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</o:shapelayout></xml><![endif]--></head><body lang=EN-US link=blue vlink=purple><div class=WordSection1><p class=MsoNormal><b><i><span style='color:#00B050'>Please note my new email address<o:p></o:p></span></i></b></p><p class=MsoNormal>TO: US Barley Workers<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><img width=558 height=83 id="Picture_x0020_3" src="cid:image005.png@01D15506.C730E490" alt="cid:image005.png@01D15506.C730E490"><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><b><u><span style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>International Barley Genetics Symposium June 26-30, 2016 Minneapolis, MN USA<o:p></o:p></span></u></b></p><p class=MsoNormal><a href="http://www.ibgs2016.org/" target="_blank"><span style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>www.ibgs2016.org</span></a><span style='font-size:10.0pt'><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><b><u><span style='background:yellow;mso-highlight:yellow'>Registration is open</span></u></b>. <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><b>Early Bird Deadline: March 30th, 2016 <o:p></o:p></b></p><p class=MsoNormal>Non-Student US $600 <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Student US $300 <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Accompanying Person US $350 <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><b>After March 30th, 2016 <o:p></o:p></b></p><p class=MsoNormal>Non-Student US $900 <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Student US $450 <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Accompanying Person US $450<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:12.0pt'><b><span style='font-size:10.5pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif"'>Rooms at the Commons Hotel are available for reservation from now until May 26<sup>th</sup>, 2016.</span></b><span style='font-size:10.5pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif"'> To reserve a room, please call the Commons Hotel at (800) 822-6757 (toll-free) or (612) 379-8888 (local) and ask for the International Barley Genetics Symposium 2016, or reserve a room <a href="https://gc.synxis.com/rez.aspx?Hotel=53931&Chain=11910&template=GCF&shell=GCF_4&start=availresults&arrive=6/25/2016&depart=7/2/2016&adult=1&child=0&group=062616AGRO" target="_blank">here</a>.</span><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><b><span style='background:yellow;mso-highlight:yellow'>USDA Research Funding in FY2016 Omnibus Appropriations Bill</span><o:p></o:p></b></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>The Bipartisan Budget Act of 2015 was passed in October, and provided $112 Billion in new funding above Sequestration spending caps that would have been in effect without it. This allowed for <span lang=EN>$33 Billion in defense and $33 Billion in nondefense spending increases for FY2016 and will allow for increases of $23 Billion in defense and $23 Billion in nondefense spending for FY2017.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN>Subsequently, Congress passed and the President signed the FY2016 Appropriations Act. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN>For the USDA Research Budget:<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><img border=0 width=823 height=149 id="Picture_x0020_1" src="cid:image001.png@01D15503.572943C0" alt="cid:image001.png@01D151FB.11B857F0"><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal style='text-autospace:none'><b><u><span style='color:black'>Congressional Directives for USDA-ARS<o:p></o:p></span></u></b></p><p class=MsoNormal style='text-autospace:none'><i><span style='color:black'>The agreement provides funding increases for forest product, pollinator, aquatic animal health, leafy green vegetables, long-term agroecosystem research, crop improvement and protection, avian health, cranberry, wheat and sorghum, agricultural genomic, methyl bromide alternatives research to combat macrophomina and fusarium, and horticultural research and education.<o:p></o:p></span></i></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Congress currently cannot “earmark” funding, which would be directing funding for specific projects at specific locations. However, it can provide “<i>programmatic increases</i>” that do not contain such specifications. However, often there is a more detailed understanding of where the funds will go from Congress and their constituents. For example, the increase in funding for wheat & sorghum is for the following item that was in the FY2016 Agriculture Appropriations bill reported out of the Senate Appropriations Committee.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal style='text-autospace:none'><i><span style='color:#0070C0'>Wheat and Sorghum Research.—The Committee recognizes the potential impact heat and drought can have on the yield and quality of wheat and sorghum and the need for new cultivars to adapt to changing climatic conditions. The Committee provides an increase of $1,000,000 for research to improve the productivity and quality of wheat and sorghum during uncertain growing seasons resulting from extended droughts and increased temperatures.<o:p></o:p></span></i></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>This funding will be going to ARS, Manhattan Kansas, with $900,000 for sorghum and $100,000 for wheat research.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>For the two National Barley Improvement Committee/National Wheat Improvement Committee ARS programmatic funding requests, <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>(For all FY2016 NBIC goals go to <a href="http://ambainc.org/content/17/nbic-goals">http://ambainc.org/content/17/nbic-goals</a> <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><u><span style='font-size:14.0pt'>Funding of $3.3 Million for the US Wheat & Barley Scab Initiative (USWBSI) to bring appropriated funding levels to the $10 Million authorized in the 2014 Farm Bill</span></u><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><u><span style='font-size:14.0pt'>Funding of $3.35 Million for a Small Grains Genomic Initiative</span></u><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>we did not receive increased funding, but did have language from the House and Senate bills reported out of the Appropriation Committees in July included in the Omnibus Appropriations Bill. This is still helpful, since it shows USDA ARS administrators what programs are of importance to Congress and their constituents, and may result in the agency including funding in future budgets proposed by the Administration or they will try to fund at least in part in other ways (e.g. using unexpended fiscal year end funds). <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>HOUSE<u> <o:p></o:p></u></p><p class=MsoNormal><i><u><span lang=EN>Small Grain Genomic</span></u></i><i><span lang=EN>--The Committee supports research on small grain genomics and recognizes its importance in improving crop traits and developing new cultivars.<o:p></o:p></span></i></p><p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><i><u><span lang=EN>U.S. Wheat and Barley Scab</span></u></i><i><span lang=EN>--The Committee recognizes that fusarium head blight is a major threat to agriculture, inflicting substantial yield and quality losses throughout the U.S. The Committee supports research carried out through the U.S. Wheat and Barley Scab Initiative.<o:p></o:p></span></i></p><p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal>SENATE<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><i><u><span lang=EN>Small Grains Genomic Initiative</span></u></i><i><span lang=EN>--The Committee recognizes that ARS small grains genotypic research provides a critical resource to facilitate the application of genomic information and DNA marker technologies to the improvement and breeding of barley and wheat, with a current major need to update to next-generation genotypic to accelerate marker-assisted breeding. Adequate resources are also needed to enhance barley and wheat quality phenotyping, doubled haploid research and small grains genomic research, and the Committee supports the Small Grains Genomic Initiative.<o:p></o:p></span></i></p><p class=MsoNormal><i><span lang=EN><o:p> </o:p></span></i></p><p class=MsoNormal><b><span lang=EN>There was also language supporting rust research</span></b><span lang=EN>:<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN>HOUSE:<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='text-autospace:none'><i><u>Emerging Cereal Rust Diseases</u>.—The Committee continues to be concerned about emerging cereal rust diseases, particularly Ug99, and the threat they pose to domestic and world food supplies. The Committee encourages ARS to continue its work on these diseases, including the development of Ug99-resistant wheat varieties.<o:p></o:p></i></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><i>SENATE:<o:p></o:p></i></p><p class=MsoNormal style='text-autospace:none'><i><u>Emerging Cereal Rust Diseases</u>.—The Committee is aware that emerging cereal rust diseases are a threat to domestic and world food supplies. Therefore, the Department should continue to dedicate funding to speed efforts to combat cereal rust disease, including development of Ug99-resistant wheat varieties.<o:p></o:p></i></p><p class=MsoNormal style='text-autospace:none'><i><o:p> </o:p></i></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><i><span style='font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"'><img border=0 width=214 height=75 id="Picture_x0020_2" src="cid:image006.png@01D15506.C730E490" alt="cid:image006.png@01D15506.C730E490"></span></i><i><span style='font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"'><o:p></o:p></span></i></p><p class=MsoNormal><i><span style='font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"'>Michael P. Davis, Ph.D.<br> President, American Malting Barley Association, Inc.<br> Executive Secretary, National Barley Improvement Committee<br>740 N. Plankinton Avenue, Suite 830<br>Milwaukee, WI 53203<br>414-272-4640; 414-272-4631 (fax; 414-218-8806 (cell)<br></span></i><span style='font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"'><a href="http://www.ambainc.org/">www.AMBAinc.org</a><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='text-autospace:none'><o:p> </o:p></p></div></body></html>