Bad news...

Monday it was announced that the Beltsville, Tucson and Baton Rouge USDA Bee 
Research Laboratories have been cut from Bush's 2003 budget.  Only the Weslaco 
lab is in the budget.  That means on October 1, 2002 the above 3 labs will be 
closed.  A small amount of funding from those labs will be re-directed to the 
Weslaco lab.  For example 18% of the budget from the Beltsville Lab will be re-
directed to the Weslaco Lab.  This money is actually the project that Dr. Anita 
Collins is working on - germplasm  preservation.  I do not know the details but 
apparently small projects from the other bee labs will also be redirected to 
Weslaco.  The above closings will result in the labs going from 21 bee research 
scientists to 9 scientists.

Apparently the above is not yet a done deal.  On February 28, the House 
Agriculture Appropriation Committee will be reviewing and passing their version 
of the budget.  And on March 14, the Senate Ag Appropriation Committee will 
start working on the budget.  In order to make changes to the budget, our 
legislators will need to hear from the beekeeping industry.

I am told that the leaders in the beekeeping industry are aware of the situation 
and are mustering the troops.  However, I think, state and local beekeeping 
organizations need to get involved along with individual beekeepers.

The beekeeping industry desperately needs the research produced by the federal 
labs to help beekeepers deal with the disease and pest problems that our bees 
face.  Consider doing your part in letting your views be known.

Bart Smith


Kim Flottum of the AI Root Company posted this message yesterday....

Industry Organizations and individual beekeepers and those who depend on honey 
bee research (and who doesn't eat?), must act fast to convince congress that the 
guns in the proposed budget will mean less butter for all of us.
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Bee Labs Not In 2003 Budget

If you haven't heard, the 2003 budget submitted by the President in early 
February, calls for a $15 million base fund reduction for the USDA's Agriculture 
Research Service (ARS). An additional $90 million will be terminated as 
congressional add-ons, part of which will come from closing two Albany, CA 
research facilities and additional programs in wheat quality labs.

Of the $15 million, part of this is to be accomplished by terminating all 
operations at the Beltsville, Tucson and Baton Rouge Bee Labs. One scientist 
from each lab and that scientist's funding will then be transferred to the 
Weslaco Bee Lab in Weslcao, Texas. The remaining scientists and staff will be 
offered other positions in ARS. This will reduce the USDA Honey Bee research 
scientist positions from 21 to 9. 

These transfers will increase Weslaco's budget by $1.3 million, even though 
they, too, will lose a congressional add-on from last year. The Logan, Utah, Bee 
Lab will lose a $249,000 congressional add-on, but undergo no other changes or 
transfers.

Dr. Phyllis Johnson, Beltsville Area Director said that the lab closing 
proposals were part of the findings of a Facilities Task force established by 
the last Farm bill committee.

The budget proposal next goes to, and needs to be approved by both the USDA and 
the OMB before it goes to congress. They have, to some degree, the latitude to 
decide what is, and isn't in the final budget presented to Congress.

Concerns of the affected industries should be directed to local congressi8onal 
offices, members of the appropriations committees and the Secretary of the USDA 
said Dr. Johnson.

If enacted as proposed, the three affected Bee Labs will close and transfers 
occur at the end of the current fiscal year, September 30, 2002.
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Kim Flottum
Editor, Bee Culture Magazine
http://www.airoot.com/beeculture/index.htm 

For an archive Catch the Buzz postings, visit:
http://bee.airoot.com/beeculture/buzz/index.html 

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Troy Fore, Executive Secretary for the American Beekeeping Federation provided 
this information:

HOUSE APPROPRIATIONS COMMITTEE:

Subcommittee on Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug
Administration, and Related Agencies
2362 Rayburn House Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20515-6016

REPUBLICANS                           DEMOCRATS
Henry Bonilla, Texas, Chairman        Marcy Kaptur, Ohio
James T. Walsh, New York              Rosa DeLauro, Connecticut
Jack Kingston, Georgia                Maurice D. Hinchey, New York
George Nethercutt, Jr., Washington    Sam Farr, California
Tom Latham, Iowa                      Allen Boyd, Florida
Jo Ann Emerson, Missouri
Virgil H. Goode, Jr., Virginia
Ray LaHood, Illinois


SENATE APPROPRIATIONS COMMITTEE:

Subcommittee on Agriculture, Rural Development, and Related Agencies
SD-136 Dirksen Sedate Office Bldg.
Washington, DC 20510-6026

DEMOCRATS:                            REPUBLICANS:
Herb Kohl, Wisconsin, chairman        Thad Cochran, Mississippi
Tom Harkin, Iowa                      Arlen Specter, Pennsylvania
Byron L. Dorgan, North Dakota         Christopher "Kit" Bond, Missouri
Dianne Feinstein, California          Mitch McConnell, Kentucky
Richard Durbin, Illinois              Conrad Burns, Montana
Tim Johnson, South Dakota             Larry E. Craig, Idaho
Patty Murray, Washington

Troy