00:00back. Now please recognize the gentleman from Oregon, Mrs. Salinas for five minutes.
00:06Thank you, Chair Thompson, and thank you to Ranking Member Craig for holding today's hearing,
00:09and thank you to our witnesses for your participation today. I'm really proud to
00:14represent a district that is home to countless specialty crops, some of the finest wine grapes
00:19in the world, the vast majority of this country's hazelnuts, and a really impressive variety of
00:24berries are all in the Willamette Valley, and when I meet with these producers, I hear about the
00:30unique challenges specialty crop producers face and how they sometimes feel left behind by a federal
00:35government that really focuses a lot of times on large commodity crops, and that's why these
00:40producers really make the absolute most out of the specialty crop-specific programs that do exist.
00:46Take the IAR4 project, for instance. The crop protection industry focuses much of their efforts
00:52on major crops that provide the best return on investment, and that makes sense for their
00:57business. This leaves specialty crop producers, though, whose crops may not be compatible with
01:01traditional pest control methods with fewer options to protect their livelihoods. IR4 fills this gap by
01:07using federal funding to develop specialty crop-specific crop protection methods, which may not have
01:12been otherwise discovered or pursued. Mr. Cameron, this question is for you. I appreciated that in your
01:19testimony. You acknowledge the importance of the IR4 project and maintaining an emphasis on specialty crop-specific
01:26needs. Could you expand a bit on the importance of IR4 and explain how increasing funding for it will
01:32benefit farmers? I'd be happy to. Thank you. The IR4 program does work for specialty crops. We need more funding.
01:41We know that many times we don't have the tools we need for the crops that we grow. A good friend of mine
01:50started growing agave. There's absolutely nothing labeled for agave in the United States. We grew
01:59waiuli many years ago for seed production. It's a latex plant that people don't get allergic to. Absolutely nothing.
02:07So we know that California produces half of the fresh fruits and vegetables in the United States that we need
02:15carve-outs. We need support for our specialty crops. It's a very difficult scenario, as you say, because
02:24many of the crop protection chemicals are developed for the large commodity crops throughout the U.S.
02:30And we do get left behind. We love to see specialty crop block grant money coming to California. So that can be
02:38used to further
02:40products that will be used within the state.
02:46So the IR4 program, we feel, is excellent. The FAR program is also very good to get additional testing
02:53for crops, and that's through the Farm Bill. But we definitely get left behind many times in agriculture when we do have a heavy lift and produce abundant crops throughout the state for the nation.
03:09Thank you. And can you expand a bit on the importance of reestablishing IR4 and EPA's collaboration on their biopesticide demonstration grant program?
03:17Right. The biopesticide demonstration grant program was an older program. It had been left behind. We feel that that would be critical for getting products out in the field, giving growers confidence to be able to use these types of products and experience.
03:35Currently, growers are reluctant. Our margins are so thin that it's difficult to take the risk on trying new products. If we lose a crop, we could be out of business.
03:48That's right.
03:49That's right. Thank you. All right. And this is for all of our witnesses. I'm sure you're likely aware last Friday, the Trump administration took the dramatic step of closing EPA's Office of Research and Development.
04:00This is the latest instance of a seemingly unending string of actions by this administration that undermined scientific research and America's role as the global innovator.
04:10They fired scientists at the Ag Research Service and National Institutes of Science and Technology. They've cut climate research across multiple agencies, and they've even attacked the National Institutes of Health.
04:20It's clear that this administration does not see the value in investing in science and innovation right now.
04:27So I think it's incumbent on Congress to ensure the United States maintains these investments and our global competitiveness at the same time.
04:35So again, for the panelists who would like to answer, I'd like to hear from you specific areas of investment that Congress should emphasize in the crop protection space.
04:44And where is Congress under investing?
04:47Well, I think we need to invest in newer innovation, new technology, right? We've heard that time and time again today. And I think that's where we're going to grow. And the farmers are going to get the tools that they need. So we could use your support in that continued support. And it's back to we need the appropriations committee to release those funds.
05:12Thank you. I'm out of time. I yield back. Thank you.
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