Response to wheat research fly-in

Farm and Ranch February 17, 2009 Representatives of the U.S. wheat industry made rounds on Capitol Hill last week with their wish list for federal funding of research for wheat in appropriation bills for 2009 and 2010. What kind of a response was there? Coppock: “I don’t think we had anybody tell us we were totally off base and needed to reorient our priorities.� That’s Daren Coppock, CEO of the National Association of Wheat Growers, one of the groups lobbying for wheat research funding. The National Wheat Improvement Committee also participated and its leader, Jim Peterson, wheat breeder from Oregon State University, says there was sympathy and frustration from ag state lawmakers’ for their inability to help more. Peterson: “There is a lot of appreciation for what is going on and the threats to production but their hands have been tied as well the past several years. Perhaps as we get past some of the current issues maybe we will have an opportunity to have a broader conversation as Daren suggests, to grow the pie so then we can all have a chance to grow ag research funding and then tap into that more effectively.� While that economic stimulus bill did not contain any funding for wheat research programs, NAWG’s Coppock says there was some money in it for the Agricultural Research Service. Coppock: “There is some money in their for ARS building retro-fitting, repairs, maintenance. No new construction.� That funding totals about 176 million dollars. I’m Bob Hoff and that’s the Northwest Farm and Ranch Report on the Northwest Ag Information Network.