitive grants program requested
>by the Secretary of Agriculture Dan Glickman and his science advisors.
>>* $3 million increase in genomics funding under the National Research
>initiative competitive grants program.
>* $87 million for the NSF's Knowledge and Distributed Intelligence
>Program. This request reflects a $25 million funding increase from last
>year's budget. These funds will be used for developing bioinformatics,
>which will manage the information derived from genome research work and
>for functional genomics which discovers the function of genes.
>>"We feel these proposed budget increases reflect NCGA's focused lobbying
>efforts during the past two years which have earned us the well deserved
>reputation as the champion of genomic research on Capitol Hill," says
>Colorado corn grower Tim Hume, an NCGA board member.
>>NCGA will continue to work with the Administration and Congress to
>ensure that plant and animal genomic research obtains sufficient funding
>levels so America's agriculture industry can develop the necessary
>tools to meet the challenges of the 21st Century.
>
>Kellye A. Eversole
Eversole Associates
3208 Park View Road
Chevy Chase, MD 20815
Phone: 301/951-3345
=46ax: 301/951-1846
e-mail: kellye at erols.com
