National Peach Council asks for research funding
WASHINGTON, D.C. - In
their third annual trek to
Capitol Hill to seek ad
ditional Federal funding for
badly needed research work
on peaches, representatives
of National-Peach Council
appeared before both Senate
P. L. ROHRER & BRO., INC.
and' House Appropriations
subcommittees on March 21.
In each instance the
requests were for $500,000 to
be used by the Agricultural
Research Service, USDA,
for additional research on
peach breeding, and for
whatever funds are
necessary for intial staffing
of the new Appalachian
Fruit Research Station at
Keameysville, WV.
Only partial staffing for
the station was requested
because of the ceiling on
Federal employment. Even
if money for full staffing was
appropriated it would not be
possible" to hire more than
the initial staffing and their
support personnel. National
Peach Council represen
tatives had been told.
Four persons were in
Washington to represent
NPC before the two sub
committees.
Robert G. Kemp, chair
man of NPC’s Research
Funds Requests Committee,
and J. Kenneth McDonald, a
committee member, ap
peared before the House
Agriculture, Rural
Development and Related
Agencies Subcommittee of
the House Appropriations
Committee.
They completed testimony
in time to join NPC
President Robert J. Zieger
and the council’s Executive
Secretary, Robert K.
Phillips, at tiie bearing being
conducted by the
Agriculture, Rural
Development and Related
Agencies Subcommittee of
the Senate Committee on
Appropriations.
In the testimony, it was
pointed out that the nation’s
•peach industry has many
continuing problems that
cause a reduction in
availability of the fruit and
an increase in price to the
consumer.
Foremost of these
Lancaster Farming, Saturday, April 1,1978-
problems that reduce peach
production are tree and fruit
losses caused by low winter
temperatures, fruit losses
from early spring frosts, and
tree and fruit damage
caused by diseases, insects,
nematodes, air pollution,
and environmental stresses
such as drought and ex
cessive summer heat.
It was stated in the
testimony that estimated
losses of peaches in eastern
growing areas in 1977, from
Spring frost alone, amounted
to 45 per cent of expected
production. This was a direct
loss of about $65,000,000 in
farm value of peaches, and a
York County DHIA
(Continued from Page 124)
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much greater loss to the
economy because of reduced
employment.
Zieger and Kemp also
stated that there was an
additional loss in 1977,
conservatively estimated at
$40,000,000, associated with
the death of peach trees in
the Southeastern states.
Those losses were associated
with injury from cold,
nematodes and diseases.
- Additional research is
needed to help solve these
and related production
problems, the NPC
representatives told the
subcommittees.
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