Utah reaps $13 million from Senate for variety of agriculture projects, including flood control

WASHINGTON — About $13 million for Utah projects was tucked into the annual agriculture appropriations bill passed Friday by the Senate on a 93-1 vote.

It included $1 million for relief for damage from the Mormon cricket infestation in the state — on top of $6.6 million in emergency cricket relief approved earlier this year — and $6.1 million for a variety of agricultural research projects at Utah State University.

The Utah money was put into the bill by Sen. Bob Bennett, R-Utah, who is chairman of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Agriculture.

The bill now goes to a House-Senate conference. It is one of 13 spending bills that Congress must pass each year.

• $1.1 million to continue restoration from flood damage of the Dry Creek corridor in Sandy's Dimple Dell Park.

• $1.8 million for flood control and erosion projects for the communities of Roosevelt, Cedar City and Kanab.

• $1.3 million to upgrade the Predator Ecology Research Station at the Wildlife Research Center in Millville, Cache County.

• $1.2 million for the Poisonous Plant Lab in Logan.

• $250,000 for the Utah Concentrated Animal Feeding Operation/Animal Feeding Operation pilot project, designed to help protect water quality from degradation due to waste discharge from concentrated feeding operations.