Bumpers research center in Booneville may receive $2.36 million

The Dale Bumpers Small Farms Research Center in Booneville could receive more than $2.36 million from the Fiscal Year 2010 Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act.

Approximately $1.37 million would be used “to develop scientific principles and technologies that enhance the profitability of small scale farms,” according to a joint press release from the offices of U.S. Sens. Blanche Lincoln, D-Ark., and Mark Pryor, D-Ark.

Another $994,000 would go to the Booneville center for endophyte research. An endophyte is a bacteria or fungus that lives within a plant and have proven to help plants resist drought, disease and parasites.

It is unclear if the appropriations are free and clear from Congress. The most recent track of the legislation shows that a conference was appointed Aug. 4 to resolve differences between the House and Senate versions of the bill.
 
 “This legislation makes a sizable commitment to rural development and to research that increases profitability, protects crops, and supports efforts to grow our own energy. These programs are 100 percent essential for the well-being of Arkansas farmers and the state’s economy,” Pryor, who is a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, noted in the statement.
 
Other key Arkansas areas funded in the Act include:
• $58,745,000 for the National Center for Toxicological Research in Jefferson County. The funding will be used to predict the toxicity risk of regulated products, to evaluate the biological effects of potentially toxic chemicals or microorganisms, and to provide research for food safety and food defense.
 
• $6.5 million for the Arkansas Children’s Nutrition Center in Little Rock.
 
• $3,893,897 for the Dale Bumpers Rice Research Center in Stuttgart.

• $3,505,997 for the Harry Dupree National Aquaculture Research Center in Stuttgart.
 
• $1,741,052 for the Poultry Production and Product Safety Research Unit at the University of Arkansas.
 
• $2.8 million for the National Center for Appropriate Technology. The funding will be used for the Appropriate Technology Transfer for Rural Areas project to provide information and other technical assistance to farmers, ranchers, extension agents, educators, and others involved in sustainable agriculture.