November 1997
USDA UNDER SECRETARY VISITS NORTHERN VALLEY FOR FIRSTHAND LOOK AT SCAB
By Tracy Sayler
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Prairie Grains is the
official publication of
the Minnesota
Association of
Wheat Growers,
North Dakota Grain
Growers Association,
South Dakota Wheat,
Inc., and the
Minnesota Barley
Growers Association.
However, he says he was unaware of the severity of the disease problem.
In one of his first trips outside of Washington as under secretary, Gonzalez got a firsthand look at the effects of the disease, in a visit to the northern Red River Valley at the tail end of the 1997 wheat harvest. The tour resulted from an invitation sent to Gonzalez by the Minnesota Association of Wheat Growers, North Dakota Grain Growers Association, Minnesota Barley Growers Association, and South Dakota Wheat Inc.
"It's not the same to read about a problem in a briefing paper, as it is to see it in person," said Gonzalez, who visited scabby wheat fields at the Jerry Kruger farm near Warren, Minn., and the Ron Anderson farm near Hallock, Minn. He also visited grain elevators at Argyle, Minn. and in Hallock, toured the N.D. Mill in Grand Forks, and Federal Grain Inspection Service facilities in Grand Forks.
(Ray Thompson, Marshall County, MN, extension educator (right) shows USDA Under Secretary Miley Gonzalez what scab looks like in a wheat field near the Jerry Kruger farm, Warren, MN. Gonzalez accepted an invitation by wheat and barley groups to get a firsthand look at scab during the 1997 harvest)
Gonzalez also met with leaders of wheat and barley commodity groups, crop scientists, research officials, and agri-business, to discuss how the federal government may assist in solving the scab and vomitoxin problem.
During the meeting with Gonzalez, North Dakota State University released estimates on the economic effects of scab and other diseases: the total impact, direct and indirect, on the economy of North Dakota over the past five years for spring wheat, barley, and durum is almost $2.9 billion.
"I'm impressed with the dialogue, and the impact this disease has had on not only producers, but on main street, and the family and social fabric of all people in the area," Gonzalez said. Prior to his USDA post, Gonzalez served as associate dean and director for academic programs in the College of Agriculture and Home Economics at New Mexico State University.
Wheat and barley leaders hope the Under Secretary's visit will lead to more scab research funding and changes in federal crop insurance policies, to reflect quality losses from scab. Gonzalez has also been appointed to the board of the Federal Crop Insurance Corporation.
"To host Mr. Gonzalez so early in his tenure as Under Secretary is a great accomplishment for wheat and barley growers. We were able to imprint the problem of scab and the need for federal action to solve the problem," says David Torgerson, executive director of the MAWG. n
FY98 Federal Budget Includes $1 Million For Scab
Wheat and barley groups in the Northern Plains have already made inroads in obtaining greater support nationally to fight the scab problem.
Federal lawmakers have appropriated $1 million to fight scab, in the U.S. government's budget for fiscal year 1998, which began October 1, 1997.
House and Senate lawmakers earmarked $500,000 to fund scab research at the USDA's Cereal Rust Lab in St. Paul, Minn. In addition, the 1998 federal budget includes another $500,000 for a comprehensive research project proposed by land-grant universities in 12 states affected by scab, including Minnesota, North Dakota, and South Dakota.
Federal funding will strengthen plant breeding efforts to develop wheat and barley varieties that are more resistant to the disease. Further, researchers want to study the effects that scab and its toxic byproduct, vomitoxin, have on food safety and post-harvest management. Evaluating fungicide applications, crop germ-plasm, and how the disease forms and spreads in wheat and barley crops are also key research objectives which will be furthered with the federal support.
"It's been a priority for us to elevate scab as a national concern, and we're gratified to see it happen," says Tim Dufault, a Crookston, Minn., wheat grower and president of the MAWG. "Many people in the spring wheat region and in the soft red winter wheat area put a lot of time into making the $1 million allocation possible. This success shows the importance of working together on a regional and national basis."
Dufault says wheat and barley groups will work to increase the amount of federal funding for scab in the next budget go-round, and hope that more scab funding will be included in the president's proposed budget for 1999.n
More good news for the wheat industry in the FY98 federal budget: lawmakers appropriated $2.9 million to the Northern Great Plains Research Lab in Mandan, N.D. The Mandan center is the only facility in the country conducting conservation-oriented research specific to dryland cropping systems.
"Securing funding for the research lab was a tough battle, but I was pleased with the response from individuals as well as organizations including the Minnesota Association of Wheat Growers and South Dakota Wheat, Inc. The joint concern for maintaining this facility shows a strong commitment for improving the wheat and barley industry in our region," says Lance Gaebe, NDGGA executive director.n