Brookings ag lab part of budget hit list

NCARL one of 17 USDA sites tagged for closure

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BROOKINGS – As Yogi Berra said, “It ain’t over ’til it’s over.”

But the process to close the North Central Agricultural Research Laboratory just north of Brookings has begun. The lab is one of 17 USDA Agricultural Research Service sites on President Donald Trump’s 2018 budget chopping block.

According to the USDA, the Brookings lab employs about 30 full-time permanent personnel plus a number of students, depending on the time of year. Employees include scientists; postdoctoral research associates; administrative, technical, clerical and trades; and student and summer employees.

Areas of research at the lab include soil science, agronomy, plant physiology, microbiology and entomology.

A recent telephone call from The Brookings Register to Sharon K. Papiemik, supervisory soil scientist at the lab, was referred to the ARS Office of Communications in Bethesda, Md.

Office Director Christopher Bentley responded with an email to the Register with a USDA statement: “The president has proposed his budget, and now the appropriators in Congress will make their mark on it. We cannot know what form the final budget will take, and so it is premature to comment on the specific impacts it may have on any USDA program. Secretary (of Agriculture Sonny) Perdue has communicated to all USDA staff that there is no sense in sugarcoating the budget, but he will be as transparent as possible throughout the budget process.”

Additionally, Bentley told the Register, “There’s no idea where this is going. It’s the president’s request on the Hill. It’s the beginning of a long process still to be played out.”

At a June 14 Senate Agricultural Committee hearing, Perdue said research was “one of those areas where we may have missed the mark,” adding, “I believe that we can work toward right-sizing the budget. Research is the basis of our agricultural productivity today.”

About $3.3 million at stake

In one section of the budget, details for the 17 sites pointed out “a decrease of $11,665,000 from ongoing research projects to help finance and support the Administration’s budget priorities.”

The Brookings lab’s research project recommended for a funding decrease of $428,000 was “Soil and Crop Management for Enhanced Soil Health, Resilient Cropping Systems, and Sustainable Agriculture in the Northern Great Plains.”

Other reductions that would impact the Brookings site include $1,879,000 for a research program to study “Productive Cropping Systems Based on Ecological Principles of Pest Management” and $998,000 for “Soil and Crop Management for Enhanced Soil Health, Resilient Cropping Systems, and Sustainable Agriculture in the Northern Great Plains.”

A total of about $3.3 million would be lost to the Brookings lab.

Lawmakers oppose closure

On July 7, Sen. Mike Rounds, R-S.D., responded to the Register via email, saying he opposed the closure.

“The president’s annual budget is largely seen as a blueprint for his priorities, and Ag Secretary Sonny Perdue has already indicated that the proposed budget cuts to USDA’s budget may have gone too far, particularly when it comes to research,” Rounds wrote.

“The North Central Agricultural Research Lab, the only ARS in South Dakota, has provided crucial research and innovation into crop and soil management that has helped ag producers across the country become more effective and efficient as they seek to feed a growing global population.”

In a July 12 email to the Register, Sen. John Thune, R-S.D., said he, too, wants to keep the lab open.

“Agriculture research, like the good work being done at South Dakota State University, has added greatly to our state’s No. 1 industry and the hard-working men and women who contribute to its success. This type of research should be encouraged, which is why I strongly supported keeping this laboratory open,” Thune wrote.

And in a prepared statement on July 19, Republican Congresswoman Kristi Noem, South Dakota’s at-large member of the House of Representatives, said she’ll keep advocating for the lab.

“Programs like the Sun Grant Initiative are critical in ensuring America remains at the forefront of innovative technological advancements in agriculture and the food supply.

“For this reason, I fought to maintain the program during the 2014 Farm Bill debate and will continue to advocate for it throughout the FY2018 appropriations process.”

Contact John Kubal at jkubal@brookingsregister.com.