Traditionally, the annual agriculture spending bill is one of Congress’s most popular vehicles for pork barrel spending.  The Pork Patrolsm has identified 181 earmarks in the Fiscal 2000 Agriculture Appropriations bill (H.R. 1906/S. 1233), costing taxpayers more than $100 million.  Here are just a few examples of the pork tucked into this bill:

• Viticulture Consortium, California and New York:  $1.2 million added by the Senate for a viticulture consortium in California and New York, a corporate handout for the wine industry.  Since 1996, taxpayers have been squeezed $4 million to pay for the consortium.
• Alternative Salmon Products, Alaska:  $650,000 for alternative salmon products in the state, added by Senate Appropriations Committee Chairman Ted Stevens (R).
• Vidalia Onions Research, Georgia:  $100,000 for vidalia onions research in Georgia, in the district of House Agriculture Committee member Sanford Bishop (D).  Believe it or not, this questionable research grant goes primarily toward “developing pungency testing procedures” for vidalia onions.  Georgia received $100,000 for similar research in fiscal 1999.
• Hawaii Agriculture Research:  $5.6 million in research grants for the state of Hawaii, thanks to the generosity of veteran Senate Appropriator Daniel Inouye (D), including $5.5 million for the U.S. Pacific Basin Agricultural Research Center.
• Iowa Biotechnology Consortium:  $1.6 million for this project in the home state of House Appropriator Tom Latham (R) and Senate Appropriator Tom Harkin (D).
• Mississippi Agriculture Research:  $7.6 million for cooperative state and agriculture research earmarks, including $4.8 million inserted by Senate Agriculture Appropriations Subcommittee Chairman Thad Cochran (R).
• Swine Waste Management, North Carolina:  $500,000 for research into pig doo-doo.  The money goes to the North Carolina State University, in the district of House Appropriator David Price (D).
• Income Enhancement Demonstration Project, Ohio:  $246,000 earmarked for a center that is supposed to “enhance the competitiveness for agricultural firms in Northwest Ohio.”  Instead, this pork-barrel project funds ludicrous studies on the feasibility of farmers markets at Ohio turnpike plazas in the district of House Appropriator Marcy Kaptur (D).
• Center for Rural Studies, Vermont:  $200,000 earmarked for a Center for Rural Studies in the state of Senate Appropriator Patrick Leahy (D).  This money goes for studies on the development of retail shopping areas and strategies for using the Internet.  Since 1992, $637,000 has been appropriated for this research.
• Appalachian Fruit Research Station, West Virginia:  A $250,000 gift for the community of Kearneysville, W. Va., from Senate Appropriations Committee Ranking Member Robert Byrd (D).  The research station received $250,000 in fiscal 1999 as well.