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Washington, DC -- Today Congressman David Wu announced that with the help of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), Oregon schools will be able to offer fruit and vegetable snack options to students.
"We can do better for our children and providing healthier snacks choices throughout the day is one small step in the right direction to fight childhood obesity," said Congressman Wu. "If we can lead by example and teach children to make healthier choices, all of society stands to benefit."
According to a projection by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, one in three children born in 2001 will become diabetic. Not only does this epidemic implicate health care cost increases for everyone in the form of higher premiums, schools will also struggle to care for these students. Because there is no cure, doctors recommend healthier eating and exercise to delay or possibly prevent diabetes.
For these reasons, Congressman Wu fought to include Oregon as a new recipient of the USDA Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program in legislation that passed the U.S. House of Representatives today. The legislation provides the Oregon Department of Education with $500,000 to offer fresh fruits and vegetable snacks to students throughout the school day.
The funding is in H.R. 5384, the Agriculture, Rural Development, and Food and Drug Administration Appropriations Act of 2007, under the Child Nutrition Program. H.R. 5384 will now go to the Senate for consideration.
H.R. 5384 also includes funding for several programs that support Oregon's agriculture industry. Such programs will continue to protect nurseries from Sudden Oak Death disease, support the small fruit, grass seed, and shellfish industries, and improve the economic competitiveness of Oregon's agricultural sector.
Other programs in Oregon receiving funding follow below:
Oregon is the leading producer of ornamental trees and shrubs and the state's nursery and greenhouse industry generates over $725 million annually in farm gate receipts. Growers of nursery and greenhouse crops constitute Oregon's largest sector of agriculture and nationally the industry produces crops valued at over $14 billion. Congressman Wu has held roundtable discussions with Oregon nursery and Christmas tree growers, and state and federal officials on addressing the threat of Sudden Oak Death.
The importance of berry and grape production has long been recognized in the Pacific Northwest where these high value, specialty crops now make up a large component of agricultural product sales. The demand for fresh and processed berries and grapes (including wine) in both domestic and international markets continues to grow at a rapid rate. In response to the expanding demands, the Center for Small Fruits continues to receive acclaim for its components involving cooperation between industry, state and federal research.
This research provides a better understanding of the technical, economic and social relationships that define Oregon's value-added agricultural sector, and provides direction through applied research that will improve the economic performance of this sector. The project assesses the potential for enhancing competitiveness and expanding the economic value-added component in Oregon agricultural products through improved production, processing and trade.
Research and education projects have been initiated in Oregon, Washington and Idaho to identify improved grass seed crop management and conservation practices. In order to maintain the valuable grass seed industry in the Pacific Northwest, research is urgently needed to reduce environmental impacts of residue burning while maintaining high productivity in several grass species.
The goals of this research are to determine the impact of farming practices on soil, weather and air quality; improve profitability of conservation farming systems; identify profitable conservation policies; identify alternative crops for conservation farming systems in the Pacific Northwest; and accelerate adoption of profitable conservation farming systems.
This program is based at the Hatfield Marine Science Center of Oregon State University. It was established in order to implement a selective breeding program to improve broodstock and increase commercial production of Pacific oysters on the West Coast.
Meadowfoam is a newer crop in the Pacific Northwest that produces an oil with unique chemical properties that are exploited by manufacturers of personal care products; industrial lubricants; oils and fuel additives; plastics for medical, industrial, and other uses; and pharmaceutical products. Meadowfoam meal, a by-product of oil extraction, also has unique properties and research into use of meal and meal extracts is underway. Presently, the United States is the sole supplier of this oil and meal.
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