[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 57 (Tuesday, April 10, 2018)]
[House]
[Pages H3065-H3066]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




  RECOGNIZING KANSAS STATE UNIVERSITY'S KANSAS WHEAT INNOVATION CENTER

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from 
Kansas (Mr. Marshall) for 5 minutes.
  Mr. MARSHALL. Madam Speaker, I rise today to highlight my alma mater, 
Kansas State University, and the Kansas Wheat Innovation Center, which 
I had the honor and the pleasure of touring over this Easter work 
period. This

[[Page H3066]]

center works to strengthen the productivity of farmers both in Kansas 
and around the world.
  The Wheat Innovation Center is the result of a public-private 
partnership. It was built in 2011 by the Kansas Wheat Commission, a 
grower-funded organization that promotes Kansas wheat through increased 
international trade and research.
  The innovation center now encompasses 15,000 square feet of advanced 
plant breeding space and 20,000 square feet of greenhouse space 
dedicated to advancing wheat genetics.
  In addition to the innovative center, Kansas State is also home to 
four Feed the Future labs, the most of any university in the country.
  Feed the Future labs are funded by USAID and are focused on 
supporting research and land-grant universities to grow the 
agricultural production of target countries. Much of that research is 
tasked with improving the resilience and adaption of crops in arid 
climates, a climate not unlike that of Kansas.

  As the global population rises to 8 billion people by 2030, the 
technology developed by partnerships like the one in the Kansas Wheat 
Innovation Center will only become more essential. We must continue to 
be proactive in the fight to end global hunger by pooling resources to 
strengthen agriculture for developing countries abroad and our own 
Kansas farmers at home.
  The collaboration and leadership shown by Kansas Wheat, Kansas State 
University, and the Feed the Future innovation labs is a blueprint for 
finding solutions to feeding our growing world and improving the global 
food system.


      Investing in Our Country and Our Infrastructure Initiatives

  Mr. MARSHALL. Madam Speaker, rural America is poised to reignite into 
an economic powerhouse, but its low population density and wide-open 
spaces have proven difficult for some businesses to operate, given its 
often outdated infrastructure.
  Without Federal incentives to help bridge the financial gap, many 
rural American businesses struggle to access the same services as their 
urban counterparts at comparable prices.
  This Congress recently made a more than $21 billion downpayment to 
improving our country's aging infrastructure.
  While back in Kansas, I had the opportunity to sit down with a number 
of industry and community leaders from across the State to discuss how 
these investments will benefit our schools, businesses, and farmers.
  From broadband deployment to highway and railway maintenance, 
community leaders could not stress enough the importance that this 
funding will have for economic development. Improving our 
infrastructure, highways, and railways will allow easier movement of 
Kansas agriculture and aeronautical products to ports for export.
  With broadband expansion, our rural students will have the resources 
they need to compete with students across the country when they apply 
to the college of their choice. It will allow farmers and ranchers to 
better monitor equipment and utilize new technologies for precision 
agriculture and provide businesses access to new markets for their 
products.
  All in all, I cannot stress enough how encouraged my constituents are 
because of our latest promise to invest in our country and our 
infrastructure initiatives. This funding will truly help rural America 
thrive, and I look forward to continued discussions on this here in 
D.C., as well as back home.

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