Nevada one of eight states added to Supper Program

October 8, 2009

Washington, D.C. – Nevada Senator Harry Reid today hailed the passage of the Agriculture Appropriations bill that will bring $2.3 million to Nevada.  In addition to providing funding for important state projects, Nevada has been added to the Supper Program, which means the silver state is now eligible for reimbursement under the Child & Adult Care Feeding Program supper program.
                                              
“This is a good bill for Nevada,” Reid said.  “Along with the jobs that this money will create, I’m especially pleased that our state has been added to the supper program. In the current economy, with demand for federal nutrition programs reaching their historic peaks in Nevada, this will ensure that community organizations and/or schools can provide a hot supper to kids who would otherwise go hungry.”

 
A breakdown of the projects is as follows:

- Project: Conservation Fuels Management & Restoration
Requestor: Wildfire Support Group
Location: Orovada, Nevada
Amount: $269,000
Description: Over the past 10 years, wildfires have already burned more Nevada acres than the previous 50 years combined.  The Wildfire Support Group helps bring together university researchers, community partners, ranchers, and other community leaders to prevent the spread of wildfires.  Funding will be used for science-based fuels management to preempt wildfires through affective fuels management on both public and private lands.

- Project: Mormon Cricket Control
Requestor: State Department of Agriculture
Location: Reno, Nevada
Amount: $1,000,000
Description:  Funding will allow the State Department of Agriculture to maintain the infrastructure needed to address Mormon cricket infestations that are have had a severe impact on Nevada. Last year, more than 1 million acres in Nevada were infested with Mormon crickets with most of the activity centering in Elko County.  From 2004 to 2006, Mormon crickets infested more than 10 million acres, according to Nevada authorities.  Mormon crickets have caused millions of dollars in economic damage, and many ranchers have lost valuable grazing land to the swarms of crickets.

- Project: Noxious Weed Management
Requestor: NV Department of Agriculture
Location: Reno, Nevada
Amount: $235,000
Description: More than 85 percent of Nevada is publically owned land managed by the federal government.  Extensive populations of noxious weeds originate on federal lands, and spread to privately owned ranch and farm land, sapping nutrients and choking off plant life.  The Department of Agriculture will finance programs that suppress and eradicate noxious weeds throughout the state of Nevada.

- Project: UNR Nevada Arid Rangelands Initiative
Requestor:  University of Nevada, Reno
Location: Reno, Nevada
Amount: $500,000
Description: With the limited amount of public land, Nevada's ranchers must be good stewards of their land.  The Arid Rangelands Initiative works to provide our rural stakeholders with the science-based information and tools needed to survive economically while caring for their lands.  UNR faculty will be able to assist local entities in solving short term "on-the-ground" outreach research issues.

- Project: UNR- Food and Agriculture Policy Research Institute
Requestor: University of Nevada, Reno
Location: Reno, Nevada
Amount: $340,000
Description:  Since the 1980s, FAPRI has provided Congress with the baseline projections for agriculture and commodities.  UNR recently joined this consortium and helps provide specialized information on western range-livestock sector and specialty crops.  Funding would support policy analyses and other research initiatives in Nevada.