,,ii #aahth ,,congress #b;d ,session ,s4 #dahb ,,in ,,the ,,senate ,,of ,,the ,,united ,,states ,april #ah1 #bjbd,mr4 ,merkley 7for himself and ,mr4 ,wyden7 introduced the following bill2 which was read twice and referred to the ,committee on ,agriculture1 ,nutrition1 and ,forestry ,a ,,bill ,to authorize appropriations for certain agricultural research of the ,department of ,agriculture1 and for other purposes4 #a4 ,short title ,this ,act may be cited as the ,oregon ,research ,bounty ,act of #bjbd4 #b4 ,purpose ,the purpose of this ,act is to permanently authorize certain programs of the ,agricultural ,research ,service4 #c4 ,definition of ,secretary ,in this ,act1 the term ,secretary means the ,secretary of ,agriculture4 #d4 ,agricultural research 7a7 ,in general ,the ,secretary shall carry out each of the research activities required by this section by making grants or entering into cooperative agreements4 7b7 ,smoke exposure 7#a7 ,purpose ,the purpose of this subsection is to support research to address the impacts of wildfire smoke on wine grape production4 7#b7 ,research ,the ,secretary shall carry out research to assist growers and processors of wine grapes by-- 7,a7 establishing science-based threshold levels of smoke compounds that cause smoke-tainted grapes2 7,b7 identifying the compounds responsible for smoke taint in grapes2 7,c7 developing mitigation methods to reduce or eliminate smoke taint in grapes2 and 7,d7 identifying compounds that can act as a barrier between grapes and smoke compounds4 7#c7 ,authorization of appropriations ,there is authorized to be appropriated to the ,secretary to carry out this subsection #e1jjj1jjj for each fiscal year4 7c7 ,resilient dryland farming 7#a7 ,research ,the ,secretary shall carry out research on resilient dryland farming of cereal grains1 with a focus on-- 7,a7 improving yield and quality parameters2 7,b7 developing cropping systems capable of tolerating drought1 heat1 and diseases2 and 7,c7 quantifying economic and environmental benefits from dryland crop production systems4 7#b7 ,authorization of appropriations ,there is authorized to be appropriated to the ,secretary to carry out this subsection #e1jjj1jjj for each fiscal year4 7d7 ,small fruits 7#a7 ,purpose ,the purpose of this subsection is to support research to promote sustainable and organic production of berry and grape crops with the goal of reducing pesticide use and improving quality and yield4 7#b7 ,research ,the ,secretary shall carry out research to improve the ability1 with respect to berry and grape crops-- 7,a7 to forecast pest and disease spread2 7,b7 to implement precision management strategies2 and 7,c7 to improve the overall quality of fruit4 7#c7 ,authorization of appropriations ,there is authorized to be appropriated to the ,secretary to carry out this subsection #e1jjj1jjj for each fiscal year4 7e7 ,rangeland precision livestock management 7#a7 ,purpose ,the purpose of this subsection is to develop precision livestock management strategies and tools to promote economically efficient and environmentally responsive livestock production systems for the ,western rangeland4 7#b7 ,activities ,the ,secretary shall-- 7,a7 for the purpose of optimizing the health and productivity of ,western rangeland-based livestock and the ,western rangeland ecosystem1 develop-- 7i7 precision nutrition strategies for rangeland-based livestock2 and 7ii7 technology-based rangeland and livestock management strategies2 and 7,b7 transfer new knowledge and technology strategies into data-informed tools and decision guidance for ,western livestock and rangeland managers4 7#c7 ,authorization of appropriations ,there is authorized to be appropriated to the ,secretary to carry out this subsection #e1jjj1jjj for each fiscal year4 7f7 ,pacific shellfish genetics 7#a7 ,finding ,congress finds that there exist-- 7,a7 an economic importance of shellfish aquaculture for rural and coastal communities on the ,pacific coast2 and 7,b7 the need for resilient1 healthy genetic shellfish stocks that can withstand the changing ocean and coastal conditions in the ,pacific coastal region and new shellfish disease threats4 7#b7 ,program ,the ,secretary shall carry out a shellfish genetics and breeding program-- 7,a7 to develop genetically improved shellfish stock2 7,b7 to promote enhanced disease resiliency of shellfish2 7,c7 to modernize shellfish production technologies2 and 7,d7 to transfer technology and improved stocks to shellfish farmers in ,pacific ,states4 7#c7 ,authorization of appropriations ,there is authorized to be appropriated to the ,secretary to carry out this subsection #e1jjj1jjj for each fiscal year4 7g7 ,hemp production systems 7#a7 ,finding ,congress finds that there is an emerging market potential for ,united ,states hemp and hemp-based products for a variety of uses4 7#b7 ,research ,the ,secretary shall carry out1 in accordance with ,federal and ,state laws1 regionally focused research1 development1 stakeholder engagement1 and technology transfer activities to improve agronomic and agro-economic understanding of effectively integrating hemp into existing agricultural cropping1 processing1 and marketing systems4 7#c7 ,authorization of appropriations ,there is authorized to be appropriated to the ,secretary to carry out this subsection #e1jjj1jjj for each fiscal year4 7h7 ,rangeland research 7#a7 ,finding ,congress finds that there is a demonstrated potential for cooperative partnerships to address complex sagebrush steppe ecosystem challenges in the ,great ,basin region4 7#b7 ,research ,the ,secretary shall support a regional1 multi-institutional cooperative partnership to advance collaborative science-based conservation research1 extension1 and education to address time-sensitive and shared rangeland challenges affecting sustainable agricultural productivity1 rural communities1 and ecosystem health4 7#c7 ,authorization of appropriations ,there is authorized to be appropriated to the ,secretary to carry out this subsection #e1jjj1jjj for each fiscal year4 7i7 ,sudden oak death 7#a7 ,finding ,congress finds that the ,european strain #a and the ,north ,american strain #a of the sudden oak death pathogen are major threats to western ,douglas-fir and tanoak forests1 resulting in quarantine restrictions that threaten ,united ,states forests and export markets for log shipments and lily bulbs4 7#b7 ,research ,the ,secretary shall carry out research to improve-- 7,a7 understanding of the ,european strain #a and ,north ,american strain #a of the sudden oak death pathogen2 and 7,b7 treatment methods to inform control and management techniques for those strains in wildlands4 7#c7 ,authorization of appropriations ,there is authorized to be appropriated to the ,secretary to carry out this subsection #e1jjj1jjj for each fiscal year4 7j7 ,forest products research 7#a7 ,findings ,congress finds that-- 7,a7 the forest products sector plays an important role in the ,united ,states economy2 and 7,b7 the creation of new and improved value-added products and renewable energy from the ,united ,states wood supply is critical to the sustainability of the ,united ,states economy4 7#b7 ,research ,the ,secretary1 in coordination with the ,forest ,products ,laboratory of the ,forest ,service1 shall carry out research on-- 7,a7 wood product quality improvement2 7,b7 improvement in forest products evaluation standards and valuation techniques2 and 7,c7 advances in forest production innovation1 development1 and testing4 7#c7 ,authorization of appropriations ,there is authorized to be appropriated to the ,secretary to carry out this subsection #e1jjj1jjj for each fiscal year4 7k7 ,hops research 7#a7 ,research ,the ,secretary shall carry out research relating to hop production4 7#b7 ,authorization of appropriations ,there is authorized to be appropriated to the ,secretary to carry out this subsection #e1jjj1jjj for each fiscal year4 7l7 ,soil carbon research 7#a7 ,finding ,congress finds that there is a need for research into current and future dryland production practices in cereal grain cropping systems to increase profitability1 conserve soil1 enhance soil water storage1 promote sequestration of carbon and soil health1 and reduce reliance on herbicides4 7#b7 ,research ,the ,secretary shall carry out research focused on-- 7,a7 improving yields2 7,b7 assessing the level of carbon sequestration through existing practices2 7,c7 developing new cropping systems capable of tolerating drought1 heat1 and diseases by improving soil health2 7,d7 improving sequestration of carbon2 7,e7 forecasting pest and disease spread2 7,f7 implementing precision management strategies2 and 7,g7 identifying opportunities for increasing sustainability of dryland crop production4 7#c7 ,authorization of appropriations ,there is authorized to be appropriated to the ,secretary to carry out this subsection #e1jjj1jjj for each fiscal year4 7m7 ,tree fruit post-,harvest research 7#a7 ,finding ,congress finds that the tree fruit industry faces significant economic vulnerability from variations in post-harvest quality control4 7#b7 ,research ,the ,secretary shall carry out research relating to cherry and pear fruit physiology and pathology necessary to promote enhanced quality and resiliency from endemic and emerging diseases4 7#c7 ,authorization of appropriations ,there is authorized to be appropriated to the ,secretary to carry out this subsection #e1jjj1jjj for each fiscal year4