Federal Funds

AGRICULTURAL RESEARCH SERVICE General and special funds:

SALARIES AND EXPENSES

For expenses necessary to perform agricultural research relating to production, utilization, marketing, nutrition and consumer use, to control and eradicate pests and plant and animal diseases, and to perform related inspection, quarantine and regulatory work: Provided, That appropriations hereunder shall be available for field employment pursuant to the second sentence of section 706(a) of the Organic Act of 1944 ([58 Stat. 742] 7 U.S.C. 2225), and not to exceed $75,000 shall be available for employment under 5 U.S.C. 3109: Provided further, That appropriations hereunder shall be available for the operation and maintenance of aircraft and the purchase of not to exceed [two] four, of which three shall be for replacement only: Provided further, That appropriations hereunder shall be available pursuant to [58 Stat. 742] 7 U.S.C. 2225, for the construction, alteration, and repair of buildings and improvements, but unless otherwise provided, the cost of constructing any one building (except headhouses connecting greenhouses) shall not exceed $25,000, except for six buildings to be constructed or improved at a cost not to exceed $55,000 each, and the cost of altering any one building during the fiscal year shall not exceed $7,500 or 7.5 per centum of the cost of the building, whichever is greater: Provided further, That the limitations on alterations contained in this Act shall not apply to a total of $100,000 for facilities at Beltsville, Maryland: Provided further, That [not to exceed $10,000 of appropriations hereunder shall be available for offsite improvements on property adjoining the boundary of the U.S. Salinity Laboratory, Riverside, California] the limitations on construction contained in this Act shall not apply to a total of $300,000 for a new animal disease and parasite research facility at Beltsville, Maryland:

Research: For research and demonstrations on the production and utilization of agricultural products; agricultural marketing and distribution, not otherwise provided for; home economics or nutrition and consumer use of agricultural and associated products; and related research and services; and for acquisition of land by donation, exchange, or purchase at a nominal cost not to exceed $100; [$136,775,500 $136,273,100, and in addition not to exceed $15,000,000 from funds available under section 32 of the Act of August 24, 1935, pursuant to Public Law 88-250 shall be transferred to and merged with this appropriation, of which [$4,735,000 $1,000,000 shall remain available until expended for plans, construction, and improvement of facilities without regard to limitations contained herein: Provided, That the limitations contained herein shall not apply to replacement of buildings needed to carry out the Act of April 24, 1948 (21 U.S.C. 113a) [: Provided further, That none of the funds appropriated in this Act shall be used to formulate a budget estimate for fiscal 1969 of more than $15,000,000 for research to be financed by transfer from funds available under section 32 of the Act of August 24, 1935, and pursuant to Public Law 88-25];

Plant and animal disease and pest control: For operations and measures, not otherwise provided for, to control and eradicate pests and plant and animal diseases and for carrying out assigned inspec*ion, quarantine, and regulatory activities, as authorized by law, including expenses pursuant to the Act of February 28, 1947, as amended (21 U.S.C. 114b-c), [$85,802,000] $88,647,500, of which $1,500,000 shall be apportioned for use pursuant to section 3679 of the Revised Statutes, as amended, for the control of outbreaks of insects and plant diseases to the extent necessary to meet emergeney conditions: Provided, That no funds shall be used to formulate or administer a brucellosis eradication program for the current fiscal year that does not require minimum matching by any State of at least 40 per centum: Provided further, That not to exceed $2,000,000 shall remain_available until expended for construction of facilities without regard to limitations contained herein: Provided farther, That the Secretary is authorized to acquire land for plant quarantine control activities presently located at Presidio, Texas: Provided further, That, in addition, in emergencies which threaten the livestock or poultry industries of the country, the Secretary may transfer from other appropriations or funds available to the agencies

or corporations of the Department such sums as he may deem necessary, to be available only in such emergencies for the arrest and eradication of foot-and-mouth disease, rinderpest, contagious pleuropneumonia, or other contagious or infectious diseases of animals, or European fowl pest and similar diseases in poultry, and for expenses in accordance with the Act of February 28, 1947, as amended, and any unexpended balances of funds transferred under this head in the next preceding fiscal year shall be merged with such transferred amounts;

Special fund: To provide for additional labor, subprofessional and junior scientific help to be employed under contracts and cooperative agreements to strengthen the work at research installations in the field, not more than $2,000,000 of the amount appropriated under this head for the previous fiscal year may be used by the Administrator of the Agricultural Research Service in departmental research program] programs in the current fiscal year, the amount so used to be transferred to and merged with the appropriation otherwise available under "Salaries and expenses, Research". (5 U.S.C. 5901; 7 U.S.C. 135–135k, 145, 147a-148a, 148c-150jj, 151-164a, 165a-167, 281-283, 391, 394a-396, 401-404, 421-422a. 424-425, 427, 427i, 428a, 429-430, 433-434, 436-437, 450-450b, 450i, 612c, 1292, 1441 note, 1621-1627, 1651-1656, 1884, 1901, 1904-1905, 2131-2154, 2201-2202, 2208, 2220, 2225, 2228-2229, 2232-2233, 2239, 2250-2250a, 2258–2260, 2262-2263; 10 U.S.C. 2306; 15 U.S.C. 69e; 16 U.S.C. 581-581a, 581f, 590a-590b, 590f, 590k; 18 U.S.C. 1114; 19 U.S.C. 1306a, 1306c; 20 U.S.C. 191-194; 21 U.S.C. 79-82, 86, 88-90, 94-94a, 101–105, 111-114c, 114e-131, 134-134h, 151–158, 342(a), 346–346a; 42 U.S.C. 1476(b)−1476(e), 1483, 1891–1893; 45 U.S.C. 71–74; 46 U.S.C. 466a-466b; 49 U.S.C. 1474(a), 1509(d); 46 Stat. 67; 78 Stat. 939-940; 81 Stat. 250; Department of Agriculture and Related Agencies Appropriation Act, 1968.) Program and Financing (in thousands of dollars)

including problems in household use of textiles and clothing. The research aim is to determine nutrient requirements and how foods can supply these to best assure nutritional well-being of people throughout their lifespan, to provide up-to-date information about food consumption and nutrition of the population, and to develop improved procedures for household preparation, care and preservation of foods which will preserve their nutritional, sanitary, and wholesome quality. The increase proposed for 1969 would be used for initial staffing and equipping the North Central Human Nutrition Research Laboratory at Grand Forks, N. Dak., to expand research on food and nutrition problems.

(d) Marketing research.-Practical answers to problems encountered in moving products from farm to consumer are sought through research. For farm products as they pass through marketing channels, efforts are made to develop safe methods to protect against insect attack, find objective methods to determine quality, reduce losses from waste and spoilage, and improve efficiency in physical handling. The work includes research at each stage of marketing, such as assembly points and storage facilities, and of transportation, at terminal or central markets, and at wholesale and retail markets. Research is also concerned with mycotoxins in agricultural products in relation to off-farm handling, conditioning, and storage. A net increase is proposed for 1969 which would provide for (1) partial elimination of 1968 program cutbacks under Public Law 90-218, and (2) increases for research on mechanical classing methods for cotton and for partial staffing, equipping, and operating the new Tree-Fruit and Nut Research Laboratory at Byron, Ga., the Peanut Marketing Laboratory at Dawson, Ga., and the Stored Products Insect Laboratory at Savannah, Ga. The staffing increases would cover the following areas of research: improving marketing efficiency, investigations on mycotoxins (peanuts), and maintaining quality of agricultural commodities in marketing channels.

(e) Coordination of departmental and interdepartmental activities related to pests and their control. The 1969 estimate continues the availability of $225 thousand for use of the Secretary of Agriculture in collaborating with the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare, Department of Interior, and other agencies of the Federal Government on problems related to use of pesticides. The project provides for coordination in development of measures to protect the public health, producers, and

resources.

(f) Construction of facilities.-The 1969 estimates include $1 million for planning, construction, and improvements of facilities. Funds totaling $710 thousand are for planning (1) a facility for bluetongue research to be located in one of the Western States, (2) a fruitfly laboratory in the Hawaiian Islands, and (3) additional facilities at the Plum Island Animal Disease Laboratory, N.Y. Construction and improvement funds totaling $290 thousand are included to provide for the control and abatement of air pollution in existing facilities, in accordance with Executive Order 11282. These funds would be used for the conversion of the Agricultural Research Center central heating plant from coal-fired to a gasfired automatic operation, Beltsville, Md., and construction of a central incinerator at the Animal Husbandry Meat Laboratory, Beltsville, Md. The proposed increase is offset by nonrecurring amounts totaling $4,350 thousand

which were provided for planning and construction of facilities in 1968.

(g) Contingencies.-Beginning in 1962, $1 million is made available each year to meet urgent research needs that develop unexpectedly during the year, when such needs cannot be met by redirection of resources from other projects.

2. Plant and animal disease and pest control.—(a) Plant disease and pest control.-Provision is made (1) through port-of-entry inspection to exclude from this country destructive insects, plant diseases, nematodes, and other pests that cause great damage to agricultural crops in other parts of the world; (2) to cooperate with States in eradicating or preventing spread of crop pests that become established in this country; and (3) to assist States in suppressing incipient and emergency outbreaks of crop pests when and where they occur. The 1969 estimates propose an increase for plant quarantine inspection at ports of entry because of increased travel and shipping, including funds to maintain Federal inspection activities in the State of California which were initiated during fiscal year 1968. This proposed increase is more than offset by a proposed decrease of $2.5 million in the imported fire ant program.

The level of activities for plant pest control is represented by the following selected examples (in thousands):

(b) Animal disease and pest control.-Programs are conducted to exclude communicable diseases of foreign origin from this country, to prevent the spread of diseases through interstate shipments of livestock or distribution of impure or impotent veterinary biologics, to control and eradicate livestock diseases, and the humane care and handling of certain laboratory animals. The 1969 estimates propose increases for enforcing a new regulation on interstate transmission of salmonella, strengthening activities under the Virus-Serum-Toxin Act, and more adequate animal inspection and quarantine at ports of entry to reduce the hazard of introduction of foreign diseases. These proposed increases are offset by a proposed decrease of $403 thousand in the hog cholera program.

The level of protective activities for animal diseases and pest control is indicated by the selected examples in the following table. Numbers are in thousands except for examples given under Veterinary Biologics which are in actual lots tested or found unsatisfactory.