Patsy T. Mink: “Both of these amendments go to the Agricultural Research Service. One has to do with the earmarking of $950,000 for the…”

“Both of these amendments go to the Agricultural Research Service. One has to do with the earmarking of $950,000 for the Hawaii Agricultural Research Center. The other is an earmark of $1,603,000 for the Oceanic Institute. Both of these programs are long existing and have been funded at this level in the past fiscal year. Both of these programs, the Oceanic Institute and the Hawaii Agricultural Research Center, are included in the President's budget. I think that the importance of these two amendments is to recognize and to herald the tremendous contributions that these two centers have made, not only to Hawaii as a single State but to the entire United States and perhaps even globally with reference to the Oceanic Institute research. The Hawaii Agricultural Research Center provides vital services to Hawaii's farmers, and particularly now with the loss of our sugar industry with only two plantations remaining, the existence of this center and its support is even more vital as the State struggles to find additional crops to grow on the vast acreages that are being fallowed as a result of the closure of the agricultural industry.”