Washington, DC, Feb 6, 2007 -

House Conference Secretary John Carter (TX-31) announced today that the Center for Agribusiness Excellence (CAE) at Tarleton State University (TSU) will receive $3.6 million in Federal funding under the Federal Crop Insurance Act for continued administration of the Federal Crop Insurance Corporation (FCIC) data mining project. Funding for the program was scheduled to expire on February 28, 2007, but will be renewed due to Congressional action.

“The Federal Crop Insurance program is an important safety net for our farmers. This grant will help ensure the viability of this program by continuing the fight against waste, fraud and abuse,” said Congressman John Carter. “In addition, the economic outlook of Stephenville and the jobs of thirty residents will be protected by this grant.”

The FCIC provides hazard insurance to farmers in the case of crop failure. The data mining project was established in 2000 to provide analysis of every insurance policy under the FCIC. When coupled with National Oceanic & Atmospheric Association weather data, Public Land Survey System Data, and other agricultural data, CAE is able to identify inconsistent claims and report them to the Risk Management Agency for follow up. Since its inception, these actions have saved the FCIC more than $450 million in verifiable savings, resulting in a 20:1 return on the $20 million investment.

“With Congressman Carter’s continued support for the Center for Agribusiness Excellence, we will be able to continue our data mining research that has saved taxpayers almost half of a billion dollars the past five years and hundreds of millions of dollars in the future,” said Dr. Bert Little, Associate Vice President for Research of Tarleton State University.