Sen. Sherrod Brown anounces more than $4 million to support Ohio agriculture

WASHINGTON — U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, applauded passage of The Omnibus Appropriations Act of 2009, which includes $4,013,000 in funds to targeted programs and services that support Ohio farmers.

Brown secured federal funding for the following projects:

— $502, 000 for the partnership between Greenhouse Nurseries and researchers from the University of Toledo, Bowling Green State University, Indiana State University, and The Ohio State University: These funds will help promote northwest Ohio greenhouse growers competitiveness through a collaborative business strategy. The funds, which will come from the Cooperative State Research Education and Extension Service at the Department of Agriculture, were secured by Brown.

— $2,192,000 for the University of Toledo Greenhouse and Hydroponic Research Complex: These funds will support the construction of agricultural research building that will bridge University of Toledo scientists, faculty, and students to advance the horticulture industry. The funds, which will come from the Agriculture Research Service at the Department of Agriculture, were secured by Brown, Sen. George V. Voinovich, and Rep. Marcy Kaptur.

— $209,000 to the University of Toledo to combat viral hemorrhagic septicemia: These funds will support geospatial Geographic Information Systems (GIS) technology combined with advanced Environmental and Public Health statistics to research a new strain of a Lake Erie virus epidemic that threatened fisheries, economic development, and tourism in the region in 2006. The funds, which will come from the Cooperative State Research Education and Extension Service at the Department of Agriculture, were secured by Brown, Voinovich, and Kaptur.

— $623,000 for the Ohio Aquaculture Research and Development Program at The Ohio State University: These funds will go towards promoting Ohio Aquaculture Research and Development Integration Program, which aims to expand Ohio s profitability in aquaculture operations. The funds, which will come from the Cooperative State Research Education and Extension Service at the Department of Agriculture, were secured by Brown, Voinovich, Kaptur, and Rep. Zack Space.

— $105,000 for the Farmland Preservation at The Ohio State University: These funds will contribute to the Farmland Preservation s mission to empower local communities to address farmland protection through local government and policy work. The funds, which will come from the Cooperative State Research Education and Extension Service at the Department of Agriculture, were secured by Brown and Voinovich.

— $382,000 to the Agriculture Science-Emergency Detection and Response Research Program on Emerging Animal and Plant Diseases at The Ohio State University: These funds will invest in studies to research the evolutionary changes of SARS and other animal coronaviruses to better understand their potential to cross species barriers. The funds, which will come from the Cooperative State Research Education and Extension Service at the Department of Agriculture, were secured by Brown and Kaptur.

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