Potato funding provided in Senate Appropriations Bill

The U.S. Senate Appropriations Committee has approved the FY2020 Agriculture Appropriations Bill.

The $151-billion bill includes provisions beneficial to the potato industry including;

• $2.75 million for potato breeding research
• A prohibition on any limitation for potatoes accessing the school breakfast program
• $20 million for the Integrated Pest Management Program (IPM), supporting the work of the University of Maine’s (UMaine) Cooperative Extension Potato IPM program

“We sincerely appreciate the attention of the Committee to these important provisions,” said Kam Quarles, CEO of the National Potato Council. “It is hoped that Congress and the Administration can agree upon a path forward for the agriculture approprations process to conclude rapidly and offer certainty going into the new year.”