US Potato research threatened by budget cuts

President Obama's budget proposal for Fiscal Year (FY) 2013 proposes cutting $700 million in the USDA's spending levels.

The amount represents a 3 percent cut from FY 2012 USDA spending levels.

The cuts include the elimination of nearly $3 million for potato research, $1.4 million in pest and disease research administered through USDA's Agricultural Research Service (ARS) and $1.35 million in potato breeding research administered through USDA's National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA).

Over the past 25 years, Congress has appropriated USDA funds for potato research. This proposal is the first time a president's budget has specifically called for the programs to be eliminated.