. $25 million for value-added producer grants, and $25 million for the rural microentrepreneur assistance program. these are all programs that most of us on this committee have supported. i would ask the committee to agree to this because i think it really will make major inroads into what we can do in rural america. >> senator roberts. >> thank you, madam chair. >> one more thing. it will be budget neutral. that's the whole point. it would only be money left over that's not spoken for that would go into a place we haven't done as well in the past. we've all said before we'd like to do rural development better than we have. i apologize. thank you, madam chair. >> senator, if i could make a suggestion, we have had a little bit of a blood pressure of what's mandatory and what isn't. more especially, in several of the programs. more especially in ag research than other titles. i am wondering under the circumstances if you would agree to work with the chairwoman and myself on this specific issue and your suggestion, and we're looking it over right now. and work with us and see if we can't may

improving upon them from the 2008 farm bill, especially the program referred to as the rural microentrepreneur assistance program. rural development vo provides small businesses which make up 90% of all rural business. the needed capital -- provides the needed capital to finance start-up costs and provides the backing for young and beginning farmers to enter production agriculture to replace retiring farmers and ranchers. while we were unable to find the necessary mandatory money, i home to work with both chairwoman and the ranking member to ensure that there is some level of support made available as we work toward moving the bill to the floor and eventually senate passage. so once again, i thank the chair and the ranking member, roberts. since he's here, i noted at the beginning of my remarks that while you're from kansas, before kansas became a state, you were part of the nebraska territory. i know that rifles the ranking member for me to remind him of that, but facts are facts. thank you both. >> would the senator yield for a moment. >> of course. >> that is true, but of course for the big