Cuts Threaten Prosser Ag Research Station State Congressional Delegation Lines Up To Defend State Ag Programs Targeted In New Budget

The Agriculture Department, claiming it wants to push farm research into the 21st century, has put several Washington programs, including the Prosser Agriculture Research Station, on the chopping block. Washington State’s congressional delegation is fighting the cuts.

The Clinton administration wants the agricultural research budget to focus on genetics, food safety and pest management, said Under Secretary Miley Gonzalez. But to do that, it would cut money from such established programs as the station at Prosser and club wheat, grain and legume research at Washington State University, which are crucial to farmers, the delegation said.

Last year, after Washington’s representatives fought for funding, the Prosser station received $2.7 million in federal support in addition to state and private backing. This year, if the proposed agriculture budget isn’t changed, the station would receive no federal money.

“The Agriculture Department is once again sending a hostile message to our agriculture communities, choosing to spend essential agriculture research dollars on costly and ambiguous new spending programs,” Sen. Slade Gordon said in a statement.

Sen. Patty Murray, a member of the Senate subcommittee that controls farm spending, said she is disappointed with the proposed cuts and plans to restore money for the station at Prosser. Rep. George Nethercutt criticized the department for saying research is a priority and at the same time cutting funding. He is seeking ways to change the research budget and increase money spent at Prosser and other regional research programs.

“I’m more concerned with on-the-ground research to eradicate disease and increase food yield,” he said.

He tempers his concern with the doubt that the House Appropriations Committee likely won’t approve major changes, like cuts for Prosser and WSU research, just because the administration wants them.

Clinton wants to spend about $700 million on ag research in 1999, an increase of about 1 percent from the previous year. The modest increase is due to budget constraints and cutting existing research will fund new programs, said Sarah Mazie, budget director for research, education and economics at USDA.

“If you want to fund new things, you can’t fund old things as well,” Mazie said.

The department is emphasizing food genome research to manipulate genes that produce superior strains of plants and livestock, Mazie said.

Two generations ago, farmers looked to better equipment to increase yields. A generation ago, they looked to chemicals. New improvements will come from biotechnology, the department says.

Genetic improvements also could lead to disease-resistant crops which need less pesticides, Gonzalez said.

In addition to genomes, the administration wants to research better ways to detect and prevent bacterial diseases, such as E. coli and other food-borne illnesses. Art Linton, superintendent and assistant dean at Prosser, said the station’s scientists are working on those things the department says are important including gene research.

He said he doesn’t understand why the administration would cut Prosser out of its 1999 budget. Prosser scientists use federal money to develop peas and beans resistant to common Northwest viruses. They are also improving alfalfa, researching ways to eliminate pesticides banned by the Food Quality Protection Act of 1996 and eliminating potato dis eases.

“They are all relevant to the major goals of USDA in that they are focusing on safe food because we are talking about growing crops with fewer pesticides, less spraying and less chance of contamination,” Linton said.

, DataTimes