ms. langenfelder. >> good afternoon.my husband is a 5 #th generation farmer, and together with three children, we farm 3,000 acres in maryland 80 miles east of here growing corn, soybeans, wheat, and barley. we have a livestock operation as well. i currently serve as president of the maryland farm bureau, and i also serve on the board of the american farm bureau federation, the nation's largest general farm organization on whose behalf i'm speaking on today. i thank you for holding the hearing today on this very important matter. as has been stated a million times already today and on the news and media, much of the nation is currently gripped in the significant drought that will ultimately touch lives of every ag producer and consumer in this country. for this reason alone, it is important to have the best, most up-to-date information on the nation's drought conditions. farm bureau strongly supports legislation to reauthorize the national integrated drought information system, nidis, and is ready to work with you for sw

ms. langenfelder, you describe that and mr. strong, the importance of the services and of the land grant universities. so considering this, can you describe how the reductions in the budget prevents like extension services what impact of drought preparedness and response to agricultural communities across the country? >> it is organics itself. one of the things it helps support in the drought research is the oregon climate center out of oregon state university. in addition, the big part of the role is to interact with the people that provided the information to the extension services. any capability we have to get them to the level of which the drops are declared that the level increases the value of the information to the american people. >> thank you. >> you are nodding your head. >> i was just an agreement. it's important to keep the extension service available and it is integral to the success of utter culture in most across the country really. >> thank you i very much. mr. strong and dr. bamiglieti, wanted to ask you both

ms. langenfelder?>> and early warning for the agriculture community. >> thank you all for your answers. mr. chairman, i can't help but make a plug here because one of the great spin-offs of the space program has, in fact, been better weather forecasting. so that's an example where what you all are talking about and our space program are interconnected, and that's one of the great spin-offs that we've had. thank you, mr. chairman. >> and i thank you. ms. lofgren, california, five minutes. >> thank you, mr. chairman. and i -- this is, obviously, a very timely hearing, and i think i'm hearing general consensus from the panel that when our chairman and then-colleague mark udall put together this scheme, it actually has resulted in a good thing, and it's been helpful, nidis has. and the question, i guess, before us is can we make it even more useful to the country. dr. famiglietti, i was struck by your chart that you showed and is also in your testimony about trends in freshwater availability. what is the r

ms. langenfelder, you just brought that up and, mr.strong, the importance of extension services and the land grant universities. so considering this, can you describe how reductions in the budget for programs like extension services would impact drought preparedness in response to agricultural communities across the country? >> relative to oregon itself, one of the things we help promote is the oregon climate center out of oregon state university. and in addition, a big part of their role is to provide information to the extension services. any capability we have to get down to the level of which droughts are actually declared at the county level increases the value of the information to the american people. >> thank you. mrs. langenfelder, you're nodding your head. >> well, i was just in agreement, and it's very important to keep the extension service available. it's integral to the success of agriculture across the country really. >> thank you. thank you very much. mr. strong and dr. famiglietti, i wanted to ask you, you both mention