05/23/05 Bigger budget for Wheat Commission

05/23/05 Bigger budget for Wheat Commission

Washington Ag May The Washington Wheat Commission has approved a budget for its new fiscal year starting in July of $3,389,600.00. That's up from the budget approved a year ago of just under 2.8 million dollars and is the first spending plan with the revenue from the assessment increase growers approved last year. Commission Chairman Curtis Hennings offered these comments on the budget. Hennings: "Since the growers passed the assessment increase this previous year, we have adequate funds to fund most of the research that has been requested. I am pleased that we have a pretty good balance between research and market development." The biggest chunk of the budget one-million 187-thousand dollars is going to fund research at Washington State University.. Just under 854 thousand dollars is for market development including a new project to explore the potential of a long term wheat purchase agreement an Egyptian grain purchasing official has expressed interest in. Commissioners also added 250-thousand dollars to an endowment operated by the Washington Wheat Foundation that provides funds for researchers to purchase and repair equipment. The Wheat Commission also increased it financial support to the Washington Association of Wheat Growers. I'm Bob Hoff.
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