Jim Moyer, associate dean of research for CAHNRS and director of the Agricultural Research Center at WSU, testified before the U.S. House Agriculture Committee on Tuesday, September 29 in Washington, D.C. The purpose of the hearing was to review innovations in research by U.S. agricultural colleges and universities.
Moyer presented testimony on WSU research funded by the USDA-NIFA Specialty Crop Research Initiative (SCRI) before the Congressional Subcommittee on Biotechnology, Horticulture and Research. His testimony highlighted research on biodegradable plastic mulch, the RosBreed program, and genomics and bioinformatics for crops in the Rosaceae family including apples, pears and cherries.
Click the image below to watch the video from House Agriculture Committee, or read Moyer’s full testimony here.
“I am proud to see that federal investment in agricultural research is paying dividends to our industry, and universities like the ones we heard from today are utilizing these resources to lead this productive advancement in agriculture,” said House Agriculture Committee Chairman, K. Michael Conaway.
The chairman of the subcommittee is Representative Rodney Davis and Representative Suzan DelBene is the ranking member.
“As we begin preparing for the next farm bill, we will look to these stakeholders and the challenges they are facing to establish policies that will allow our research sector to continue to evolve and grow,” Davis said.
Congresswoman DelBene and Congressman Newhouse were in attendance asking Moyer questions about CAHNRS research and the SCRI program.
The 5th Congressional District in Washington (which includes WSU) has been in the top five U.S. congressional districts for receipt of USDA-NIFA awards for three of the last four years.