Below is a list of Projects for the 4th Congressional District and North Carolina that was included at my request in the Fiscal Year 2008 Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act (H.R. 3161). That bill eventually formed part of the end-of-the-year Consolidated Appropriations Act (Public Law 110-161).

Project: Technical Assistance to livestock and poultry industry (Hog lagoon conversion)
Funding: $ 322,000
Description: Funding for the Natural Resources Conservation Service to provide technical assistance to hog producers participating in the North Carolina waste technology conversion program. The North Carolina General Assembly enacted legislation earlier this year, which the Governor has signed into law, to provide financial assistance to farmers who convert their hog waste lagoons to more environmentally sustainable waste management technologies.

Project: Swine and Other Animal Waste Management
Funding: $ 375,000
Description: Funding for help NC State University’s Animal and Poultry Waste Management Center to continue the development of environmentally superior waste management technologies for hog and other livestock production.

Project: Database of NC's Agriculture Industry for Rapid Response
Funding: $ 223,000
Description: Funding for the North Carolina Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services to develop and expand a state-of-the-art emergency response system that allows public officials to quickly respond to animal disease outbreaks, natural disasters, bioterrorism attacks or other threats to the state’s agricultural sector. The Multi-Hazard Threat Database (MHTD) is a Web-based mapping tool that integrates agricultural production data, topography and water tables, quarantine areas, escape routes and other critical information.

Project: Aquaculture
Funding: $ 244,000
Description: Funding for research at NC State University to develop environmentally sustainable practices in the aquaculture industry (farmed fish and shellfish).

Project: Beaver Management in North Carolina
Funding: $ 223,000
Description: Funding for the state of North Carolina’s efforts to manage the beaver population, which continues to pose significant challenges to farmers and local communities.

Project: Crop Pathogens Protections
Funding: $ 242,000
Description: Funding for research at NC State University to detect and prevent crop damage from introduced pathogens, including potential weapons of bioterrorism.

Project: Regional Grains Genotyping
Funding: $ 693,000
Description: Funding to restore an Agriculture Research Service unit at NC State University that was slated for elimination in the President’s budget. The Regional Grains Genotyping research unit, which works to apply genetic research to improve small grains breeding programs throughout the country, is critical to the oats, wheat, and barley industries.

Project: Soybean Nitrogen Fixation Research
Funding: $ 409,000
Description: Funding to restore an Agriculture Research Service unit at NC State University that was slated for elimination in the President’s budget. The Soybean Nitrogen Fixation Research unit helps farmers produce higher-value soybeans with genetic resistance to drought and diseases such as Asian Soybean Rust. .

Project: Food Fermentation Research
Funding: $ 362,000
Description: Funding to restore an Agriculture Research Service unit at NC State University that was slated for elimination in the President’s budget. The Food Fermentation Research unit is the only ARS facility dedicated to improving food safety and processing technologies for fermented and acidified vegetables. This work has particular benefits for North Carolina’s pickled cucumber industry.

Project: Forest Biotechnology and Genetics
Funding: $ 213,000
Description: Funding for NC State University’s Forest Biotechnology Initiative, which carries out research on making native tree species resistant to invasive pests, improving productivity for timber products, and developing promising new biomass technologies.

Project: Wood Utilization Consortium*
Funding: $ 4,875,000
Description: Funding for the Wood Utilization Consortium, a partnership of NC State Universities and nine other universities across the country, which provides technical and engineering support related to machinery, tooling and wood products to help U.S. manufacturers compete successfully in the global furniture market.

Project: Swift Creek Watershed Protection and Stream Restoration (Cary)
Funding: $ 213,000
Description: Funding for the Town of Cary to protect the Swift Creek Watershed by acquiring and preserving land and installing protective vegetative buffers along the creek to limit agricultural runoff. Explosive growth is threatening the watershed, which directly impacts the quality of the water flowing into the Neuse River.

*Denotes Project that was requested by numerous Members of Congress from various states.