The California Institute for Federal Policy Research

Quick Look: President Bush's FY 2009 Budget: Dept. of Agriculture -- Feb. 4 2008

The California Institute prepares a quick analysis of the President's budget request on the day it is released.  For the FY 2009 Budget, the budget was released the morning of February 4, 2008.  The following represents an examination of this portion of the budget from a California perspective.  For analysis of other components visit our 2009 Budget page.

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

The Budget requests $94 billion in total outlays for FY 09. The 2009 budget aims to build a strong farm economy, reduce trade barriers, design a high-level biosecurity laboratory for poultry diseases, monitor avian influenza, and support the Northwest Forest Plan.

U.S. Forest Service

The President had requested $1.35 billion for the U.S. Forest Service. The Budget provides full funding for the Forest Service component of the Northwest Forest Plan. The Northwest Forest Plan is an integrated, comprehensive design for ecosystem management, intergovernmental and public collaboration, and rural community economic assistance involving nearly 25 million acres of Federal forests in western Oregon, Washington, and northern California. The Budget allows the Forest Service to offer the Plan's goal of 800 million board feet of timber in 2009. The Budget goes on to state that it "also reflects greater use of streamlined forest planning and authorities included in the President's Healthy Forests Initiative, while providing funding to monitor and protect the long-term health of forests, wildlife, and waterways in the Pacific Northwest."

Farm Bill

The 2009 Budget proposes to cut funds from the Wetlands Reserve Program by $274 million, from $455 million to $181 million. The Commodity Credit Corporation Fund contains $500 million in outlays for the Farm bill proposal. The Budget proposes to fund the Market Access Program (MAP), which was authorized in the Farm Bill for $200 million. California agriculture interests have been heavy users of MAP, which seeks to develop and expand commercial export markets for U.S. agricultural products.

Agricultural Research Service

For FY 09, the Budget proposes $1.12 billion for the Agricultural Research Service, about $84 million less than the FY08 funding. In 2009, the Service proposes increased emphases for critical research needs in agriculture, such as: support for homeland security efforts to protect the Nation's food supply (emerging and exotic diseases of animals, food safety, and security for overseas biological control laboratories); renewable energy sources; equipment for the National Centers for Animal Health; obesity; genomics; genetic resources (specialty crops and plant introduction stations); organic production systems; and agricultural information services. In the past, programs from research accounts have been used to study Glassy-Winged Sharpshooter/Pierce's Disease, Sudden Oak Death, and other agricultural pests and diseases that negatively impact California's agriculture economy. The budget proposed $171 million for the National Agricultural Statistics Service and $20.1 million for the integrated research, education and extension grants programs.

Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service

The proposed Budget funds the Animal and Plant Health Inspection service at $919 million. Of those funds, the Budget allocates $4.2 million for the control of outbreaks of insects, plant diseases, animal diseases and for control of pest animals and birds to the extent necessary to meet emergency conditions; $59.8 million shall be used to prevent and control avian influenza, and $24.1 million for the National Animal Identification program. Funds from this account have been used in the past to help prevent Glassy-Winged Sharpshooter/Pierce's Disease and Sudden Oak Death in California and throughout the nation, although specific funding for these diseases is not included in the President's FY09 Budget. In fiscal year 2009, the agency is authorized to collect fees to cover the total costs of providing technical assistance, goods, or services requested by States, other political subdivisions, domestic and international organizations, foreign governments, or individuals.

Food Safety and Inspection Service

The budget requests $952 million for the Food Safety Inspection Service, an increase of $22 million from the previous allocation. This service is limited only to meat, poultry and egg products.

Agricultural Marketing Service

Agricultural Marketing Service activities assist producers and handlers of agricultural commodities by providing a variety of marketing services. The budget requests $76 million for the Agricultural Marketing Service, allotting $8 million for inspection and standardization.

Conservation

A total of $764.8 million is proposed for natural resource conservation service purposes in the budget for 2009. Under this section, water conservation activities at the Klamath Basin, located in California and Oregon, as authorized by the Food Security Act of 1985, receives no funding. The 2009 budget does not include funding for the Grazing Lands Conservation Initiative, meant to help ranchers and range managers fight and control priority invasive species by funding a competitive grants program that funds cooperative and cost-effective strategies to address invasive species on private grazing lands. The Farm Security and Rural Investment Act of 2002 (P.L. 107 171) reauthorizes a number of USDA's conservation programs. NRCS is responsible for implementing many of these programs.

National Forest Land Acquisition

For acquisition of lands within the exterior boundaries of the Cache, Uinta, and Wasatch National Forests, Utah; the Toiyabe National Forest, Nevada; and the Angeles, San Bernardino, Sequoia, and Cleveland National Forests, California, as authorized by law, $1,050,000, to be derived from forest receipts. The purpose of these land acquisitions is to provide soil stabilization and restoration of vegetation within these critical watersheds. In addition, the Administration plans to minimize erosion and flood damage to these areas through this acquisition program.

Wildland Fire Management

The President's Budget includes $1.97 billion for Wildland Fire Management, about $548 million less than the FY08 funding.

Food and Nutrition Service

The budget requests $150 million for nutrition assistance programs. $3 billion is requested by the Administration for the Food Stamp Program. Women, Infant, and Children (WIC) a program that serves the nutritional needs of low-income pregnant and postpartum women, infants, and children up to age five is provided $6.1 billion in the 2009 Budget.

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