Tuesday, September 5, 2006

(PORTAGEVILLE) U.S. Senators Jim Talent and Kit Bond and Congresswoman Jo Ann Emerson today spoke at the Delta Center Appreciation Breakfast in Portageville as part of the 45th Annual Delta Center Field Day. The Delta Center is a key Missouri agriculture research facility located in Portageville. The center’s leadership partners with area producers and local leaders to fund critical agriculture research, including efforts to help develop value-added enterprises for our producers.

“I want to thank everyone at the Delta Center for their hard work on behalf of Missouri agriculture,” said Sen. Talent. “Every time I visit the Delta Center I am always encouraged about the future of family farming in Missouri. It’s a bright future because of the leadership of our producers and the research that goes on here and the people who support that research.”

“It is always a pleasure to come to the Delta Research Center and hear about the great work done on behalf of all Missourians to improve the food supply and to support Missouri producers,” said Senator Kit Bond. “I am committed to Missouri agriculture and I will continue to work hard to support your work through my position on the Appropriations Committee.”

“As a proud supporter of the Delta Center and its mission to keep our state on the cutting edge of agricultural research in the world, I am very much looking forward to Delta Center Field Day. We have a great challenge ahead of us in the form of the Farm bill. Working with our U.S. Senators from Missouri, Kit Bond and Jim Talent, I want to ensure we continue to make innovation, research, and creativity key initiatives in our support of U.S. producers. Our agricultural crops are a strategic source of affordable, secure, and safe food. It holds the same possibilities for energy. I'm excited for the role of our state in this national debate,” said U.S. Representative Jo Ann Emerson, a member of the house subcommittee on Agriculture Appropriations.

The 1,024 acre Delta Research Center is part of the University of Missouri-Columbia. The University of Missouri’s cotton and rice production research is conducted at the Delta Center. Scientists at the Delta Center also conduct research on soybean cropping systems, weed, insect and disease control in all crops and variety evaluations. Delta Center scientists have also gained recognition for developing improved soybean varieties.

Last year, Talent, Bond and Emerson secured $250,000 in the FY 2006 Appropriations bill for the University of Missouri-Columbia Rice Agronomy Program to conduct studies that examine different planting techniques to maximize rice yields. They also secured $794,000 for the University of Missouri Soybean Cyst Nematode (SCN) Research Team to identify resistance genes in wild type soybean lines.

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