By:  Sims                                             S.R. No. 1304
    1-1                           SENATE RESOLUTION
    1-2        WHEREAS, The pecan tree is the State Tree of Texas and holds
    1-3  a special place in the hearts of Texans; it reminds us of the
    1-4  patriots who began the fight for Texas independence in a pecan
    1-5  grove at Gonzales; and
    1-6        WHEREAS, The pecan tree is a symbol of the abundance provided
    1-7  by the natural resources of this great state; Texas produces more
    1-8  native pecans than any other state; and
    1-9        WHEREAS, Pecans are grown as a cash crop in more Texas
   1-10  counties than any other crop; they account for over $50 million
   1-11  in farm sales of nuts alone; grafted trees and other pecan products
   1-12  sold in Texas are worth additional millions of dollars annually; and
   1-13        WHEREAS, The only pecan breeding program in the world is
   1-14  located in Brownwood, Texas, at the W. R. Poage Field Station of
   1-15  the United States Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research
   1-16  Service; and
   1-17        WHEREAS, This outstanding program has operated for 65
   1-18  years and has developed the improved pecan varieties that set
   1-19  the standards for production and quality around the world; and
   1-20        WHEREAS, The collection of pecan varieties maintained
   1-21  by the breeding program was designated as the National Clonal
   1-22  Germplasm Repository for Pecans and Hickories in 1984 in
   1-23  recognition of its value as a gene bank for this most important
    2-1  native North American nut tree; and
    2-2        WHEREAS, Despite its unique mission and impressive
    2-3  accomplishments, the Pecan Breeding Program has been targeted
    2-4  for closure by the Congress of the United States; by closing
    2-5  this station, the USDA-ARS would have to abandon the only
    2-6  strategy capable of developing disease-resistant and
    2-7  insect-resistant varieties; and
    2-8        WHEREAS, The State of Texas and the country should be
    2-9  increasing, not decreasing, the development of insect-resistant
   2-10  and disease-resistant plants in order to reduce the use of
   2-11  pesticides; and
   2-12        WHEREAS, Because of the value of the USDA-ARS Pecan
   2-13  Breeding and Genetics program for natural resource conservation
   2-14  and because of the need for the continued development of improved
   2-15  pecan varieties having increased resistance to insects and disease,
   2-16  the Texas Senate would like to encourage the continuation of the
   2-17  W. R. Poage Field Station; now, therefore, be it
   2-18        RESOLVED, That the Senate of the State of Texas,
   2-19  74th Legislature, hereby recommend that the USDA-ARS Pecan
   2-20  Breeding and Genetics program be continued.
   2-21                               ______________________________________
   2-22                                       President of the Senate
   2-23                                    I hereby certify that the above
   2-24                               Resolution was adopted by the Senate
   2-25                               on May 28, 1995.
    3-1                               ______________________________________
    3-2                                       Secretary of the Senate
    3-3                               ______________________________________
    3-4                                        Member, Texas Senate