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Need for additional wheat research recognizedKansas With current global wheat shortages, additional wheat research has become an even greater priority. On Feb. 29, the Kansas House of Representatives passed HB 2897, a bill which will allow wheat producers to increase research investments. Next week, producers and scientists will discuss research priorities with Congress. State Representative Don Schroeder (R-Inman) carried HB 2897 for Kansas grain farmers. This legislation would increase the assessment cap on wheat, corn, grain sorghum and sunflowers sold in Kansas. The bill also includes a provision that suspends the state assessment while a national check-off program for any of the five commodities is in effect, in preparation for a potential national sorghum check-off. The Kansas Association of Wheat Growers approached the 2008 Kansas Legislature for an increase in the wheat assessment authority from 10 mills per bushel to 20 mills per bushel. The Kansas Wheat Commission plans to use any increase for additional investment in research and biotechnology, cellulosic ethanol and consumer education. National Wheat Improvement Committee members converged on Washington, D.C. recently to discuss the need for increased federal appropriations for emerging cereal diseases. Wheat producers were successful in convincing the Administration to move all but one of the Kansas ARS research programs from earmarks back into base funding. On the heels of this trip, members of the NAWG Research and Technology Committee passed the following resolutions during their meeting February 28 at the Commodity Classic in Nashville, Tenn. --"NAWG recognizes Ug99 as a major threat to national and global wheat production and strongly supports additional funding for rust research and resistant variety development." --"NAWG and USW support federal funding of biotechnology research and science-based education." These resolutions articulate wheat producers' efforts to reinforce investments into the world's most consumed food grain. 3/10/08 Date: 3/6/08
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