As a news organization, we often get press releases form all sorts of
different interests, not the least of them your elected officials.
Often our Senators and Congressmen are eager to tell us about the
federal dollars they bring back to the state. As in the email below,
(click more to see the whole document) much of that money is directed
to the "economically depressed" areas.

This earmark particularly caught our attention:



* $244,000 for Wild Blueberry research.  Grant dollars would be
available for research into how Maine's blueberry farmers in the
economically depressed Downeast region of Maine can maximize their
crops, produce higher quality crops and minimize reliance on pesticides.



Our questions are thus: How much management does a crop get before they
can't be considered "wild" anymore? Also- they use pesticides on Wild
blueberries? Isn't that, cheating or something?







For Immediate Release

July 5, 2006

                                      


                                      


SNOWE, COLLINS ANNOUNCE NEARLY $6 MILLION IN FUNDING FOR MAINE IN AGRICULTURE

                            
APPROPRIATIONS BILL

                                      


     WASHINGTON, DC - The Agriculture
Appropriations bill as approved by the Senate Appropriations committee
includes Senators Snowe and Collins' requests for agricultural projects
that will benefit Maine totaling nearly $6 million.

"Each of these projects is important to sustaining and enhancing
Maine's  agriculture industry, which is a vital component of the
state's economy," the Senators said  in a joint statement. 
"We are particularly pleased that the bill enhances Aroostook County's
access to federal economic enhancement grants."

* $185.817 million for the Hatch Act and $23.318 million for the
McIntire-Stennis Act. These formula funds make available vital dollars
for research in agriculture, forest resources, fisheries and
aquaculture, and rural economic development throughout the country.
More than 100 scientists in Maine, from a wide range of agriculture
industries, benefit from a portion of these research funds.

* $50.787 million for Resource Conservation and Development districts
throughout the country.  This will set funding at the Fiscal Year
2006 levels.  Maine has five (5) Resource Conservation and
Development districts.

* $1 million for the ARS National Cold Water Marine Aquaculture Center
in Franklin. Funds will be used for operations of the Aquaculture
Center and for aquaculture research programs.  An additional $1
million was included for construction of research facilities on the
Orono campus of the University of Maine.  Senators Snowe and
Collins explained that as the harvesting of wild fish stocks is
restricted, the support of our Nation's aquaculture industry is
becoming increasingly important.

     * $2.28 million for the USDA-ARS New England
Plant, Soil, and Water Laboratory in Orono.  These funds would
support research related to cropping systems, efficient use of
nutrients and water, and control of pathogens, insects and weeds--all
of which would be of  particular benefit to Maine's potato
industry.

* $637,000 for the Wood Utilization Research Program at the University
of Maine.  Senators Snowe and Collins successfully secured a total
of $6.4 million, approximately $637,000 of which would be directed to
the University of Maine.  The goal of the project is to generate
new technologies that are necessary to balance the sustainable use of
our Nation's forest resources with the need to maintain a competitive,
domestic forest products industry.

* $500,000 for the Aroostook County Round III Empowerment Zone. These
funds will allow Aroostook County to implement economic growth plans.

* $244,000 for Wild Blueberry research.  Grant dollars would be
available for research into how Maine's blueberry farmers in the
economically depressed Downeast region of Maine can maximize their
crops, produce higher quality crops and minimize reliance on pesticides.

* $177,000 for Potato Variety Development Research for Maine. These
funds are supported by the National Potato Council and the Maine Potato
Board and would be used for critical research into new potato varieties
that combine excellent quality with high yields and pest resistance.

The bill also recommends that the USDA consider grant requests for the
Penobscot Bay Commercial Kitchen, the York County Food Business
Incubator, and the Upper Valley Oil Extrusion Processor.

         Senators Snowe and
Collins were also successful in including language in the bill report
to help the Aroostook County Empowerment Zone obtain competitive grant
funding from the United Stated Department of Agriculture.

The bill will now be sent to the full Senate for its consideration.

###