Unfavorable travel conditions reduced the RRC to a minimal level with limited staff support.

1. New Project Outline: "Improved Weed Control Through Residue Management and Crop Rotation." Request approval of project. Submitted by J. Scott Angle (MD). Recommend approval of the project with the request that the project consider more carefully the commented of peer reviewers related to Objectives 2 and 4, and that the OED work with the project to help it transition to the new multistate guidelines. Administrative advisor – J. Scott Angle

2. Request for off-the-top funding for FY 2001:
NRSP-1, "Research Planning Using the Current Research Information System."
NRSP-3, "National Atmospheric Deposition Program."
NRSP-4, "A National Agricultural Program to Clear Pest Control Agents for Minor Uses."
NRSP-5, "Develop and Distribute Deciduous Fruit Tree Clones Free of Viruses and Virus-like Agents."
NRSP-6, "Inter-Regional Potato Introduction Project."
NRSP-8, "National Animal Genome Program."

RRC does not have adequate information to judge the funding requests for all projects. Given this lack of information and timing constraints, the following recommendation was crafted. Recommend approval of all NRSP requests at the funding level of last year; if Hatch appropriations for FY 2001 increase significantly, NERA will reconsider funding levels at the September meeting of the association.

3. National Guidelines for Multistate Research Activities. The revised guidelines (Version 11, June 21, 2000) have incorporated all of the NERA concerns and thus a NE Supplement is no longer needed. The document is ready for presentation to CSREES as the SAES alternative to the Partnership Office "Yellow-Page" document. The OED will present the guidelines to NERA along with a series of questions for consideration before the document is presented to CSREES.

4. Administrative Advisor Assignments. All projects ending in 2000 and 2001 have been extended to 2002:
NE-138 "Epidemiology and Control of Emerging Strains of Poultry Respiratory Disease Agents" (9/02). Dave MacKenzie will continue to serve as AA until the project is integrated into NC 228 (Avian Respiratory Diseases: Pathogenesis, Surveillance, Diagnosis and Control).
NE-127 "Biophysical Models for Poultry Production Systems" (9/04)
NE-148 "Regulation of Nutrient Use in Food Producing Animals" (9/02)
NE-161 "Association of Fertility with Temporal Changes in Ovarian Function of Domestic Ruminants" (9/02).

Directors recommended for AA assignments for the above projects are still to be contacted.