FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Thursday, September 22, 2005

Isakson, Chambliss Announce Agriculture Funds
for Byron’s Southeastern Fruit and Tree Nut Facility

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Johnny Isakson (R-Ga.) and Saxby Chambliss (R-Ga.), Chairman of the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry, today announced that the Senate Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies Appropriations bill for fiscal year 2006 includes over $700,000 in funding for several projects for Byron.

“Georgia as well as the entire nation will benefit from these important investments in the agricultural research being done in Byron,” Isakson said. “I am pleased the Senate saw fit to support these worthy projects."

“These funds will support a wide range of important research projects,” said Chambliss. “As Chairman of the Senate Agriculture Committee, I will continue working hard to provide funds that benefit both the state of Georgia and our Nation’s agricultural needs.”

The bill includes a $200,000 increase for research that will focus on how to minimize the large economic losses to pecans by insects and mites. This research will also focus on losses to prunes crops such as peach, plum and nectarine by insects, mites, nematodes and microorganism.

Additionally, the bill maintains previous funding of $100,000 for research that will focus on minimizing the large economic losses caused by pecan scab disease and alternate bearing of pecan.  Georgia pecan farmers produce roughly 50 percent of the nation's pecan crop, making Georgian the nation's largest producer of pecans. 

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