MECHANICAL TOMATO HARVESTER, PENNSYLVANIA Mr. McHUGH. Please provide a description of the work that has been done under the mechanical tomato harvester program to date and the period of the existing contract. Dr. JORDAN. The fiscal year 1992 grant proposal to develop a mechanical tomato harvester for fresh market tomatoes is being reviewed and will support research through December 1994. Mr. MCHUGH. How long has this work been underway and how much has been appropriated through fiscal year 1992? Dr. JORDAN. The work supported by this grant begins in fiscal year 1992, and the appropriation for fiscal year 1992 is $134,000. Mr. McHUGH. Where will this work be carried out? Dr. JORDAN. Research will be conducted at Pennsylvania State University. Mr. MCHUGH. What will be accomplished with this research? Dr. JORDAN. Discussions with the principal investigators and the program manager have taken place. The study will concentrate on the concepts of machine components necessary to construct a green tomato harvester. Mr. MCHUGH. When do the principal researchers carrying out this work anticipate that the work will be completed? Dr. JORDAN. The University researchers anticipate that work may be completed in fiscal year 1995. MESQUITE AND PRICKLY PEAR, TEXAS Mr. MCHUGH. Please provide a description of the work that has been done under the mesquite and prickly pear program to date and the period of the existing contract. Dr. JORDAN. The fiscal year 1992 grant proposals have been received and are being reviewed. Major objectives are to develop useful solid-wood products from mesquite logs and to develop coldhardy varieties and edible, market products for prickly pear. Mr. McHUGH. How long has this work been underway and how much has been appropriated through fiscal year 1992? Dr. JORDAN. The work supported by this grant begins in fiscal year 1992 and the appropriation for fiscal year 1992 is $100,000. Mr. McHUGH. Where will this work be carried out? Dr. JORDAN. Research will be conducted at Texas A&I University, part of the Texas A&M University system. Mr. MCHUGH. What will be the objectives of this research? Dr. JORDAN. The new work will be based on advances made under a 1988 special grant for $100,000, and extended and supplemented for $40,000 in 1991. Mesquite research is directed to develop flooring and establish its marketability and to develop forages for interplanting. Prickly pear research will evaluate cold tolerance, pathogenicity, and human health benefits. Mr. MCHUGH. When do the principal researchers carrying out this work anticipate that the work will be completed? Dr. JORDAN. The university researchers anticipate that work may be completed in fiscal year 1995. MICHIGAN BIOTECHNOLOGY INSTITUTE Mr. MCHUGH. Please provide a description of the work that has been done under the Michigan Biotechnology Institute program to date and the period of the existing contract. Dr. JORDAN. The objective of Michigan State University's research program is to develop bioprocessing technology to manufacture products from agricultural raw materials. In this context, bioprocessing may include a fermentation, an enzymatic step, chemical catalysis, or physical modification of agricultural raw materials. The fiscal year 1991 grant supports research through January 1992. The fiscal year 1992 grant has been awarded and supports research through January 1993. Mr. MCHUGH. How long has this work been under way and how much has been appropriated through fiscal year 1992? Dr. JORDAN. Grants have been awarded from funds appropriated as follows: fiscal year 1989, $1,750,000; fiscal year 1990, $2,160,000; fiscal year 1991, $2,246,000; and fiscal year 1992, $2,358,000. A total of $8,514,000 has been appropriated. Mr. MCHUGH. Where is this work being carried out? Dr. JORDAN. The research is being conducted on the campus of Michigan State University at the Michigan Biotechnology Institute. Mr. MCHUGH. What has been accomplished to date? Dr. JORDAN. A joint venture project based on Michigan Biotechnology Institute's MBI-lactic acid technology was formed. A joint venture company, Lactech, Inc., has licensed the technology, and the project is now in the commercial development stage. Current work, funded entirely by Lactech, Inc., is continuing to develop and demonstrate the manufacturing of lactic acid on a large scale. Further development of lactic acid manufacturing and conversion techniques by MBI and its industrial partners is expected to enable plant construction and the production of product-for-the-marketplace in one to three years. Mr. McHUGH. When do the principal researchers carrying out this work anticipate that the work will be completed? Dr. JORDAN. The Institute has established specific milestones over a period of five years that are to be used to judge the progress of their research efforts and to plan future research activities that would continue beyond the present five-year time frame. MIDWEST AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTS, IOWA Mr. MCHUGH. Please provide a description of the work that has been done under the Midwest agricultural products program to date and the period of the existing contract. Dr. JORDAN. CSRS has requested the university to submit a grant proposal that is being reviewed. The purpose is to conduct a program of applied research to improve the competitiveness and marketability of agricultural sector products produced in the Midwest and disseminate the research results to users. Mr. MCHUGH. How long has this work been underway and how much has been appropriated through fiscal year 1992? Dr. JORDAN. The work supported by this grant begins in fiscal year 1992 and the appropriation for fiscal year 1992 is $700,000. Mr. MCHUGH. Where will the work be carried out? Dr. JORDAN. The research program will be carried out by Iowa State University. Mr. MCHUGH. What are the objectives of this research? Dr. JORDAN. The objective is to conduct applied research to find solutions to agricultural production, marketing, and policy issues that will enhance the competitiveness and sales of Midwest-produced commodities and value-added products in global markets and transfer this information to users. Mr. MCHUGH. When do the principal researchers carrying out this work anticipate that the work will be completed? Dr. JORDAN. A termination date has not been determined. MIDWEST PLANT BIOTECHNOLOGY CONSORTIUM Mr. McHUGH. Please provide a description of the work that has been done under the Midwest Plant Biotechnology Consortium program to date and the period of the existing contract. Dr. JORDAN. The purpose of the Midwest Plant Biotechnology Consortium-MPBC-is to foster and facilitate promising basic research investigations that will lead to industrial applications. Through MPBC, universities, Federal laboratories, and company collaborators conduct research in plant biotechnology in efforts to: utilize agricultural products as new sources of chemicals, pharmaceuticals, and energy; reduce the cost of agricultural production; improve utilization of existing crops; and develop safe environmental practices. The fiscal year 1992 grant supports research through April 1993. Mr. MCHUGH. How long has this work been underway and how much has been appropriated through fiscal year 1992? Dr. JORDAN. Grants have been awarded from funds appropriated as follows: fiscal year 1989, $1,750,000; fiscal year 1990, $2,592,000; fiscal year 1991, $2,730,000; and fiscal year 1992, $2,865,000. A total of $9,937,000 has been appropriated. Mr. MCHUGH. Where is this work being carried out? Dr. JORDAN. Research is being conducted by members of the consortium which is comprised of ten Land-Grant institutions and six associated universities located throughout the North Central States. Mr. MCHUGH. What has been accomplished to date? Dr. JORDAN. All of this work is currently in progress, however significant accomplishments have been reported by the consortium secretariat. The corn mapping activities have developed genetic probes that are now being shared within the scientific community. Corn transformation systems have been significantly improved. Significant progress has been made toward understanding genetic control of corn protein biosynthesis, which could lead to industrial bioprocessing application. Mr. MCHUGH. When do the principal researchers carrying out this work anticipate that the work will be completed? Dr. JORDAN. The first phase of this Consortium is intended to be a five-year effort, as indicated in their initial project proposal. MILK SAFETY, PENNSYLVANIA Mr. McHUGH. Please provide a description of the work that has been done under the milk safety program to date and the period of the existing contract. Dr. JORDAN. Research has addressed the various aspects of milk and dairy products safety; the microbiology, biochemistry and molecular biology of pathogens found in milk and dairy products; and the economic and social dimensions of milk and dairy products safety on producers, processors, marketers, and consumers. The fiscal year 1991 grant supports research through June 1993. CSRS has requested but not received a proposal for fiscal year 1992. Mr. MCHUGH. How long has this work been underway and how much has been appropriated through fiscal year 1992? Dr. JORDAN. Grants have been awarded for milk consumption and milk safety research from funds appropriated as follows: fiscal years 1986 through 1989, $285,000 per year; fiscal year 1990, $281,000; fiscal year 1991, $283,000; and fiscal year 1992, $284,000. A total of $1,988,000 has been appropriated. Mr. MCHUGH. Where is this work being carried out? Dr. JORDAN. This research is being conducted at the Pennsylvania State University. Mr. MCHUGH. What has been accomplished to date? Dr. JORDAN. Researchers found that pathogenic heat-injured Listeria monocytogenes suspended in a milk-containing media are not detectable using conventional recovery methods but remain viable for long periods of time. A new method was developed that is far superior to current methods for detecting heat-injured Listeria monocytogenes in pasteurized milk. Interviews revealed that milk was not considered as much a food safety risk as meat or vegetables and most would be willing to pay 20 percent more for safer milk, but not 50 percent more. Mr. MCHUGH. When do the principal researchers carrying out this work anticipate that the work will be completed? Dr. JORDAN. It is anticipated that the research on milk safety may be completed in fiscal year 1995. MILKWEED RESEARCH, NEBRASKA Mr. MCHUGH. Please provide a description of the work that has been done under the milkweed research program to date and the period of the existing contract. Dr. JORDAN. This effort targets the floss derived from the pods as an insulation material for such products as comforters and sleeping bags and as a fiber for producing tissues and other products. Most work previously conducted with milkweed focused on products produced from the latex in the stalk. The floss has potential to be a much cheaper yet more effective insulation than imported goosedown. Natural Fibers, Inc, a private firm, is coordinating their commercial development work with the University of Nebraska's research and marketing comforters produced with most of the insulation derived from milkweed floss. Farmers are cooperators in growing about 160 acres of milkweed. The fiscal year 1991 grant supports research through December 1992. Obtaining field yields comparable to experimental yields is the major obstacle to profita ble commercial farming and products. The fiscal year 1992 proposal has been received and is being reviewed. Mr. McHUGH. How long has this work been underway and how much has been appropriated through fiscal year 1992? Dr. JORDAN. Grants have been awarded from funds appropriated as follows: $68,000 in fiscal year 1989; $79,000 in fiscal year 1990; and $80,000 per year in fiscal years 1991 and 1992. A total of $307,000 has been appropriated. Mr. MCHUGH. Where is this work being carried out? Dr. JORDAN. Research is being conducted by the University of Nebraska with cooperation of a private firm as well as farmers in Nebraska. In addition, the project team is maintaining variety trials in Kansas. Mr. MCHUGH. What has been accomplished to date? Dr. JORDAN. During 1989, a self-propelled earcorn picker was modified to harvest pods and in 1990 refinements were added. The harvester works satisfactorily, a major step for the project. However, further improvements will be needed before large scale production is undertaken. Yields in commercial fields must be improved before further investment in the harvester is warranted. While yields of 800 pounds of floss per acre have been recorded in experimental plots with consistent yields over 200 pounds, the best yield in fields has been about 30 pounds per acre. About 60 pounds per acre are needed to compete with imported goose down and to provide competitive returns with traditional crops. Disease and pod set have been major problems in fields. Researchers identified the major disease as a black spot bacteria and work is underway to develop effective controls. Actions are underway to validate the superior, natural quality of the floss as an insulating and absorbing material. Most of the 1992 funds will be targeted to improve yield. Mr. McHUGH. When do the principal researchers carrying out this work anticipate that the work will be completed? Dr. JORDAN. A termination date has not been established. MINK RESEARCH, OREGON Mr. MCHUGH. Please provide a description of the work that has been done under the mink research program to date and the period of the existing contract. Dr. JORDAN. CSRS has requested the university to submit a grant proposal which has not yet been received, but a proposal is in the final stages of development by the institution. Studies are being planned for the coming year that will focus on mink nutrition and reproductive biology. Mr. MCHUGH. How long has this work been underway and how much has been appropriated through fiscal year 1992? Dr. JORDAN. The work supported by this grant begins in fiscal year 1992 and the appropriation for fiscal year 1992 is $46,000. Mr. MCHUGH. Where will this work be carried out? Dr. JORDAN. Research will be conducted at Oregon State University. Mr. MCHUGH. What will be the objectives of this research? Dr. JORDAN. The research has not yet been initiated, but experiments are currently being designed to study aspects of the utiliza |