Proceedings of the Sixty-first Annual Meeting of the Northeastern ...

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$179 million, in contrast to a USDA proposal to eliminate half of this funding and shift the funds
to a new $75 million competitive grants program. The National Research Initiative (NRI) of
competitively awarded research grants increases slightly to $183 million. Earmarked special
research grants, however, grow from $120 million to $128 million. The FY2006 appropriation for
Forest Service Research and Development is $329 million, up $15 million from last year.
Farm Bill Forums: The dates, locations and times of the forums will be announced as they are
scheduled and be available on the USDA website http://www.usda.gov/farmbill.
Six key topics will frame the forums, which the public is invited to comment on:
1. How should farm policy be designed to maximize US competitiveness and our country’s
ability to effectively compete in global markets?
2. How should farm policy address any unintended consequences and ensure that such
consequences do not discourage new farmers and the next generation of farmers from
entering production agriculture?
3. How should farm policy be designed to effectively and fairly distribute assistance to
producers?
4. How can farm policy best achieve conservation and environmental goals?
5. How can federal rural and farm programs provide effective assistance in rural areas?
6. How should agricultural product development, marketing, and research-related issues be
addressed in the next farm bill?
Respondents can submit their comments electronically on the USDA home page
(http://www.usda.gov) by selecting “Farm Bill Forums.” Comments can also be emailed to
FarmBill@usda.gov, or be sent by mail to: Secretary of Agriculture Mike Johanns, Farm Bill,
1400 Independence Avenue SW, Washington, DC 20250-3355. USDA will review the public
comments received by December 30, 2005, including any analyses, reports, studies and other
material submitted with the comments that address the six questions.
Other legislative areas important to Weed Scientist in 2004 included WSSA’s comments in
support of the joint Counterpart Regulations for Consultation under Section 7 of the Endangered
Species Act (Counterpart Regulations). Rob Hedberg comment on behalf of WSSA that based
on the use of science to improve the management of invasive species and to improve the
pesticide regulatory process. Rob noted in his letter to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service that
the ”EPA has the scientific expertise and an established process to adequately evaluate the
human health and ecological risks of pesticides. Their process is efficient, productive and
thorough. Moreover, the Agency has made substantial progress in the past decade to make the
process transparent to all stakeholders so that it is clear how, when and why decisions will be
made. We believe that giving the Agency authority to make the initial “Not Likely to Adversely
Affect (NLAA)” determination will yield sound decisions in a timely and efficient manner that
minimizes duplication, uncertainty and ambiguity.” The counter part regulations have been
accepted and it is believed that this counter part regulation will resolve some (but not all) of the
Double Jeopardy problems for pesticide registrations associated with Endangered Species Act.
The Sixth Annual National Invasive Weeds Awareness Week (NIWAW VI) was held in
Washington, DC the week of February 27 th to March 4, 2005. Constituents representing more
than 50 percent of U.S. states gathered to advance efforts toward protecting native ecosystems
through awareness, education and control of invasive plant species. More than 150 participants,
including representatives of government agencies, non-profits, private industry and landowners,
spent the week lobbying state legislators and attending briefings from federal agencies including
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